text:
<?php

/**
 * This interface defines a class library for performing multiple web requests
 * in batches. Implementations of this interface may perform requests serially
 * or in parallel.
 *
 * @class    CAS_Request_CurlMultiRequest
 * @category Authentication
 * @package  PhpCAS
 * @author   Adam Franco <afranco@middlebury.edu>
 * @license  http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0  Apache License 2.0
 * @link     https://wiki.jasig.org/display/CASC/phpCAS
 */
class CAS_Request_CurlMultiRequest
    implements CAS_Request_MultiRequestInterface
{
    private $_requests = array();
    private $_sent = false;

    /*********************************************************
     * Add Requests
     *********************************************************/

    /**
     * Add a new Request to this batch.
     * Note, implementations will likely restrict requests to their own concrete
     * class hierarchy.
     *
     * @param CAS_Request_RequestInterface $request reqest to add
     *
     * @return void
     * @throws CAS_OutOfSequenceException If called after the Request has been sent.
     * @throws CAS_InvalidArgumentException If passed a Request of the wrong
     * implmentation.
     */
    public function addRequest(CAS_Request_RequestInterface $request)
    {
        if ($this->_sent) {
            throw new CAS_OutOfSequenceException(
                'Request has already been sent cannot ' . __METHOD__
            );
        }
        if (!$request instanceof CAS_Request_CurlRequest) {
            throw new CAS_InvalidArgumentException(
                'As a CAS_Request_CurlMultiRequest, I can only work with CAS_Request_CurlRequest objects.'
            );
        }

        $this->_requests[] = $request;
    }

    /**
     * Retrieve the number of requests added to this batch.
     *
     * @return int number of request elements
     * @throws CAS_OutOfSequenceException if the request has already been sent
     */
    public function getNumRequests()
    {
        if ($this->_sent) {
            throw new CAS_OutOfSequenceException(
                'Request has already been sent cannot ' . __METHOD__
            );
        }
        return count($this->_requests);
    }

    /*********************************************************
     * 2. Send the Request
     *********************************************************/

    /**
     * Perform the request. After sending, all requests will have their
     * responses poulated.
     *
     * @return bool TRUE on success, FALSE on failure.
     * @throws CAS_OutOfSequenceException If called multiple times.
     */
    public function send()
    {
        if ($this->_sent) {
            throw new CAS_OutOfSequenceException(
                'Request has already been sent cannot send again.'
            );
        }
        if (!count($this->_requests)) {
            throw new CAS_OutOfSequenceException(
                'At least one request must be added via addRequest() before the multi-request can be sent.'
            );
        }

        $this->_sent = true;

        // Initialize our handles and configure all requests.
        $handles = array();
        $multiHandle = curl_multi_init();
        foreach ($this->_requests as $i => $request) {
            $handle = $request->initAndConfigure();
            curl_setopt($handle, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
            $handles[$i] = $handle;
            curl_multi_add_handle($multiHandle, $handle);
        }

        // Execute the requests in parallel.
        do {
            curl_multi_exec($multiHandle, $running);
        } while ($running > 0);

        // Populate all of the responses or errors back into the request objects.
        foreach ($this->_requests as $i => $request) {
            $buf = curl_multi_getcontent($handles[$i]);
            $request->_storeResponseBody($buf);
            curl_multi_remove_handle($multiHandle, $handles[$i]);
            curl_close($handles[$i]);
        }

        curl_multi_close($multiHandle);
    }
}


text:
October Movies
New films from Brad Pitt, Robert Downey Jr. and David Fincher highlight the month.
2013 Year End Movies
Jason Zingale and David Medsker look back at their favorite films of 2013.
James Bond Fan Hub
Celebrate 50 years of 007 by looking back at the iconic movies, Bond Girls and more.
Sexiest TV Ladies of 2013
From Olivia Munn to January Jones, TV was dominated by beautiful women last year.
Web Bullz-Eye.com
ffice relationships are never a good idea." So says Toby Flenderson, the human resources representative for Dunder Mifflin. But, then, he's a sad, bitter man. It might be standard practice for people to suggest that "you shouldn't go fishing in the company pond," as it were, but the reality is this: if you're single and you work with someone who's both single and really, really hot, then you're still going to want to ask them out, possible repercussions be damned. Then again, that's also why you might decide to institute certain rules and regulations about your relationship and its level of seriousness, thereby resulting in a phrase we like to call "Coworkers…with Benefits."
Have you considered a fling with a receptionist? It might require a time machine, but we hear Joan Holloway has been known to indulge in the occasional bit of interoffice hanky-panky. If you're looking for something more serious in the here and now, though, it's well-documented that Pam Beesley isn't afraid of making a long-term commitment. Thought about dating a physician? Drs. Reid and Stevens, at your service. Or maybe you'd rather stick with a girl who understands how a guy thinks. If that's the case, Andi Prendergast could show you a hell of a good time by matching you drink for drink, and Natalie Hurley…well, heck, she works for "Sports Night." Is that a dream girl or what? But, really, we know how it is when it comes to dating someone you work with: you're willing to overlook a lot of flaws -- neediness, obsessive-compulsiveness, even borderline insanity -- just to be able to carpool to the office.
Check out our TV Girlfriends home page to see all the other categories we had in this feature, and then check out who won each category and which character our readers chose as the ultimate TV Girlfriend.
Pam Beesly
Jenna FischerJenna Fischer, "The Office"
Can you think of anything more enjoyable than playing pranks on Dwight Schrute? Neither can Pam, and that's what makes her so great. Whether she's helping Jim load up the vending machine with all of Dwight's belongings, trying to convince him that he could move objects with his mind, or masterminding an elaborate ruse that ends with Dwight on the roof waiting for a CIA helicopter to arrive, there is no doubt that Pam is one treacherous woman. We're not sure why a pretty girl with a sick, twisted sense of humor seems so sexy, but that's what she is. And, yet, she somehow balances that dark humor with an endearing sweetness. She's friendly and helpful, though she's not afraid to stand up for herself when the time is right. Moreover, she's loyal – well, at least to Jim – and she has a soft spot for hopeless cases (i.e. Michael Scott). She's also an artist, and a talented one at that, so it's nice to know that she has bigger plans than working at Dunder-Mifflin for the rest of her life. Let's just hope that she doesn't leave anytime soon; the office just wouldn't be the same without her.
Joan Holloway
Christina Hendrix, "Mad Men"
Being the head secretary of a clubby advertising firm in early sixties Manhattan is not a job for sissies or simpletons, and the ultra-feminine, yet hard as nails, yet also deeply vulnerable Miss Holloway is neither. Utterly willing to employ her red-haired beauty and Marilyn Monroe/Jessica Rabbit physique to her own advantage, she's supremely competent and ready to crack the whip on any female Sterling Cooper employee who's slacking off, getting uppity, or failing to watch her figure. She can be downright vindictive with women who arouse her jealousy, but she can also be a loyal friend, and there's real sweetness in her. Things are, sadly, even more complicated when it comes to the men in her life. Claiming to want nothing more than the traditional role of wife and mother, she broke off a relationship with smug, pipe-smoking copywriter Paul Kinsey when he broadcast his conquest office-wide; a doomed affair with her married, alcoholic boss, gray-haired Roger Sterling, ended after one heart attack too many; and she's now got far more serious and terrifying problems with her too-perfect, seriously disturbed, young doctor fiancé. Combine this with the dawning realization that, just maybe, she'd actually like to do more with her life than merely pleasing demanding men, and you have someone in great need of our help. Would we be up to the job of liberating and wooing this caged tigress? It would take a lot more than a time machine and good intentions, but it would sure be worth trying.
Rebecca Howe
Kirstie Alley, "Cheers"
By the time Miss Rebecca Howe faded from our screens, she'd developed into a bit of a puffy-thighed knucklehead, but in her heyday, the former manager of Boston's finest watering hole was a force to be reckoned with…both in the office and out. As we eventually discovered, her icy personality and sharp business acumen were merely a façade for the easily flustered, emotionally-needy klutz lurking just below the surface, but that only served to endear her to us even more, to the point that we couldn't stop rooting for Rebecca to find happiness, no matter how many times she went chasing after the Evan Drakes and Robin Colcords of the world. Plus, she was smart enough to see through Sam Malone's oily overtures, but her standards were low enough that she was attracted to his terrible dye job and balloon-shaped head. Finally – and perhaps most importantly – she was enough of a pushover to keep the world's largest running tab for Norm Peterson. If Norm got a free ride, then an open tap at Cheers had to be one of the benefits of dating Rebecca Howe, making her an easy candidate for top TV Girlfriend of the millennium.
Natalie Hurley
Sabrina Lloyd, "Sports Night"
The only way Natalie Hurley could be more appealing is if she were the daughter of a beer distributor. She's whip-smart, cute as a button, and loves sports. And not only does she love sports, but she helps produce a sports news show. That alone is enough to seal the deal, but we can still go two better: she dated über-geek co-worker Jeremy Goodwin (which means she's attainable), and she turned down a job at "Saturday Night Live" – which included a 25% pay increase, thank you very much – to continue producing the low-rated, about-to-be-cancelled "Sports Night" (she's loyal). Her work schedule no doubt puts a strain on her love life, since her day starts when most people go to bed (perhaps that's why she chose to date Jeremy: they're awake at the same time), but if we met someone with so many endearing qualities, staying up late would be the least of our concerns.
Elliot Reid
Sarah Chalke, "Scrubs"
If we had decided to include a "Pretty, Crazy" category on our list, there's a good chance Elliot Reid would have ended up there instead, but due to her proclivity of hooking up with guys at Sacred Heart (from co-workers like J.D. and intern Keith to patients like Sean Kelly and that douchebag Jake), she's actually a good fit. In fact, Elliot isn't so much crazy as just really, really eccentric...but God love her for that. Her low self-esteem and highly neurotic behavior is clearly a result of her closeted, white-collar upbringing, and though we'd rather not hear one of her exhaustive childhood stories about growing up in Connecticut, she only gets cuter with every PG-friendly swear word she uses. (For the record, the term "vagina" should officially be changed to "bajingo.") Though she's been known to be mistaken for Gary Busey on numerous occasions, there's no denying that Elliot is one sexy woman worth dreaming about. Sure, she can be awkward at times, and she has some pretty weird sexual fantasies to boot (like the one involving Mexican apple thieves), but ever since her transformation from homely intern to beautiful, confident doctor, they're quirks we're more than prepared to deal with.
The first five nominees in the "Coworkers with Benefits" category are all worthy objects of our affection, but they certainly aren't the only TV office flings to win our hearts. Below you'll find five more lovely ladies to consider before placing your vote for Bullz-Eye's "Coworkers with Benefits" TV Girlfriend.
Kate Austen
Evangeline Lilly, "Lost"
Exuding confidence, vulnerability, and the ability to kick your ass a different way every day of the week, Kate Austen is the unrivaled alpha female of the hard-to-find tropical island at the heart of "Lost." It's no wonder, really, that Kate has reduced the Others-battling badasses Jack and Sawyer to moon-eyed teenagers who only stop proclaiming their love long enough to pull stupid stunts like, say, jumping into the ocean out of a helicopter. Mind you, if you could make a dirty tank top look that sexy after three months in the middle of nowhere, guys would probably be doing the same sort of stuff for you.
Maya Gallo
Laura San Giacomo, "Just Shoot Me"
As a neo-feminist and intellectual stuck working at her father's fashion magazine, Maya Gallo was much more interested in standing up for women than engaging in a fun office romance. She comes across as a bit of a prude, hiding her impressive figure under thick sweaters. Despite all that, there's something sexy as hell about the smart coworker who's always trying to be professional at work as she hides behind glasses and frumpy clothes. You just know she's ready to bust out and ravage any guy lucky enough to light her fire.
Maddie Hayes
Cybill Shepherd, "Moonlighting"
She may have been guilty of the stereotypical ditziness of a former model on a number of occasions -- much to the financial benefit of her unscrupulous former accountant -- but most of the time, Maddie Hayes was as tight-assed and over-analytical as a nun crossed with a math major. Billboard beauty plus a high-maintenance personality equals a challenge -- one that ultimately didn't quite pay off for Maddie's on-again, off-again beau, David Addison. But, hey, if she was impulsive enough to marry Walter Bishop, that meant pretty much anyone had a chance, right?
Andi Prendergast
Missy Peregrym, "Reaper"
She's gorgeous, staggeringly low-maintenance, drinks with the boys, and works at a home improvement store, which means she isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. Oh, and there's one more thing: she might be the Devil's daughter. All right, so that last one is just a theory of ours. Still, as terrifying a theory as it may be, admit it: it's also a huge turn-on, the good girl that is completely unaware of the bad girl lurking within. Just remember that if the relationship goes sour (as the one between Andi and Sam has as of late), the road to Hell will be paved with something other than good intentions.
Dr. Isobel "Izzy" Stevens
Katherine Heigl, "Grey's Anatomy"
On paper, Dr. Izzie Stevens sounds like a train wreck. She was born in a trailer park, has a child that she gave up for adoption, and isn't exactly the luckiest gal when it comes to dating. During her short time at Seattle Grace Hospital, Izzie has fallen in love with a patient (only to kill him in an attempt to save his life), had sex with the ghost of said patient, and broken up the marriage of her best friend. Then again, she's also one of the hottest doctors we've ever seen and can bake a mean batch of cookies. So, you know, she's got that going for her.
Now that you've seen our 10 nominees in the "Coworkers with Benefits" category, it's time to make your voice heard by voting for your favorite. If you need to refresh your memory before casting your ballot, click the thumbnails below to revisit each nominee's writeup. Then, come back on Friday, May 29 for the unveiling of the next TV Girlfriends list, "Married to the Job," and to see which character prevailed in the "Coworkers with Benefits" voting.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
5 GSDF Members Sacked for Sexual Abuse of Female Colleague
Society Dec 15, 2022 22:08 (JST)
Tokyo, Dec. 15 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Defense Ministry on Thursday dismissed five members of the Ground Self-Defense Force as punishment for sexually abusing a female colleague.
The five and the victim, Rina Gonoi, 23, belonged to the same unit at the GSDF's Camp Koriyama in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, at the time.
The ministry also suspended the unit's chief for six months for sloppy handling of the situation and failure to prevent the abuse.
While there had been 14 sexual harassment cases that led to disciplinary dismissals by the ministry, it was unusual for the ministry to punish such a large number of SDF members for a single case.
Gonoi said on Twitter the same day, "Regardless of the severity of the punishment, I hope they will take responsibility with good faith."
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Jiji Press


