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SEC will look into chineese cos:
China Said to Discuss Allowing SEC Probes of Mainland Firms for First Time
By Bloomberg News - Jul 5, 2011 2:03 PM ET
China Said to Discuss Letting SEC Probe Mainland Companies
The headquarters building of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stands in Washington, D.C. Photographer: Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg
Muddy Waters' Block on Research on China Companies, July 1
July 1 (Bloomberg) -- Carson Block, founder of Muddy Waters LLC, talks about his research into Chinese companies and outside reaction to his reports and short-selling position on companies including Sino-Forest Corp. Block spoke yesterday with Bloomberg Television's Erik Schatzker. (Source: Bloomberg)
Kurtz Interview on China Companies, June 30
June 30 (Bloomberg) -- Michael Kurtz, head of Asian strategy at Macquarie Bank Ltd., talks about the potential for business fraud at Chinese companies. Kurtz speaks in Hong Kong to Rishaad Salamat on Bloomberg Television's "On the Move Asia." (Source: Bloomberg)
PCAOB Chairman James R. Doty
James Doty, chairman of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, said in April that the inability to inspect auditors in China represents a "gaping hole in investor protection." The board regulates and inspects registered auditors under the oversight of the SEC. Photographer: Rich Clement/Bloomberg
Shang Fulin
Shang Fulin, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), speaks at the Caijing Annual Conference 2011 in Beijing, China, Dec. 17, 2010. Photographer: Adam Dean/Bloomberg
U.S. and Chinese officials will meet next week to discuss giving American securities regulators the right to investigate companies within China for the first time, said two Chinese officials with direct knowledge of the plans.
Representatives from the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board will meet with counterparts from the China Securities Regulatory Commission in Beijing from July 11 to 12, said the officials, who asked not to be named because the talks are private.
A joint delegation from the SEC and PCAOB will share "technical and practical information regarding audit inspection and cross-border oversight that we hope and expect should facilitate our achievement of our meaningful inspection procedure for Chinese audit firms going forward," said Colleen Brennan, a PCAOB spokeswoman, declining to discuss the timing of any meeting. John Nester, an SEC spokesman, declined to comment.
China-Biotics Inc. (CHBT) and Heli Electronics Corp. (HELI) are among dozens of companies traded in the U.S. that have disclosed auditor resignations or accounting irregularities this year, leading to the suspension or delisting of their shares. Some of the SEC's previous investigations of such companies have been stalled by the inability to gather information in China.
Regulators in the Asian nation haven't felt pressure to immediately address oversight of companies publicly traded in the U.S. because they weren't responsible for approving the listings, one of the officials said.
Reverse Mergers
The meetings next week will discuss the feasibility of U.S. regulators conducting field inspections of auditors and companies in China, the officials said. They'll also include talks focused on companies that list in the U.S. through reverse mergers, said one of the Chinese officials.
Reverse mergers allow closely held firms to buy publicly traded shell companies, thereby gaining a stock listing without the scrutiny of an initial public offering. Chinese companies listed in the U.S. have had $4.1 billion wiped off their market value this year amid a wave of auditor resignations and fraud allegations by short-sellers including Carson Block's Muddy Waters LLC. Auditors have cited problems ranging from forged paperwork to a suspected fake bank website.
The SEC cautioned investors last month, saying that companies gaining listings this way may be prone to "fraud and other abuses."
'Gaping' Hole
PCAOB Chairman James R. Doty said in April that the inability to inspect auditors in China represents a "gaping hole in investor protection." The board regulates and inspects registered auditors under the oversight of the SEC.
"We're at a time where the integrity of the financial statements of so many companies has been challenged, that the natural place to look for some reassurance is the regulator with oversight responsibility," said Jacob Frenkel, a former SEC lawyer now with Shulman Rogers Gandal Pordy & Ecker PA in Potomac, Maryland. "But if the regulator cannot oversee, that in and of itself diminishes confidence."
Access that U.S. regulators have requested doesn't comply with China's existing laws, one of the Chinese officials said. The Chinese regulators were offered equal access to conduct field inspections in the U.S., according to the officials. No foreign companies are currently listed in China.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission didn't immediately respond to faxed requests for comment.
'Something Conclusive'
U.S. regulators previously met with officials from the China Securities Regulatory Commission in May in Washington. Doty said at the time that those talks may lead to "something conclusive" on how the nations handle the situation.