text:
Doctor Who Tardis Smilers stamp now on iPad, Android to follow
The Tardis stamp from the Doctor Who stamp issue, which is in the miniature sheet, retail booklet and generic Smilers Sheet is now available on the iPad app.
As with the 'Future Gold Medal' label, this one allows for additional text to be added to the label (see above).
Not only does this system include the add-text option, but the postage and packing appears to be cheaper than buying online through the Royal Mail/Snapfish link up.
This version is available for V4.0 iphone 3GS and later. The Android version will be released soon.
UPDATE 30th March
A new Android version of Smilers (with Dr Who), is now on the Android Play Store, for phones and tablets.
In addition both Android and Apple releases also have Dr Who accessories which can be added to the 'normal' stamp image. Scarves, Bow tie and Glasses.
This is just the latest in a series of innovations being added to Smilers.
Posted by Ian - Norvic at 09:10 1 comments
Labels: 2013 programme, doctor who, smilers
Look out for local postmarks for Doctor Who
In addition to the Dr Who stamps, Royal Mail is also creating unique postmarks in each of the Doctor's hometowns, meaning that post mailed in Northampton, for example – where Matt Smith is from – will feature a postmark with the actor's name and the length of time he's played the role.
This is where the postmarks are in use (two in Liverpool, a clash of the Time Lords?)
William Hartnell London St Pancras NW1
Patrick Troughton London Mill Hill NW7
Jon Pertwee London Chelsea SW3
Tom Baker Liverpool L
Peter Davison Knaphill Surrey GU21
Colin Baker Rochdale OL11
Sylvester McCoy Paisley PA23
Paul McGann Liverpool L
Christopher Eccleston Salford M
David Tennant Dunoon PA1
Matt Smith Northampton NN5
We'll be looking our for these on our post, but can't recall any customers being in these areas! We'll be pleased to post images here if anybody sends them to us.
Update 5 April
Thanks to Mike B we can show two examples of the Dr Who postmarks for Christopher Eccleston. Mike writes:
The first one is one posted in Manchester with a Sylvester McCoy stamp (Dr Who No. 7)
The second one is one sent from Lancashire & South Lakes again with the Christopher Eccleston postmark.
This one I cannot understand since Manchester is 100 miles south of the Lake District (although this letter was posted in Lytham St Annes, which is 55 miles from Manchester)
Labels: 2013 programme, doctor who, postmark, slogan postmark
Surprise omission from Royal Mail Signed For Stamps!
The new tariff and Royal Mail Signed For stamps have arrived in Post Office branches on the day of issue, enabling collectors and dealers to get their first day covers with CDS postmarks.
But for those collecting date blocks, or simply recording printing dates there is a surprise, as these details are missing from both values that we have seen.
These strips are from the lower pane of the guttered sheet of 50. The sheet number and printing date would normally be in this margin.
Perhaps some exist with the date? I'm sure somebody out there will tell us - and send pictures. Thanks!
UPDATE 28 MARCH:
1. All reports so far indicate that the date & sheet number are absent on all stocks.
2. My postmaster told me today that Branches were told yesterday afternoon to stop selling these Royal Mail Signed For stamps and that they should not be sold until Tuesday 2 April. Tallents House subscribers will have received their 'first' announcement of these stamps: I've sent this image to Post Office and Royal Mail Stamps by twitter.
This explains one of our correspondent's experience at York where he was told that they would not be on sale until Tuesday (and they didn't have any anyway). Distribution seems to have been sporadic with rural sub-post offices receiving them but Norwich's main crown office (said they) had not.
Post-Easter update: As Brian reports in Comments, below, the instruction to postmaster was to hold back the Stationery associated with the new branding ie Royal Mail Signed For, not the stamps. My postmaster sheepishly admitted this today - and also said that they hadn't had any of the new stationery anyway!
Posted by Ian - Norvic at 09:51 21 comments
Labels: de la rue, error, machin definitive, Post Offices, printing date, signed for, tariff
BPMA to sell rare stamps to fund new home
From a Press Release 26 March 2013:
SOTHEBY'S TO SELL DUPLICATE STAMPS FROM
IN LONDON IN JULY 2013
The Most Important Archival Sale of Stamps Ever To Take Place
Auction To Benefit a New, Publicly Accessible and Permanent Home for BPMA's Collections at Calthorpe House in London, Due To Open in Early 2016
Second Auction To Take Place in February 2014
Sotheby's is delighted to announce a sale of stamps from The British Postal Museum & Archive in London on 11 July 2013. The auction will comprise material duplicate to the archive collection, with proceeds to benefit the new home of The British Postal Museum & Archive, which will be situated at Calthorpe House on London's Mount Pleasant site and is scheduled to open in early 2016. A second sale, comprising entirely different duplicate material to the first auction, is scheduled to take place at Sotheby's in London in February 2014.
Stamps from 'Registration' or 'Imprimatur' sheets are among the most highly prized items among stamp collectors. Only two of these special sheets were ever produced for each stamp in this sale. The BPMA is to retain the original sheet which, due to its protected status, will never be sold; Sotheby's will present for sale elements of the duplicate Registration sheets. Sotheby's auction is a unique event, since no other examples of these items will be made available, and as such, represents a once-in-a-lifetime event for collectors.
Commenting on the collection of stamps to be offered for sale at auction, Richard Ashton, Sotheby's Worldwide Philatelic Consultant, said: "This selection of material from The British Postal Museum & Archive includes numerous items that are of the utmost rarity. Now in my 50th year as a professional philatelist, I have never seen such an important sale of its type. Many are the only examples of their kind ever to come on to the market. Quite aside from their rarity, these extraordinary stamps are also of great beauty – engraved to the highest standard by leading masters of the day. There are magnificent sheets of the 'Seahorse' stamps of King George V, and important blocks with Registration Certificates on the reverse of the reigns of King Edward VIII and King George VI. Collectors will never again have such an opportunity to purchase such rare and beautiful items."
Commenting on the sale, Adrian Steel, Director of the BPMA, said: "As well as offering collectors an exciting opportunity to acquire rare and important philatelic material, we are thrilled that this sale will directly support the development of the BMPA's new home. Whereas currently our world-class collections are held in storage and therefore largely hidden from public view, the new British Postal Museum & Archive will make our collections, and the story they tell of British communication, industry and innovation, available to everyone. We hope that everybody who supports this sale will feel proud to be playing their part in restoring Britain's postal heritage to its rightful place on the national and international stage."
The first stamps printed from an approved and finished printing plate are called 'Imprimaturs'. Once printed these would be taken from the printers to two receiving 'officers' who would subsequently type an endorsement on the reverse of the sheets and would often pencil annotations on the front side. The resulting sheets are called 'Registration' sheets; they are characterised not only by the endorsements and annotations mentioned above, but also by the fact the sheets have no perforations. These magnificent signed and dated 'Registration' blocks have never previously been available to collectors. The sale will include some 50 or so complete Registration blocks, as well as stamps ('Imprimaturs') taken from the Registration sheets: single stamps, pairs, blocks of four, and larger blocks which contain important archival notes in the margin.
In the July sale, collectors will have a choice of selected issues from the reigns of King George V (Seahorse issues), King Edward VIII and King George VI (definitive issues). The auction comprises 191 lots and is estimated to bring in excess of £5 million. Details of these stamps will be available in due course. The second sale in February 2014 comprises entirely different material.
Labels: bpma, national postal museum
27 March New Tariff Machin and country definitive stamps
Thanks to Richard we can now show scans of the new stamps scheduled for issue on 27 March - they may or may not be available in your post office branch!
78p Orchid Mauve, 88p Amber Yellow, £1.88 Sapphire Blue.
Sheet format showing printing by Walsall Security Print, with italic date and sheet number
England 88p Cylinder block showing sheet grid layout.
UPDATED 25 March
Royal Mail have now confirmed that the valued stamps were printed only by Walsall Security Print, the country stamps only by Cartor (in litho), and the Royal Mail Signed For by De La Rue (in gravure).
I have had confirmation from Post Office sources that the Signed For stamps have been delivered to the Swindon Supplies Depot and are being distributed to Branches by special delivery this week. My local office has no Signed For yet.
Printing dates seen so far are:
78p - 05/02/13
£1.88 - 07/02/13 (06/02/13 has been reported by Stamp Magazine)
England 14/01/13
Labels: cartor, country definitives, england, M13L, ma13, machin definitive, tariff, walsall
Post and Go Faststamps from the Scottish Congress in Perth
Edited From a Press Release:
The Annual Congress of the Scottish Philatelic Societies at Perth on 19-20 April 2013 will again have new items of interest to collectors.
Post and Go Machines numbers 3 and 4 will be used for the first time in Scotland and Collectors Strips with a Congress overprint will be available from both machines.
As before the ASPS has made arrangements for collectors to buy these direct to avoid the long trek to Perth.
EDIT: Royal Mail have advised the organisers that both Machin and Flag stamps will be available.
Collectors Strips will be available at cost (£6.42) plus postage and, if used, a PayPal surcharge as shown below.
Also available are 'Post and Go Smiler sheets that will have a unique Panda image alongside each stamp. The sheet will cost £10 plus postage etc as detailed below.
POSTAGE for Collectors Strips and Smiler sheets
Up to 10 items ------ £2
Over 10 items ------- £5
Special Delivery if required £7.50 extra for £500 value; £10 extra for £2500 value.
Europe*
Rest of the World*
*Signed For covering a value to £500 - £15 extra.
PAYPAL Surcharge
Payment may be made by PayPal to dundeephilatelic@btinternet.com
4% must be added to the payment amount to cover PayPal deductions.
Cheques/Postal orders in sterling should be made payable to 'ASPS'
Orders should be sent to
Colin G Campbell, 11 Denoon Terrace, Dundee DD2 2EL, Scotland, UK
or to dundeephilatelic@btinternet.com
For more information on Congress see www.scottishphilately.co.uk
Other souvenirs:
Commemorative cover or postcard cancelled with the Congress handstamp
Cover or postcard with one Post and Go stamp: £4 each inclusive of postage for up to 5 items.
Cover or postcard with both Post and Go stamps: £6 each inclusive of postage for up to 5 items.
Note: the covers and postcards are limited in number and orders are accepted on a first come basis.
Special posting requests for all the above items will be costed and advised prior to sending the items.
All readers requiring any of these items should order direct. We will have very few sets for local customers.
Labels: congress, faststamps, perth, post and go, Scotland, smilers
New stamp sheet will feature Northern Ireland Classic Steam Locomotives
Following on from the Great British Railways set of 6, and the subsequent Classic Locomotives of England and Scotland miniature sheets issued in 2011 & 2012, this year sees the Classic Locomotives of Northern Ireland miniature sheet which will be issued on 18 June.
Designed as before by Delaney Design Consultants and printed in litho by Cartor Security Printing, the 179 x 74 mm sheet contains four stamps 41 x 30 mm. The picture shows pre-increase postage rates as originally designed.
These show:
1st Class – Ulster Transport Authority W Class No. 103
The W Class locomotive Thomas Somerset pulls an up-express through County
Donegal in 1950
78p – Ulster Transport Authority SG3 Class No. 35
The SG3 Class locomotive shunts wagons at Portadown in 1963.
88p – Peckett No. 2
Peckett No.2 reverses wagons into the British Aluminum Works at Larne in 1937.
£1.28 – CDRJC Class 5 No. 4
The Class 5 locomotive Meenglas shunts a carriage at Strabane in 1959.
The Miniature Sheet Background image is: Glynn Lagoon, Larne Line, 1968
The associated retail stamp booklet will be issued on the same day, containing 4 x 1st class red Machin definitives (which should have codes MA13, MCIL) and 2 x 1st class UTA W Class stamps, all self-adhesive in gravure by Walsall Security Printers.
FDCs, a Presentation Pack, Stamp cards and a nameplate cover will also be available from Royal Mail.
Photo Acknowledgements: UTA W No. 103 © Dr C Kenneth Benington; UTA
SG3 No. 35 © Colin Boocock; Peckett No. 2 © railphotolibrary.com/Richard Casserley; CDRJC Class 5 No. 4 © Colour-Rail; background image of UTA
Class Z No. 27 Lough Erne crossing Larne Lough courtesy of and © Derek JA Young.
Official first day postmarks
Special postmarks for this issue will be shown on our website in due course.
Labels: 2013 programme, miniature sheet, northern ireland stamps, retail booklets, special stamps
Post and Go stamps (Faststamps) news round-up
A number of people sent information and images during and immediately after Spring Stampex and the Salisbury Stamp Fair, but it seemed sensible to wrap the news into one consolidating news item rather than scatter them in daily posts.
The first Stampex report is here. This shows the 2nd class and Machin Coronation stamps and receipts, and a photo of the Smilers sheet.
These are the Pond Life stamps from the Presentation Pack, Stampex Hytech machine, and Trafalgar Square PO's Wincor-Nixdorf. (Click on any for larger images):
The presentation pack was printed using unit C2 and retained the indented second row of text. Stampex had kiosks A2-A4 with the second row of text as normal.
The Coronation overprint exists in two forms, as did the Diamond Jubilee; oddly these are both from machine B1, the later one (on the left) showing a more balanced alignment of the commemorative lines. Now all we need is for the standard service indicators to show some balance. You'll note that the 'Worldwide' line seems to be inset from the weight indicators all the time.
As previously mentioned the option exists on the Exhibition Hytech machines to pay for a half-sheet of 10 Smilers stamps. Here are some images of the screen displays, the printer and a sheet showing a Hytech screen shot.
Thanks to John McC, Malcolm B and others for new images here.
Salisbury Stamp Fair.
Most of the detail is shown on Brian Sinott's postagelabelsuk blog but here are some of his pictures. The Machine set-up at Salisbury, and a Smilers Sheet. Although photographs of the customer are the norm, sometimes an alternative is a good idea. I believe some alternative images were available on the Royal Mail iPad.
Brian also reports that some 2nd class Post & Go Faststamps sold at Stampex (identified by the coding at the foot) have appeared with a Salisbury Stamp Fair overprint, postmarked Southampton. I have a good idea who might have produced these, but investigations are continuing.
I discussed this with Allan Grant of Rushstamps earlier this afternoon but decided at the time to wait to see if anybody else had the same guess as I did ! Now that the story is also on another forum, we can tell you about it here.
Rushstamps purchased the labels at Stampex so that they could overprint them using a 100-year-old letterpress machine. This was a deliberate decision once it was clear that the Faststamps sold at local events such as York, Midpex and Salisbury would not have overprints.
These were used on mailing out Rushstamps pricelists as promotion for the fair. Remainders were used on ordinary mailings, which is why this piece has at least 3 or 4 examples.
No mint copies exist. Allan subsequently told the Royal Mail representative at Salisbury about the overprinting. Clearly RM Southampton revenue Protection is used to Rushstamps' mailings and didn't give them a second glance.
No mint copies exist, and none have been available for sale.
Although the overprinting of miniature sheet margins and 'Boots' sheetlets was accepted, these overprints are on actual stamps so it would not have been surprising if they were rejected by Royal Mail's revenue protection department as defaced stamps!
Salisbury a success!
I wasn't able to go to Salisbury but both dealers and collectors have heralded it as a huge success. One of the organisers, Tony Hender of Arun Stamps, told me that the attendance was over 1,500 - about 1,000 on Friday and 500 on Saturday, so clearly some collectors had a day off work to be there for the early bargains.
Speaking to the Salisbury Journal, Tony said:
"There has been so much interest already shown," he said. "Dealers came from across the country, and there is a significant need for the two-day event.
"It's the biggest stamp show in the south of England, and based on today's popularity we will hopefully have another show next year."
Labels: coronation, faststamps, hytech, pond life, post and go, salisbury, smilers, stampex
Delivery of the new tariff stamps will be delayed
Delivery of the new tariff stamps from Royal Mail Tallents House will be delayed
Malcolm put this comment on our original post:
"I have today received a letter from the bureau that dispatch of this issue is delayed from the 27th March until the 11th April due to circumstances beyond our control.
It also states that stamping facilities will be extended to the 24th April for those who want to create their own FDCs"
I checked with the trade side of Tallents House and received this reply:
"Unfortunately I am unable to guarantee that the issue will be with you for the 27th March (dealers normally get them well in advance) we will however endeavour to have them with you as soon as we can. I am led to believe that the stamps will be available at PO Counters on the 27th. (however, no packs or other products will be available). "
As Royal Mail knew that the tariffs would change around the end of March, requiring a number of new stamps, one might question the choice of the 26th March as the issue date of the Doctor Who commemorative issue, which has surely placed Tallents House under the same sort of pressure as previous big issues - The Beatles, the Gold Medal stamps?
UPDATE 24 March
We understand that printing problems are the cause of the delay. We have been told, but not officially, that while the valued stamps are in POs already, the Signed For are being printed in Litho by Cartor and they will be late. If that is the case, then once again the dating of First Day Covers for 27 March would seem to be wrong.
Labels: 2013 programme, cartor, country definitives, doctor who, machin definitive, postage rates, signed for, tariff
'Delivered by Royal Mail' now on franked mail
As forecast, the 'Delivered by Royal Mail' slogan is now being applied to mail items where postage is paid by a franking machine or postage meter.
This isn't very clear but as it is local mail we think it was applied either in Norwich or Peterborough.
Labels: postmarks
Commemorative and Exhibition Stamp Sheets
Royal Mail have released images of some of their stamp sheet products for the first part of 2013.
50th anniversary of the launch of the Royal Yacht Britannia. Price £14.95
Two special postmarks have been announced for HMY Britannia, ref 12843 Clydebank and Ref 12848 Leith both from Royal Mail Tallents House, Edinburgh
Bicentenary of the birth of David Livingstone, explorer. Price £14.95
A special postmark has been prepared for this sheet. Ref 12836 from the Midland Handstamp Centre in Birmingham.
Ref M12836 Livingstone Road, from Royal Mail Midland SHC, Birmingham.
Ref S12855 (Glasgow - map) and S12856 (Blantyre - portrait) from Royal Mail Tallents House.
Exhibition sheet - Australia 2013 in Melbourne
Labels: australia, commemorative sheets, exhibition sheet, generic sheet, smilers sheets, special postmarks
Dr Who: Early release or time travel?
Last week Stamp Magazine reported an example of a Doctor Who stamp used already - see their news here.
We made our own enquiries and can show another example used on a newspaper competition entry - again the date is not clear but ours seems to be 27 February, and the location 'Home Counties North'.
This is quite remarkable. Either the Post Office branch had no other 1st class stamps to sell (which is unlikely) or they misunderstood the release date.
The story was picked up by a German Philatelic magazine. And they've acknowledged the source.
Labels: 2013 programme, doctor who, Dr Who, early release, special stamps
Post and Go machines on tour in 2013
Royal Mail have given us a schedule of events at which there will be Hytech v2 Post and Go machines this year.
There will be no overprints on Faststamps produced at these local events:
Salisbury Stamp Show - 15/16 March - Union flag / Machin
Midpex - 6/7 July - Union flag / Machin /
Freshwater Life 2: Lakes, first day of availability in Hytech machines
York Stamp Fair - July - Union flag / Machin / Freshwater Life 2: Lakes
There will also be machines at:
84th Scottish Congress Perth in April, with '84th Scottish Congress' overprint on Union Flag and Machin.
Australia 2013 International Exhibition in Melbourne Australia in May, with 'Australia 2013 World Stamp Expo' overprint on Union Flag and Machin.
UPDATE 8 May: The UK-printed versions of the Australia 2013 stamps (with code GB) may now be ordered from Royal Mail Tallents House, in collectors sets of 6 at £6.42 ONLY:
Stock code ZS022 - Union Flag with Australia 2013 overprint
Stock code ZS023 - Machin head with Australia 2013 overprint
We are hoping to have very limited stocks of similar stamps printed at the show with location code AU soon, for regular customers. Any surplus will be made available on our e-commerce shop.
Autumn Stampex, London, in September, with 'The Coronation 60th Anniversary' overprint on the Union Flag stamp.
If we get supplies of the overprinted Faststamps we will provide details later.
By the way, if you visit these events, don't forget to look out for the Smilers option as well, as Royal Mail usually take their iPad and printer as they did at Stampex.
Labels: 2013 programme, australia, faststamps, post and go, smilers, smilers sheets, stampex
IMPORTANT NEWS FOR UK SENDERS - and their customers!
As noted earlier, UK inland and international postage rates will change on Tuesday 2 April 2013.
{updated} There are plans by Royal Mail (see below) for international mail to be priced in a similar way to inland (Pricing in Proportion) and it has been suggested that this is a hidden change to take effect from 2 April. However we have now been told that the change will be introduced at a later date:
From a reliable source in PO Ltd:
"This size limit for 'letters' is not part of the changes for the 2nd April and the 'Tariff Leaflets' do not include any reference to this.
No communications to POs have been issued for size checking of international items."
{Original Blogpost}
The new rates leaflet is available on Royal Mail's website, but some key information is not included on that leaflet, and that directly relates to this discussion. Enclosures per se are no longer a problem, nor a factor in determining whether the item is a letter or a small packet.
The leaflet includes a guide to sizes. For Inland items this is the familiar PIP for letters and large letters, with new information about the new small/medium/large packets:
For International items the following guidance is given:
But earlier this year Royal Mail published a consultation paper on the Overseas Letter Post Scheme 2013. There's one every year and it enables them to consult on things that they don't need Oftel approval for but which they do consider they ought to ask about. However, they had no responses on this carefully hidden consultation paper. And here we find the distinction between Letters and Small Packets.
When asked to clarify when this took effect, Royal Mail said that it was 2 April. But in their 'Recent Changes to Terms and Conditions' I found this:
The new dimensions driven definition of formats will not be applied immediately. Customers will be given time in which to adapt to the change and will be informed before the new pricing methodology comes into force.
So it's not in the rate leaflet, and 'customers will be informed' before it comes into force. It remains to be seen whether and how Post Office branches will deal with this. If past experience is anything to go by, each Post Office branch will use it's own interpretation of the rules, as described in this discussion on the Stampboards forum.
Watch this post for updates on this topic.
Labels: 2013 programme, airmail, postage rates, Royal Mail, tariff
Another 2013 Machin Security Stamp has appeared
With the recent arrival of the 1st class book of 6 with the M13L year code, we guessed that it wouldn't be long before more arrived, and the 2nd class from books of 12 has now been seen on eBay (thanks IR!)
We will have these in stock in due course.
Labels: 2013 programme, M13L, Machin, machin definitive, retail booklets, security stamps
HM The Queen - 6 decades of Royal Portraits stamp issue
A set of special stamps will be issued on 30 May 2013, a few days before the 60th Anniversary of the Coronation. The set celebrates six decades of Royal Portraits. Details provided by Royal Mail are shown below.
Printed by Walsall Security Printers in gravure, in sheets of 25/50, perforation 14.
Stamp size 27 x 37mm; all-over phosphor except for 2nd class, single bar.
Acknowledgements.
2nd class study for The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II by Terence Cuneo, 1953 © Royal Collection Trust/All rights reserved;
78p portrait by Andrew Festing, 1999 © Royal Hospital Chelsea;
88p portrait by Pietro Annigoni, 1955, Camera Press London/The Bridgeman Art Library;
£1.28 portrait by Sergei Pavlenko, 2000 © The Drapers' Company;
£1.88 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Richard Stone, 1992 © Richard Stone (presented to Colchester Borough Council by the artist).
UPDATE 30 April
As many people suggested, it makes no sense to have a set of 5 stamps to celebrate 6 decades, and there is no 1st class stamp in the original set. This is because the 1st class stamp uses a brand new portrait; the first Royal Mail has commissioned. The stamp, which is a detail of the portrait is shown here.
Pictures of the full portrait will be released at the end of May.
Labels: 2013 programme, coronation, special stamps, walsall
No change to basic inland letter postage rates this year
The announcement on New Postage Rates effective 2 April 2013 is on Royal Mail's website here. This is a summary of the rate changes.
Inland Services
Royal Mail have rebranded the inland service into UK Standard, UK Confirmed and UK Guaranteed.
UK Standard is the basic service.
The price of 1st and 2nd class letters remains unchanged at 60p and 50p; the price of Large Letters also remains unchanged at all weight-steps.
The item headed 'UK Confirmed' was Recorded Signed For and will now be branded as Royal Mail Signed For. It offers a signature on delivery for £1.10 (increased from 95p). Two redesigned stamps will be issued for this 'Signed For' service - see below. The new stamps will be priced at £1.55 and £1.85 on issue and £1.70 and £2.00 from 2 April.
UK Guaranteed includes the Special Delivery 9am and 1pm services for letters. The cost of the minimum 100g 1pm service is £6.22 (old rate £5.90). The 500g rate is £6.95 (up from £6.35). The 100g 9am service rises from £16.70 to £17.64.
Inland packet and parcel rates have undergone a radical overhaul and it is best to download the Rate Leaflet as a pdf file here .
The current 87p airmail rate for worldwide postcards, 10g letters Worldwide and 20g letters to Europe increases to 88p with a new Machin definitive and new Country definitive stamps.
The current £1.28 rate for Europe to 40g and Worldwide 20g letters remains unchanged.
The Worldwide 40g letter rate is reduced from £1.90 to £1.88 (so a new stamp).
The category previously known as Small Packets up to 100g is now referred to as Small Parcels up to 100g. The prices increase from £2.70 to £3 Europe and from £3.30 to £3.50 rest of the World.
Airmail rates over 100g are reduced to 8 steps of 250g, replacing 21 steps. This means some complicated changes, some up some down. Whilst the current rates to Europe are £2.93 (150g), £3.16 (200g) & £3.39 (250g) these all rise to £3.50 for 250g.
On the other hand the Zone 1 rate for most of the rest of the world becomes £4.50 for 250g, replacing £3.86, £4.42 & £4.98 for the same three weight steps. This pattern is followed for higher weight steps: Europe is more expensive, many rates for the rest of the world are lower at the top of each step (say 900g & 1kg), but higher than the lower weights (800g). Mail order suppliers will need to examine their products and packages to assess what to charge from April.
International Signed For rises from £5.15 to £5.30; Airsure is complicated by VAT within EU countries, but the rates appear to be the same.
Surface mail - the basic 20g rate increases from 77p to 78p (new stamp). Weight steps above 100g are regrouped in 250g steps as for airmail. The 500g rate is 1p cheaper than before.
The new Machin Definitives and official colours out 27 March 2013:
The NVIs are Flame with a Yellow Flash - there, we thought they would change to red! The inscription is changed from RECORDED SIGNED FOR to ROYAL MAIL SIGNED FOR (wonder why they didn't use ROYAL MAIL CONFIRMED?)
Some images of actual stamps are now available.
UPDATE 22 March (see below)
Although the official information from Royal Mail was that these would be printed by De La Rue as normal, we now understand that the new value Machin definitives are printed by Walsall Security Print (in gravure). The Signed For may be printed by Cartor - which means in litho as far as we know. One report said that Enschede were involved as well, but we haven't had any of this confirmed by Royal Mail.
These studio mock-ups show all the stamps coded MA13 in the conventional positions. All stamps have been printed by De La Rue in gravure. The 88p country stamps showing the Oak, Thistle, Daffodil and Linen Slip Case are printed by Cartor Security Print in litho.
We now have images of the 88p country definitives. As with the Machin images above these are studio mock-ups not actual stamps:
[22 March] We've been told unofficially that these are printed by Cartor on one primary sheet of eight grid positions, five grid positions for England, one each for Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales in sheets of 25.
UPDATED 25 March (and edited)
Royal Mail have now confirmed that the valued stamps were printed only* by Walsall Security Print, the country stamps only by Cartor (in litho), and the Royal Mail Signed For by De La Rue (in gravure).
* As with many 'confirmations' this was only the partial truth. Whilst the stamps distributed to Post Office branches for the issue date were as stated above, the distribution from the Royal Mail Philatelic Bureau was:
- FDCs and presentation packs: all De La Rue
- single stamps to standing order customers: mainly De La Rue but some Walsall SP
- blocks to standing order customers: Walsall Security Print
Distribution to registered dealers was the same as to PO branches.
Labels: 2013 programme, cartor, country definitives, de la rue, england, machin definitive, northern ireland stamps, postage rates, Scotland, security stamps, tariff, wales
Doctor Who Tardis Smilers stamp now on iPad, Andro...
Surprise omission from Royal Mail Signed For Stamp...
27 March New Tariff Machin and country definitive ...
Post and Go Faststamps from the Scottish Congress ...
New stamp sheet will feature Northern Ireland Clas...
IMPORTANT NEWS FOR UK SENDERS - and their customer...
HM The Queen - 6 decades of Royal Portraits stamp ...
No change to basic inland letter postage rates thi...