"Both sides have agreed to accelerate efforts, including undertaking a process for negotiations and engaging in technical assistance activities, to reach a bilateral agreement," the PCAOB's Brennan said.
Some SEC investigations have been stalled as Chinese regulators blocked attempts to gather data even when the firms were willing to cooperate, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said in May.
The Nasdaq Stock Market has delisted companies such as China MediaExpress Holdings Inc. (CCME) and China Agritech Inc. (CAGC) China Agritech spokesman Fan Bin said the company's delisting hasn't affected its business. Zheng Zhuofeng, China MediaExpress's financial controller, wasn't available to comment.
More than 150 Chinese companies with a market value of $12.8 billion have entered U.S. markets through reverse mergers since 2007, according to the PCAOB. During that same period, only about 50 Chinese companies filed IPOs. The Bloomberg Chinese Reverse Mergers Index, which tracks 78 shares listed in the U.S., has dropped 44 percent this year.
The accounting board last month rejected an application by Hong Kong-based Zhonglei CPA Co. to become a registered U.S. auditor, citing an inability to inspect its work for companies based in China. It was the first time the board had rejected an application since tightening rules in October.
The PCAOB issued a new policy in October making the inability to inspect auditors in nations such as China a factor when considering whether to approve them. The organization is currently blocked from inspecting firms based in China.
Most of the customers of the firms that are under investigation by the SEC are in China, not regulated by the SEC. Without the ability to subpoena information from the firms' customers, it's been difficult for the SEC to corroborate sales records, a person familiar with the matter said in May.
'Illegal Acts'
The SEC in March suspended trading of Heli Electronics after faulting the company for a lack of current and accurate information in its financial statements. MaloneBaily LLP resigned as the company's auditor that same month after it identified irregularities with Heli Electronics's financial statements. Calls to the company's offices in the city of Guangzhou went unanswered.
China-Biotics said June 29 that the company intended to voluntarily delist its stock from trading on the Nasdaq exchange. BDO Ltd. resigned June 22 as the company's auditor citing irregularities it had uncovered that likely constituted "illegal acts," including being directed by China-Biotics staff during audit work to a suspected fake bank website. An operator who answered calls to the company's offices in Shanghai said no one was available to comment.
--Eva Woo, Dune Lawrence. With assistance from Charles Li in Beijing, Neil Western in Hong Kong and Jesse Hamilton in Washington. Editors: John Liu, David Scheer
To contact Bloomberg News staff on this story: Eva Woo in Beijing at +86-10-6649-7537 or ewoo9@bloomberg.net; Dune Lawrence in New York at +1-212-617-4510 or dlawrence6@bloomberg.net
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An hon. Member:
Topic: GOVERNMENT ORDERS
Subtopic: INCOME TAX ACT
Eldon Mattison Woolliams
Progressive Conservative
Member File Biography @ PARLINFO
Mr. Woolliams:
You say "Right", but I do not want to get into an argument with you. I do not look with scepticism at any organization, whether union or corporate. As I have said before, corporations are healthy, and when they operate in a tax climate that gives them help we can have some degree of full development and full employment. That should be the aim. The president of Imperial Oil Limited, Mr. J. A. Armstrong, is quoted in an article in
the Winnipeg Free Press of Tuesday, November 23, 1971, as follows:
-warned Monday of serious political and economic effects if Canadians submit to the "myth" that Canada's oil and natural gas should not be exported to the United States, but preserved for domestic use.
J. A. Armstrong called the revenue effects of a decision not to export "disastrous". He plegged the immediate revenue loss at over $11 billion a year and said it would hit both the Canadian petroleum industry and the governments which are the royalty owners.
Naturally, in the west we are interested in royalties. When Mr. Douglas, the former leader of the NDP, was Premier of Saskatchewan he realized then, as Premier Schreyer realizes now, that foreign capital is needed for the development of resources and for full employment. Mr. Douglas said that, and Mr. Schreyer made it very clear on television the other night. But I do not want to digress, Mr. Chairman. The article continues:
The political effects would arise from a reminder that the United States supplied Canada with petroleum until the mid-fifties and on an emergency basis after the closure of the Suez Canal.
The worst consequence of a decision not to export Canadian resources would be the effect on investment spending. Mr. Armstrong said. "The investment spending by private industry would dry up completely and there is no conceivable set of conditions or incentives that government could provide that would prevent this from happening."