text:
Pasachoff, Stars and Planets
Staal, New Patterns in the Sky
Staal's book is one of the most readable 1-volume introductions to skylore. It helpfully attempts to balance traditional, classical skylore with the myths and legends of non-Western cultures.
Kunitzsch and Smart, Dictionary of Modern Star Names
Refer to this brief little book as a supplement to R.H. Allen's classic, Star Names. It corrects the latter in light of a century of scholarship.
Marett-Crosby, Astronomical Observations that Changed the World
"Human history is also the record of our fascination with the sky, and to look upwards is to follow in the steps of such greats as Galileo and Newton. What they and others once saw in the heavens for the first time, amateur astronomers can discover anew using this guide to twenty-five of the greatest journeys through space."
Bakich, Cambridge Guide to the Constellations
An indispensable reference, "the most comprehensive single reference on the constellations to date; highly illustrated with star charts and maps of the celestial figures. A series of tables provide a wealth of information and allow easy look-up and comparison for the constellations."
Olcott, Star Lore
Olcott drew heavily upon the work of R.A. Allen, and treated only the northern constellations, but this remains a readable and entertaining overview of constellation lore.
Eratosthenes and Hyginus, Constellation Myths, with Aratus
The three fundamental Greco-Roman texts for the ancient constellations of Ptolemy are included here in fresh new translations by Robin Hard, who also provides informative notes and an introduction. Instead of just reading about ancient constellation myths, it's never been easier, thanks to this new edition, to spend a few evenings reading the actual sources themselves.
SubscribeSubscribe to Adult


A man died while boating off Ballenas Island north of Schooner Cove in Nanoose Bay just before noon on Sunday.
The unidentified 54-year-old man and his wife were towing a small boat behind their 42-foot pleasure craft just north of the island in nice weather when they stopped to adjust the towline.
The woman called for help at 11:48 a.m., according to Steve Church with the Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria.
"She reported her husband was in the water and we sent out the call for help," he said.
The man was wearing a life vest but was unable to return to the swim grid at the back of the main boat according to an RCMP press release.
A Coast Guard boat from French Creek arrived on the scene and found an off duty Langley firefighter in the water unable to secure the "fairly big man" who was unconscious, on his own. Other vessels attended the scene and helped secure the man to the swim grid.
They were joined by the RCMP and Coast Guard, who administered CPR as they transported him to Schooner Cove. There was a doctor refueling his own boat who helped and a defibrillator was used but the man was pronounced dead on scene.
Church said the weather was good at the time, there was some wind reaching 20 knots coming off the island at times, which he described as normal, and things where otherwise calm on the sunny morning.
The names of the couple, who were from Courtenay, are being withheld at the request of the family.
This investigation is now being led by the BC Coroner Service, as no foul play is involved.


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From receipt of an enquiry the engineering team are working to provide a set of documentation that shows how each assembly/product is to be made. The documentation will describe from procurement through to despatch what is needed to ensure that the specification is met and the individual quality standards are adhered to.
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In order to stay ahead in the fast-moving world of contract electronics manufacturing, we are always looking to invest in new technology, new techniques and training to keep our team's skills up-to-date. Key performance indicators, and real time data capture of assembly times are collected from key stages of the manufacturing process to identify trends in performance which drive our engineers to create solutions for improvement.


text:
Q: Tail recursive mergesort algorithm I've implemented a recursive mergesort algorithm:
-module(ms).
-import(lists,[sublist/3,delete/2,min/1,reverse/1]).
-export([mergesort/1]).

mergesort([])->
    [];
mergesort([N])->
    N;
mergesort(L)->
    mergesort(split(1,L),split(2,L),[]).

mergesort(L1,L2,[])->
    case {sorted(L1),sorted(L2)} of
    {true,true}->
        merge(L1,L2,[]);
    {true,false}->
        merge(L1,mergesort(split(1,L2),split(2,L2),[]),[]);
    {false,true}->
        merge(mergesort(split(1,L1),split(2,L1),[]),L2,[]);
    {false,false}->
        merge(mergesort(split(1,L1),split(2,L1),[]),mergesort(split(1,L2),split(2,L2),[]),[])
    end.

merge([],[],R)->
    reverse(R);
merge(L,[],R)->
    merge(delete(min(L),L),[],[min(L)|R]);
merge([],L,R)->
    merge([],delete(min(L),L),[min(L)|R]);
merge([H1|T1],[H2|T2],R) when H1 < H2 ->
    merge(T1,[H2|T2],[H1|R]);
merge([H1|T1],[H2|T2],R) when H1 >= H2 ->
    merge([H1|T1],T2,[H2|R]).

split(1,L)->
    sublist(L,1,ceiling(length(L)/2));
split(2,L)->
    sublist(L,ceiling(length(L)/2+1),length(L)).

ceiling(X) when X < 0 ->
    trunc(X);
ceiling(X) ->
    T = trunc(X),
    case X - T == 0 of
        true -> T;
        false -> T + 1
    end.

However I'm irked by the fact that mergesort/3 is not tail recursive (TR), and is verbose.
I guess the problem here is that I'm not particularly aware of the TR 'template' that I would use here - I understand how I would implement a TR function that can be defined in terms of a series, for example - that would just move the arguments to the function up the series, however for the case in which we merge a sublist conditionally to the natural recursion of the rest of the list, I'm ignorant.
Therefore, I would like to ask:
1) How can I make mergesort/3 TR?
2) What resources can I use to understand erlang tail recursion in-depth?

A: Your merge-sort is not tail recursive because the last function called in mergesort/3 is merge/3. You call mergesort as arguments of merge so stack has to grow - upper called mergesort/3 is not yet finished and its stack frame can't be reused.
To write it in TR approach you need think of it as much imperatively as you can. Every TR function is easily rewritable to iterational while loop. Consider:
loop(Arg) ->
    NewArg = something_happens_to(Arg),
    loop(NewArg) or return NewArg.

And:
data = something;
while(1){
    ...
    break loop or modify data block
    ...
} // data equals to NewArg at the end of iteration

Here is my TR merge-sort example. It's bottom-up way of thinking. I used merge/3 function from your module.
ms(L) ->
    ms_iteration([[N] || N <- L], []).

ms_iteration([], []) -> % nothing to do
    [];
ms_iteration([], [OneSortedList]) -> % nothing left to do
    OneSortedList;
ms_iteration([], MergedLists) ->
    ms_iteration(MergedLists, []); % next merging iteration
ms_iteration([L], MergedLists) -> % can't be merged yet but it's sorted
    ms_iteration([], [L | MergedLists]);
ms_iteration([L1, L2 | ToMergeTail], MergedLists) -> % merging two sorted lists
    ms_iteration(ToMergeTail, [merge(L1, L2, []) | MergedLists]).

It's nicely explained here: http://learnyousomeerlang.com/recursion .