Mr. Armstrong said that Canada has two options-to develop or to stagnate its petroleum industry. He called a decision to sit back and refuse to export resources and concentrate on production for the domestic market a vote for stagnation.
"With the world's largest growing market for petroleum energy at our doorstep and with the great potential for crude and natural gas development in the frontiers, it would be a catastrophe if Canada does not capitalize on this unique opportunity not only to strengthen its economy but to assure itself of a plentiful and secure supply of oil and gas in a very uncertain world," he said.
The National Energy Board Friday turned down applications to export some 2.66 trillion cubic feet of natural gas to the United States.
I pause there, Mr. Chairman. Prior to these applications coming before the National Energy Board they were examined by the Alberta Conservation Board. The decision of the National Energy Board questions whether we have enough natural gas to meet Canada's domestic and industrial needs forseeable for the future. In the Borden report our proven reserves were estimated at 23 trillion cubic feet. According to the National Energy Board we do not have that kind of reserve, and if this is so then the way to get the reserve is through development. The way to encourage development is by an attractive tax climate. The reserves are there in the ground.
That leads me to a few more quotations from the remarks of the president of Imperial Oil. Commenting on the board's decision, Mr. Armstrong said:
-there is a difference of opinion in Canada as to the surplus of natural gas in the immediate future.
I agree with the Prime Minister on a point of law. If the National Energy Board makes an affirmative decision, the cabinet can approve or negate it. That is sound law, and in that regard the Prime Minister stands on all fours with the National Energy Board Act. However, if the decision is negative, the cabinet may not be able to change it. The only recourse is appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada under section 18 of the National Energy Board
Act on a question of law or a question of jurisdiction, which does not help us in this field.
At the moment we are debating the tax bill, whether we are going to get development and what kind of tax climate we will have in light of the fact that the National Energy Board turned down applications to export natural gas worth $11 billion each year. That is half a billion dollars more than the new budget for the whole of Canada.
Having, in my opinion, quoted the law correctly the Prime Minister should now take two decisions. First, the government should ask the National Energy Board to review its decision. In the event that the board maintains its decision, the government should review the tax climate of this nation, because it is stagnating development in our country and that is why we have unemployment to the degree that now exists. I want to be very positive and that is why I make these suggestions.
Second, since the act does not permit the cabinet to review decisions which negative or turn down applications, I hope the government will bring the members of that board before the Standing Committee on Energy, Mines and Resources so that parliamentarians may examine them. Their decision came as a shock to western Canada and should be shocking to all Canadians. We want to determine on what basis they estimated reserves and if they think that, given the tax climate which is being discussed in this debate, reserves will increase.
I hope the members of the board will be called before the committee. I should like the privilege of cross-examining the chairman of the board and its members. If anyone says that would be an unusual procedure, I say hogwash. On previous occasions when the standing committee has asked for it, those gentlemen have appeared before the committee. I have often recommended in committee and to the government that the staff of the board be increased to a level that is commensurate with the board's responsibilities under the National Energy Board Act.
In light of the tax climate being created today and the resulting uncertainty, I recommend, first, that the government ask the National Energy Board to review its decision. It should bear in mind the revenue that can be generated in Canada as a result of developments within the industry. I am speaking of benefits which will come from tertiary industries and from exports.
I recommend, second, that the gentlemen of the board be called before the standing committee so the committee may examine them and find out exactly why they decided to veto the decision of the Conservation Board of Alberta. When we have heard the evidence we can say whether that decision should stand or fall. To me, coming from western Canada, the board's decision is shocking. The royalties from this industry which flow to provincial governments of western Canada, and the revenues that indirectly flow into the coffers of the federal government, are substantial. Therefore, when legislating new tax laws we must be very careful.
I now continue quoting what Mr. Armstrong is reported to have said, according to the Winnipeg Free Press:
"The United States only takes our reserves for security because we're close. One or two more tankers from the Persian Gulf to the U.S. market and we're out," he answered.
By 1980, he estimated that Canada would be supplying about 4 to 5 per cent of U.S. demand for oil and gas.
We went to bed, so to speak with one-eighth of the world's supply of coal in Alberta. All the arguments that my friends to the left raised in this debate were raised years ago. They sound wonderful on the hustings, but they are no good for employment. They are beautiful for winning votes, but no good for the economy of the country or the economic well-being of the average man. We went to bed in the twenties and the thirties with our coal; and who in Alberta or anywhere else in Canada now wants to go to bed with our natural gas? I continue quoting:
Mr. Armstrong estimated capital requirements of the developing Canadian petroleum resources in the next decade at $25 to $30 billion.