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
Home > Categories > Movies > Horror > Fright Night review
« Norton Internet Security 2012 review Barney's Version review »
Score: 6.6/10 [2 reviews]
ProdID: 3129 - Fright Night
Fright Night product reviews
Senior College student Charley Brewster finally has it all - he's running with the popular crowd and dating the hottest girl in high school. In fact, he's so cool he's even dissing his best friend Ed.
But trouble arrives when an intriguing stranger - Jerry - moves in next door. He seems like a great guy at first, but there's something not quite right - yet no-one, including Charley's Mom, seems to notice!
After witnessing some very unusual activity, Charley comes to an unmistakable conclusion: Jerry is a vampire preying on his neighbourhood. Unable to convince anyone that he's telling the truth, Charley has to find a way to get rid of the monster himself, in this revamp of the 1995 comedy-horror classic.
• Colin Farrell
• David Tennant
• Anton Yelchin
• Christopher Mintz-Plasse
• Toni Collette
• Imogen Poots
• Dave Franco
anton yelchin christopher mintz-plasse colin farrell craig gillespie dave franco david tennant imogen poots toni collette vampires
The Dark is Rising : 1 : The Seeker
Rating: 7.5 Fast & Furious 5
Rating: 8.7 Lucky
Rating: 7.3 Star Trek - Into Darkness
Rating: 9.3 A Cinderella Story
Rating: 4.8 Eight Legged Freaks
Rating: 5.3 Filth
Rating: 2.5 Vice
Rating: 6.5 Tomorrowland
Rating: 8.3 Berlin Syndrome
Rating: 5.8 Walking Out
Rating: 8.3 The Secret Exhibit - A LEGO Adventure
Rating: 8.5 The Curse of the Weeping Woman
Review by: mizim (Miriam)
Pay to see it again:
Attention Span:
Believeability:
Fright Factor:
The first time I watched this it was due to my husband wanting to watch a vampire movie and I wanting to watch something with David Tennant in it though I wasn't looking forward to Christopher Mintz-Plasse being in it as I simply find him to be rather annoying. Anton Yelchin surprised me though that was mainly due to the fact that I had just seen him as Chekov in Star Trek with a heavy russian accent and so wasn't expecting to hear a born and raised american accent from him. Colin Farrell does a good job as the vampire in question and I certainly wouldn't want to meet him in, well, anywhere really as this character.
The special effects were well done, the house blowing up was pretty awesome but seemed a bit much for a movie such as this. The plot was ok but not the best vampire movie that I have seen (yet is still far better for me than Twilight ). The thing that made this movie fun for me was David Tennant and how well he played the cynical, drunk, stage show magician who has a haunted past and joins in the hunt, so to speak. This is a fun enough movie, though not very scary but could have been a lot worse.
Review by: tucker (Karl)
Dated: 27th of October, 2011
This was one of those movies that had some great elements making an otherwise bland movie quite enjoyable and worth sitting through. To get the 'bland' out of the way:
The characters were rather flat and didn't grasp me as a viewer, in the whole - Notable exceptions will follow. The scenery was very modular and formulaic, which was totally in tune with the setting I concede, but did little to add anything to the movie. A tract housing estate somewhere outside of the Las Vegas strip is pretty much cookie-cutter housing indeed. Keeps the set costs down I suppose.
The plot, even for those who haven't seen the original, is rather predictable in many places, though the inclusion of a comedy element does liven it up a bit in places where it risked causing snores from the back row. None the less, the movie held few plot-related surprises.
On the plus side, though I think the 3d was pointless in many places, there were a few scenes where it's effectiveness was undeniable... then blood splattered everywhere, when the crucifix drifted down, and when things came flying in through windows... it worked. In the latter case, even expecting it, I still found myself dodging to my right. Thankfully I was the only one in the entire row, so didn't feel too embarrassed, since I didn't play head-but with anyone around me.
I have to say though, the highlights of the movie for me, were the performances by Colin Farrell and David Tennant... utterly masterful acting. David pulled off the sleazy, jaded Las Vegas stage performer trying to drown a haunting past in a never-ending parade of Midori bottles, while Colin WAS a 400-year old vampire, with all the cat-&-mouse play with the 'snacks', overshadowed by the sheer callous brutality when it came time to bite down hard.
Overall, this was a real mixed-blessing of a movie - not as cheesy as it could so easily have been, it was saved by a couple of good actors, some special effects that left little to be imagined, and a need for a night out no matter how corny it got.
Product reviews for listing 5021: Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star - Directed by Sam Weisman
When given the chance to act in the film of a life-time a former child star finds himself renting a family in an attempt to give himself the childhood that he never had.
"How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?"


text:
package org.kie.workbench.common.stunner.core.client.session.command.impl;

import org.kie.workbench.common.stunner.core.client.session.command.AbstractClientSessionCommandExecutedEvent;
import org.kie.workbench.common.stunner.core.client.session.impl.EditorSession;

public class CutSelectionSessionCommandExecutedEvent extends AbstractClientSessionCommandExecutedEvent<CutSelectionSessionCommand, EditorSession> {

    public CutSelectionSessionCommandExecutedEvent(final CutSelectionSessionCommand executedCommand,
                                                   final EditorSession clientFullSession) {
        super(executedCommand,
              clientFullSession);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Immunotherapy gaining traction as a treatment for breast cancer
April 14, 2021 | by CTCA
While immunotherapy has become a promising treatment against many cancers, it's only recently gained traction in fighting breast cancer.
Immune system failures are behind many cancers, allowing tumors to grow unchecked. Sometimes the cancer cells may:
Mimic healthy cells, disguising them from disease-fighting immune cells
Successfully turn off the body's natural immune response
Use immune cells to help them grow
Immunotherapy is a type of treatment developed to overcome such immune system deficiencies.
Getting the immune system to do its job has been particularly difficult when it comes to fighting breast cancer. While immunotherapy has become a promising treatment against many cancers, it's only recently gained traction in fighting breast cancer.
"Immunotherapy for breast cancer has significantly improved over the last few years. The hard part is waiting for the overall survival data, which takes years," says Laura C. Farrington, DO, Medical Oncologist at Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA), Chicago.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first breast cancer immunotherapy treatment in March 2019 and a second in November 2020, both for patients with advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The treatments are delivered in combination with certain chemotherapy drugs.
Targeted therapy—which, like immunotherapy, is a field of precision medicine—has yielded many more new breast cancer treatments. The advocacy site breastcancer.org, for instance, lists 18 targeted therapies—using lab-created antibodies or antibody drugs—approved to treat various forms of breast cancer, compared to the two immunotherapies approved so far. Still, many scientists see immunotherapy treatments for breast cancer as a promising field of research.
Breast cancer's 'cold' tumor problem
"Our immune system is very complex. There's a lot of emerging research trying to figure out why some cancers do not respond to immunotherapy," Dr. Farrington says.
Breast cancer tumors, like many solid tumors affecting other parts of the body, frequently contain few of the immunological cells immunotherapy drugs use when kicking into action. A National Institute of Health study describes these as "cold" tumors and says "cancers that are classically immunologically cold" include most breast cancers, as well as glioblastomas, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer.
Breast cancer tumors typically have fewer tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), such as T-cells, than other cancers. Studies have shown that the larger the concentration of TILs in a breast cancer tumor, the better the prognosis for a positive outcome from treatment.
Many solid tumors such as those found in various breast cancers have immune cells that aren't working to kill the tumor cells—in fact, they're actually feeding them, helping them grow.
Checkpoint inhibitors
Both approved immunotherapy drugs for breast cancer rely on proteins called immune checkpoint inhibitors.
One function of the immune system is to keep itself from attacking healthy cells in the body. It does this by using "checkpoints," which the American Cancer Society describes as "proteins on immune cells that need to be turned on (or off) to start an immune response." Some breast cancer cells are able to use these checkpoints to avoid an immune system attack.
That's where checkpoint inhibitors come into play. These drugs target the checkpoint proteins and help activate an immune response against cancer cells. Checkpoint inhibitors work by blocking signals that cancer cells use to hide from the immune system. In breast cancer, these drugs target the PD-1 or PD-L1 signal receptors—proteins that are either on a tumor's immune cells or cancer cells.
TNBC and immunotherapy
One impediment to using other breast cancer treatments on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is that these tumors don't have any of the receptors commonly found in breast cancer—those for the female hormones estrogen and progesterone, and for the human epidermal growth factor (HER2) protein. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compares these receptors to locks on a house that doctors can open with keys—or treatments—to get inside to attack the cancer. TNBC doesn't have any of the three locks, which up until recently meant few treatment options other than chemotherapy.
But triple-negative breast cancer also tends to have higher levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, which may be activated by a checkpoint inhibitor. Research shows that patients with triple-negative breast cancer, which accounts for up to 20 percent of all breast cancers, appear to respond better to checkpoint inhibitors than patients with other types of breast cancer.
Breast cancer immunotherapies
The two FDA-approved breast cancer immunotherapies are:
Atezolizumab (Tecentriq®), approved for use in March 2019. This drug tries to boost the body's immune response by blocking PD-L1, thereby shrinking the breast cancer cells or slowing their growth. Atezolizumab is authorized for use with the chemotherapy drug Abraxane® (albumin-bound paclitaxel) to treat advanced triple-negative breast cancer tumors that express the PD-L1 protein. The drug combination may also be used as an initial treatment for some patients.
Pembrolizumab (Keytruda®), approved for use in November 2020. This drug tries to boost the body's immune response by blocking PD-1 and shrinking tumors. Pembrolizumab is used in combination with chemotherapy when treating TNBC that recurs locally and can't be removed by surgery, or when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The treatment is only for tumors that have not previously been treated with chemotherapy.
Pembrolizumab was previously approved by the FDA in May 2017 for use based on a cancer's genetic features found in its DNA. The approval applied to tumors with specific genetic features: microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H), mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) or high tumor mutational burden (TMB-H). It was the first FDA approval of a cancer drug that wasn't based on a tumor's primary location. The gene mutations targeted by pembrolizumab are more commonly found in gastric cancers, but are sometimes found in breast and other cancers.
The overall effectiveness of atezolizumab in treating triple-negative breast cancer is still being evaluated, and trials have not always been as successful as researchers had hoped. For instance, a recent clinical trial found that when the drug is used with a version of the drug paclitaxel other than Abraxane, atezolizumab "failed to improve either progression-free survival or overall survival in advanced triple-negative breast cancer patients, irrespective of PD-L1 status," according to a recent article in Cancer Today, a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research. In September, the FDA issued an advisory against the use of atezolizumab with paclitaxel.
Immunotherapy studies continue
Researchers continue to look for new ways to use immunotherapy to treat breast cancer. Early research released in November from a Purdue University study shows promise in focusing on reprogramming immune cells that are acting as tumor accomplices, rather than producing checkpoint inhibitors that activate the immune system to attack the cancer.
The Purdue study used a toxin that, when attached to the immune cells, may kill cancer cells. Instead of creating a lab-produced antibody to target the problem immune cells, the study linked folate, a form of vitamin B, to the toxin. Researchers said two factors may promote the success of this approach:
The affected immune cells love folate and have receptors for it, unlike most other cells in the body, which helps the toxin target the tumor region.
The folate goes through the body quickly and then is passed out in urine, which is important in removing the lethal toxin attached to any remaining folate from the body.
"We use the vitamin folate to target attached drugs specifically to these nonmalignant cells within a tumor mass that, unfortunately, promote tumor growth. These tumor-associated macrophages [TAMs] love folate," Philip Low, Purdue's Presidential Scholar for Drug Discovery and a chemistry professor, said in a university news release. "They have an enormous appetite for it. They take it up right away, and if they don't, the compound passes in the urine within about 30 minutes. So, we're using folate as a kind of Trojan horse to trick the tumor-promoting immune cells into eating a drug that will reprogram them into tumor-fighting immune cells."
These non-malignant cells in the tumor are called TAMs or myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which are a major force behind suppressed immune responses in many cancer types. When these immune cells infiltrate a solid tumor mass, the cancer cells retrain them so that they allow the tumor to keep growing, Low said. A May 2019 National Institute of Health report described MDSC cells as a promising target for cancer research.
Clinical trials for immunotherapy drugs
While few immunotherapies have been approved for breast cancer to date, studies of other potential immunotherapy treatments are underway. Some breast cancer patients who aren't eligible for the currently available immunotherapies may qualify for clinical trials researching others.
Trials may allow doctors to prescribe drugs as off-label treatments, testing the drugs for their effectiveness in treating cancer types for which they have not received FDA approval. Patients participating in the Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) study, for instance, may be prescribed anti-cancer drugs by matching them to specific genomic mutations found in their individual tumors.
"There are a number of immunotherapy trials, including trials for early-stage breast cancer, at CTCA," Dr. Farrington says. Those trials include potential treatments for hormone receptor-positive (ER+) and HER2+ breast cancers, she says.
Learn how doctors, researchers re-thinking metastatic cancer treatments.
Immunotherapy for cancer: How it works, who's a candidate, and where to get it
FDA Approves Immunotherapy Drugs to Treat More Cancer
Video: How does immunotherapy work?


Really nice and brand new 2 bedroom apartment, located only 3 blocks from the beach.
Really nice 2 bedroom penthouse, for those who want the best!
Really nice 4 bedroom apartment located in front of the beach (no view). We have 3 apartments just like this one in the same building.
Quiet 1 bedroom apartment located only 3 blocks from the beach.
Nice 1 bedroom apartment with an amazing side view to the Copacabana beach!
Nice and cozy 1 bedroom apartment located only 3 blocks from the beach.
Excellent 2 bedroom apartment fully equipped and located right across the beach!
Really nice 1 bedroom apartment located only 3 blocks from the beach.


How did I miss this!?!
I admit that I love slideshare.net – it's a terrific place to research various topics and see what presentations are out there of interest. Of course you can't receive the full benefit of hearing the presenter, but in many cases you can get great information even though you weren't in the room. Be careful, though, you can easily lose an hour (or six) browsing!
And yet I missed this.
I love all things Disney, and have done several presentations about Disney culture, creativity and their fantastic customer service. All can relate to the work of fundraising professionals. The whole topic fascinates me, and the fact that I hadn't seen this presentation in the past is beyond explanation.
It's been on Slideshare for THREE YEARS and I didn't see it before today? Insane.
The word 'best' is overused, and I'm as guilty as anyone of that, but for now I'm declaring this the BEST. SLIDE. DECK. EVER. I love it.
Roy Blumenthal, you are a genius. Thank you for this, it made my day!
View more presentations from Roy Blumenthal.
By the way, in addition to the amazing creative quality of this presentation, it's full of important information. I just returned from visiting the Mouse himself and owe y'all a post on The Disney Way (I actually owe you one from last year too) and this may motivate me to get started on it.
I was asked recently by a loyal GettingGiving reader if I had any data on how many fundraisers support their own nonprofits. It was a great question, and I have to believe the percentage is extremely high, but I had no data to back that up.
So I consulted my research assistant, Mr. Google. He's usually very reliable, but this time he wasn't able to provide an answer. Admittedly, Mr. Google only performs well when I figure out how to ask the question, so the data may be out there and I'm just not finding it. If you have any information on this issue please let me know. . . I would love to share it with the GettingGiving community!
It's long been a belief in the fundraising world that those of us who ask should also give. We may not give as much as our most generous supporters, but we should give. Something.
We often tell our volunteer peer solicitors that they should make their gift first. We explain that it will make them more comfortable if they can feel confident that they, too, have made a gift. If asked, they can honestly reply that they are giving because they believe in the mission of the nonprofit. If not asked, they can offer the information proactively and ask the prospect to 'JOIN ME!" by making a gift of their own.
The same is true of professional fundraisers. I'd say that most of us truly believe in whatever nonprofit we work for, and if we don't perhaps it's time to look for another job. If you don't believe enough to make a gift of your own, it's exceptionally hard to sit across from a prospective donor and explain why they should part with their hard-earned money. It's hard to 'act' passionate about the cause. If you're acting, they'll know it!
I don't believe every fundraiser should be required to support their nonprofit, but I do think they should want to support it. Maybe not with $50,000 or $5,000, but certainly with with a gift they feel comfortable with given their particular financial situation.
I'd love to know if a study has been conducted on this topic. And I'd love to compare the success rate of fundraisers who believe in and support their nonprofit compared to those who don't.
I'm willing to bet it DOES make a difference.
The 2011 US News and World Report college rankings are here. Well, they're online at this point with the magazine set to hit newsstands August 23. I won't dwell on this issue any more than I have in the past (see the blog post below about playing the participation game) but I would recommend visiting The More Donors Blog to see an interesting analysis of the data for the past few years.
One other thing – the methodology was changed in a very interesting way this year. . . with the addition of a metric related to the perception of high school guidance counselors. I understand that perception is reality and all, but are we really going to rate colleges in a national magazine based on what guidance counselors 'perceive' to be the best? I would think they, more than anyone, understand that the best college is different for each individual student. But that's somebody else's soapbox.
Here Come the Participation Rates!
I've got some exciting news for you! On August 23, you can rush out to your local bookstore and purchase the latest "America's Best Colleges" edition of US News & World Report! If you've got $20 to spare, you can even subscribe online and get it about a week earlier. I'd love to know what percentage of online subscribers are college administrators and annual giving professionals.
In honor of this special event, I'm re-posting a Getting Giving article about the participation rate game. If you're in an environment where the participation rate gremlins appear this time of year, I thought you might like a few talking points for the inevitable discussions you'll be having in the near future.
The Participation Rate Game – You Can't Win If You Play!
NOTE: This was originally posted August 23, 2009.
This was a big weekend for colleges and universities around the nation as the annual "America's Best Colleges" issue of US News & World Report hit newsstands late last week. I'm betting more than one annual giving director has spent time this weekend looking at the numbers in print or online. The annual participation rate extravaganza is officially underway!!
Let me start by making my thoughts on the participation rate metric clear: I hate it. Hope that was clear enough. I'd use stronger wording, but I don't want to get an 'explicit' tag on the 'getting giving' blog.
Annual giving folks in higher education are all very aware of the participation rate metric. They may feel pressure to focus on it if their president/board/supervisor thinks participation rate is important to the success of their institution. In some cases, it's truly 'do or die' and in others it's simply another issue to remain aware of. For those that have the 'do or die' type of pressure, it's likely their strategy is greatly impacted as a result. And usually not in a good way.
The bottom line is that those who chase participation rates are often making strategic decisions that damage their overall fundraising efforts in both the short- and long-term. Some methodologies may be considered cheating the system or, at the very least, walking a fine line between right and wrong but I'll not be the judge of that. I have great sympathy for those who find themselves in a situation where decisions are made to make a number look good in an annual magazine issue. I can see why they do what they do. I'll just share a few examples and how these strategies are detrimental to the efficiency and effectiveness of our programs. I'll assume you all know enough about participation rates to jump ahead a bit.
How can you increase your participation rate without increasing the number of donors to your institution? It's simple really – just decrease the number of solicitable alumni you have to report! 100 donors from a population of 1,000 alumni is a 10% participation rate. Find a way to rid yourself of about 200 solicitable alumni and suddenly you have a participation rate of 12.5%. You're a hero!
You can't do that can you?
Of course you can, it's done all the time!
You can reduce the amount spent looking for lost alumni in the nondonor and even lapsed populations. Geeze, who wants to find a good address for somebody who might not ever make a gift? Of course, it's possible they aren't giving because we haven't reached them, but why take the chance by asking them? It might bring the participation rate down if we knew where they were!
Try coding those same folks 'no contact' and determine them not to be solicitable as a result. Of course, then you'll never reach them. They'll never give. But again, they're not a problem in that pesky denominator anymore!
Perhaps the elderly non-donors are especially problematic. Again, you might want to code anyone who graduated prior to a certain year as 'no contact' since you can't teach an old dog new tricks. You might not want to mention this to your planned giving department – they'll likely miss out on some pretty good marketing opportunities to that group. Then again, they don't have to worry about participation rates do they?
I'm all for allocating resources wisely, and there are valid reasons not to solicit certain populations each and every year based on predictive models, historic giving patterns and more. But a strong annual giving program wants as many solicitable alumni as possible. They fight like dogs to keep up with alumni who move, to find good contact information for everyone, and to at least have the opportunity to receive a gift from as many potential donors as possible. For those who aren't the best populations, you might not solicit them every year but by keeping the option open you have the chance to eventually bring them on board as loyal and consistent donors in the future. It's a sad day when the strategy is to eliminate them from the denominator to help the participation rate today when it may negatively impact your fundraising efforts tomorrow.
With those same 1,000 alumni, taking your number of donors from 100 to 150 raises your participation rate from 10% to 15%. That's better than Method #1, but the strategy to get from 100 to 150 donors may end up backfiring on you.
You could overwhelm your population with enough mail to keep the USPS operating at a surplus next year. Everyone can get 20 mailings per year and eventually they'll give something just to get you off their back. If you've got the resources, you can buy yourself a pretty good participation rate. Might not build many good friends that way though. The long-term negative impact might want to be considered.
You can always let your alumni know that 'it isn't about the money, it's about the participation rate' and hope they'll give $1 or $5 because that's what you ask for. You might tell them you are just hoping to 'get them on the books to help the rankings' and any gift will help. Then again, 'for the participation rate' isn't the best case for support is it? I wonder if those donors have the same positive feelings about their philanthropy as they would if they were doing something important like helping deserving students get a great education?!?
You could also give gift recognition credit to your donors' third cousin twice-removed and their half-brother if they're alumni too – then you get three donors for one gift! I'm not even sure who my third cousin twice-removed is, but I'm sure they'd appreciate a note of thanks for my generous support! Maybe all three will renew next year too!
I once had a friend who claimed he could get you any participation rate you wanted, but he might have to bankrupt you in the process. Chasing donors at any level, at any cost, can do just that. In addition to using limited resources to buy donors, have you ever computed the real cost of having that donor? From data entry of the initial gift to gift receipts, stewardship pieces, and renewals, it's likely more than that $5 you're asking as a 'token gift'. Do you really want a bunch of donors that actually help you lose money every year they renew?
It's also important to remember that your renewal rates on small donors are usually much lower than for those making larger gifts. You may spend a fortune to acquire that $5 donor, spend some more stewarding them, and find that only a very small percentage ever give again. Now what!?!
The whole purpose of the annual fund is to generate much-needed support today while building a pipeline of potential major-gift donors for the future. Buying small-level annual fund donors doesn't achieve either of these goals and wastes precious resources in the process. Those resources could be utilized much more wisely stewarding your current donor population, acquiring donors with potential for the future, and actually helping (rather than hindering) your bottom line.
These are just a few examples of how programs work to increase their participation rate. There are many many more ways. Some are just bad strategy. Others are downright dishonest. Almost all are wasting both human and financial resources chasing a number that really doesn't mean much of anything.
By the way, it's important to remember that participation rate is only 5% of the US News formula. It's the smallest variable. That's right. . . 5%. Since it's such an insignificant part of the rankings, maybe a better strategy is an annual fund that generates the support needed to work on other aspects of the US News formula. Scholarships that help recruit the best and brightest students. Faculty support and research funding that attracts the best and brightest faculty. All those things that make an institution truly better come from fundraising programs that keep their eye on the prize. The impact on rankings might be greater when the institution is provided the resources it needs to improve in those areas that matter rather than focusing on making a random number increase year after year.
If that isn't an option, I'll just give you some good news to hold you over until the next issue of US News & World Report. . . . it's still early in FY10. There's plenty of time to get that participation rate up for next year!!