The article refers to $25 to $30 billion. That sounds like a lot of money. A capital gains tax is to be introduced through this bill and, while it sounds good on paper, it will rob the average Canadian of any incentive to invest in resources. That is the anomaly of it. It may be funny; my expression of going to bed with our gas. I think it is funny and I said some time ago that it was funny. One sometimes has to show how funny a thing is in order to demonstrate how tragic it is.
Having said in my opening remarks that the regulations I am talking about are similar in nature to those contemplated in the white paper, let me show what the great experts said in committee. I am about to read excerpts taken from official report No. 33 of the Standing Committee on Finance, Trade and Economic Affairs. These proceedings took place on April 16, 1970, at 3.40 in the afternoon. I should like to put some questions and answers on the record because my hon. friend opposite from Calgary felt that the answers were not as suggested in another debate. Actually, we were debating another section of the bill. I directed my first question to Mr. Bryce, the economic adviser to the Prime Minister. I asked, "Did you assist in the drafting of the proposals." Mr. Bryce answered: Normally the government does not reveal who did what within it, but it is well known that Mr. Brown and I did assist in drafting these proposals.
Gérald Laniel (Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole)
The Deputy Chairman:
Order, please. I regret to interrupt the hon. member, but his time has expired.
Some hon. Members:
Does the committee agree unanimously to the hon. member continuing?
I appreciate the committee's courtesy, Mr. Chairman. I will not be unduly lengthy. I can speak again after an interval. My party has asked me to place on record a few facts which are important to western Canada and to Canada as a whole. My next question was: Does the white paper proposal on taxation abolish the distinction between capital gains and income, and treat capital gains as ordinary taxable income?
Let me digress for a moment. The United States and Great Britain have capital gains taxes. Farmers I was talking to the other night in Manitoba were shocked to hear that any capital gains they made would be added to their income and that half those gains would be taxed at
ordinary income tax rates. Yet here we are dealing with the resource industry. Surely we want to encourage economic development. How will that development come about if you say to investors in resource industries, "We will take the cream off the top of the milk in the can and all you will have left "is skim milk". And then you are asked to make butter. Out of what?
That is how ridiculous this law is and that is what it will do to our resource industries. I know that my friends to the left say that the white paper did not go far enough. They found out exactly how far the white paper went only when its proposals affected the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool. They did not think they would lose any rural seats in Saskatchewan.
But we have just won a seat.
Sometimes it takes a little time for the correct facts to be known. The rest of my question was as follows:
For example; if a person has a taxable income of earned $10,000 from wages, and earns $10,000 on the stock market, what is the rate of tax on $10,000 capital gains?
Mr. Brown answered:
Half of it will bear the progressive rate as if that gain was a taxable income today.
In other words, one half of the capital gain will be taxed at progressive income tax rates. The provisions of the white paper basically have been incorporated in Bill C-259, so that when you talk about the white paper you are talking about Bill C-259. I then asked whether the capital gain would not be added to taxable income in that year. Mr. Brown answered, "Yes, sir." Actually, I asked the following:
An ordinary landholder who bought some land, then sold it and in that taxable year, whatever year it might be, he made $10,000.1 am asking you, under the ordinary rules, would not that capital gain be added to his taxable income in that one year?
Mr. Brown answered, "Yes, sir." I then asked:
Yes, so basically, although you have mentioned some exceptions and I am prepared to determine those in a few moments, what the chartered accountant of one of the national firms said is true, that the distinction between capital gains and income will be virtually abolished because in many cases-I have given you two or three illustrations, but I am sure you could give me more than I have given you because you are far more knowledgeable in this field-it will merely be added to the taxable income and become taxable in that year. Is that correct?
Mr. Brown answered, "Yes, it is." Mr. Chairman, I want to drive this point home because it is important to farmers and to those investing in the resource industries. Half of any capital gain is to be included in income and will be taxed at progressive income tax rates. What are those progressive rates? They are not 25 per cent or less, as in the United States or Great Britain. They run as high as 61 per cent in Canada, a new country. And then some Members of Parliament say we do not need foreign investment! That is the anomaly I see under this tax bill.