Seating Admission is a process that supports children being ready for IBL . This program comprises of academic and physical assessment. The process includes a check of social interaction skills, communication skills, child development and a review of the child's reading and mathematical achievement. Information from the tests is important given the vital role of literacy and numeracy in enabling children to access the academic curriculum. Meantime, the data from the evaluations on child psychological development are also important in identifying and empowering children to excel in a holistic development as a person.
Section 2 : Write in letter about your child in your on words not less than 500 words and not more than 1000 words in English.
Section 5 : Seating placement result will be notified to parents from 1 month to 2 month .
Register for Seating Admission online, waiting for our response.
Make Payment for 1st month School Fees in order to secure a place.
In our admissions process, we give careful, individual attention to each applicant. We seek to identify learners who will be the best educators of one another and their teachers—individuals who will inspire those around them during their learning years and beyond.
E) How Can You Best Prepare for IBL? 你怎么能为IBL做好准备?


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March MATness day 4. The One Leg Circle!
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March MATness day 3 The Roll Over!
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March MATness Day 2 The Roll Up!
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March Matness 1: The Hundred!


It's the little things—like wood-look flooring and closets big enough to walk around in. Of course, it's also the big things, like a sparkling swimming pool and fitness center.
Take a peek below to get a sense of what calling Dwell Vienna "home" could be like.
There's no excuse to skip your morning workout with a resident fitness center on site!


text:
Home Education Phoenix Conservatory of Music's College Prep Program Receives Top Federal Award for...
Phoenix Conservatory of Music's College Prep Program Receives Top Federal Award for After School Arts Programs
The Phoenix Conservatory of Music was recognized with a 2017 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, the nation's highest honor for after-school arts and humanities programs. PCM was one of 12 organizations across the country to receive the honor, which recognizes effectiveness in promoting learning and life skills in young people by engaging them through creative youth development programs.
"Phoenix is home to an incredible arts community, and organizations like the Phoenix Conservatory of Music are key to the city's cultural vibrancy," Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said. "This award is a testament to the great work PCM is doing to expose children in our community to the arts and music education."
The awardees—chosen from a pool of 350 nominations and 50 finalists—were recognized for improving literacy and language abilities, communication and performance skills, and cultural awareness.
The award is the latest recognition to highlight the Conservatory's work with students. Earlier this year, Phoenix Conservatory of Music was a recipient of the 2017 Mayor's Arts Awards for Innovative Organization of the Year, and in 2015 received the Arizona Governor's Arts Award for Arts Education Organization.
In addition to Marcus Wolf, 16, of Phoenix, Arizona receiving the award along with Phoenix Conservatory of Music Executive Director, Regina Nixon; Phoenix Conservatory of Music provided the student performance for the awards ceremony. PCM Students Lourde Childs, 13, of Peoria, Arizona and Michael Rodriguez, 15, of Phoenix, Arizona traveled to our Nation's Capital on November 09, 2017 and performed for the heads of our Federal Arts and Humanities Agencies. They performed Man In The Mirror recorded by Michael Jackson, written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett; produced by Quincy Jones, and received a standing ovation. https://youtu.be/QXC2YNMWLVQ?t=30m35s
Phoenix Conservatory of Music provides a continuum of high quality music education and experiences to hundreds of students annually, with programs ranging from introductory level in-house education programs and after-school programs to more advanced private lessons and the most prestigious College Prep Program for contemporary music education in the state: The Berklee College of Music'sCity Music Network and P.U.L.S.E. programs. Since the inception of PCM's College Prep Program in 2010, the program is providing a pathway for students to achieve their dreams- one note at a time. With 3-10 hours per week of low to no cost engagement, the organization provides students 4-12 grades with private music lessons, music theory classes, enrichment classes and Popular Music Ensembles. They have a 95% graduation rate (compared to an 86% in the local community and a 77% in the state), 71% go on to college or university, 43% of those students are studying music or music-related fields, and they have earned more than $1 million in Scholarship Offers.
SOURCEPhoenix Conservatory of Music
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I would like to add some of my thoughts.
* All programming languages ultimately is the same with different concept, syntax and services.
services are things the programming language will do for you, like memory management and stuff but some services come with implication, these services can introduce new problem.
its like english, mandarin, italian, different of of saying the same things. The same things here are instructions. There's not really one language that is harder than the other. Its usually just that one language provide some service which the other don't.
* Reading is a important part of a programmer job and if you want to excel. I felt strongly that anyone who don't read and shun away from even trying to read getting started guide will never be a good programmer.
Programmer are problem solver and usually need to find solution on a daily basis. In the real world, you can't really solve much problem without reading for more knowledge.
Hey KB! I'd agree heartily with the first point but defer on the second. While having domain knowledge certainly helps, past a certain point it just clutters your brain with ideas that may or may not be related to your problem.
Programming problems, being (usually) logic problems, can be solved in the absence of additional knowledge purely via critical thinking. Text provides more ideas, but it provides it without forcing you to think through all the considerations that resulted in the proposed solution, and that is something I've found wanting in most junior programmers.
i agree that it can take away critical thinking as i am a victim of such.
i had not much solution for critical thinking except for practicing.
on the other hand, reading sometimes reinforced some of my doubts. when I designed something the first worry is that I am doing it wrongly so when you see yourself doing something close to what others is doing is a calming feeling. Although this might be interpreted as good and bad, i then to think of it as a good thing while also fully aware of its issue.
I think thinking are like steps, if you skip any, you won't arrive at the end point that steps lead you too. true that some converge but some diverge too. reading kinda open options, so i could choose wisely. but it will definitely take critical thinking away. its kinda a balancing act. and it can be a bad addiction as you will be always be looking for solution that hasn't quite yet develop.
For me I felt I didn't have the foundation to be creative in my thinking yet. I took the simple approach of absorb rather than think though. In long run it might have hurt my chance though.
Ha, as they said in Hollow Man, true genius is being able to get from A to D without going through B and C. But the rest of us… we need our B's and C's.
One thing I will give to acquiring knowledge is that it is incredibly good for design. While it's not so critical in the "this will solve your problem" kind of way, I really like it in the "but you could do so much more if you did it this way" kind of way. It's stuff from outside your box that opens up avenues that you may not have uncovered while hacking through your previous problems.
As game programmers, I think this gives us the edge to not merely satisfy our users, but amaze them. To this end, I'm not only a fan of reading, but a big fan of daydreaming too. After all, that's what we do as game developers, isn't it? Turn dreams into reality!
yup. i agree and i'm addicted to the "but you could do so much more if you did it this way" and that's why i put reading high on my list though.
i know what ya means saying turning dreams into reality but over the years i been beaten down by reality. thinking back, i use to have so much passion and i day dream a lot about all the stuff i can create (mostly games) with programming.
luckily i still love programming. its such an exciting time ahead for many of us programmer. no matter how low we are in the stack of cooperate structure, if we believe in programming, some lucky guy might just be the next to shape not just the virtual world, but the real one.