How can hon. members, no matter on which side of the House they sit, believe that we do not need foreign investment? We are going to ask Canadians to invest in their industry and at the same time tax them on capital gains at
the rate of 61 per cent for those in the top tax bracket. If that is not an anomaly we have never had one in politics. That is why there is stagnation today in the development of our mines and resources and it will stagnate even more.
The National Energy Board has taken the position that we do not have the reserves. I want to read the report about reserves. That is a matter of opinion, not evidence. Opinion evidence must be given different weight than real evidence. How can you encourage further development of the natural gas and petroleum industries if you do not have a tax climate whereby people will invest their money? I quote:
Is the difference then between the United States and Great Britain's capital gains tax that they, the United States, have special rates on capital gains and rates on taxable income in the ordinary way. Is that not correct?
I asked further questions as follows:
James Elisha Brown
Mr. Brown:
In his answer he agreed with me pointing out that the tax in some cases is 25 per cent and some cases would be 27.5 per cent with a surtax. He also added that some of the states also have an additional tax in addition to the federal tax.
I will deal with the exception in a moment, because I am well aware that it could go up to 80 per cent under certain circumstances for a period of years. But, forgetting that exception, the maximum Canadian rate could be as high as 50 per cent.
And that is considerably higher than the United States and Great Britain at the present time.
I think that as a rate that is true, sir.
I put this to the parliamentary secretary. With a new country, a country developing its mines, petroleum, natural gas and all its industries-which is the very foundation of our economic growth and the growth of employment possibilities which will take people off the breadlines and get them working-you need investment in those resources. Without it, you have stagnation. With stagnation, you have unemployment. With high taxation like this you will continue to have unemployment until it becomes something you must learn to live with. There is no solution to this kind of problem.
The NDP have it.
I read what the Premier of Manitoba said, as follows:
If I cannot get investment from any other source, I will get it from the United States.
It depends on where you are sitting and whether you are wooing votes or have the responsibility of running a province or country.
Patrick Morgan Mahoney (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance)
Mr. Mahoney:
I'll buy that.
Max Saltsman
New Democratic Party
Mr. Saltsman:
Would the hon. member permit a question?
Certainly. I always like questions.

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text:
When China Rules The World – with Martin Jacques & Vince Cable
2/3/16 - Today Translations
Joe Cock
On the evening of February 22nd, Martin Jacques gave his talk entitled "When China Rules the World" at the National Liberal Club in London. The title, lifted from his newly expanded book which has sold 350,000 copies in 14 languages, is crafted to alarm Western sensibilities; not 'if', but 'when'. China's rise is far from over, but its hegemony is already considered a foregone conclusion.
The basic facts of China's ascendancy are indeed unique in our experience of history. The USA is the benchmark of what a modern superpower looks like, and even in 1980, the USA's economy was over twenty times the size of China's. Yet somehow, the IMF predicts that by 2020, China's economy will be 20% bigger than its nearest rival. Every single country in the world has had to reconsider its relationship with China in the last 25 years. To illustrate this we need only glance at Jacques' illustration of China's grasp on world trade today, where red signifies that China is the country's largest trading partner, orange second-largest, and yellow third or below.
If it continues current growth of 7% until the end of the decade and sustains 6% over the 2020s, China is projected to account for 34% of the world's economy by 2030 – bigger than the projections for the US and the EU combined (28%). This represents a very different mental map of our world to the one with which we currently work.
These epoch-defining figures are bound to provoke soul-searching on both sides, but Jacques presents his numbers with reserve. The incomparable nature of the beast means that economic precision is a pipe dream. Even the UK, he points out, has immense difficulty in estimating its GDP. How can we expect such a diverse entity containing 1/5 of the world's population to be more lucidly defined?
The only thing we can be sure of is that the potential for more is waiting to be realized. China is characterized as a land that escapes neat summary. Despite all their development, just shy of half the population still lives in the countryside. And much of the growth to this date has been achieved by massive investment in infrastructure, which cannot continue at the same rate without overproduction. Their economy is in the process of undergoing an enormous structural change – as Vince Cable puts it, "China is becoming middle class" with vast leaps in life expectancy, literacy, and standards of living, and the leaders recalibrating its economy to become more consumer-focused are "trying to quickly turn around an oil tanker in a very small harbour."
Jacques' most incisive comments come on the subject of the West's default position of scepticism. Our scepticism that such unprecedented growth can be sustained in a place perceived as 'backwards'. Our scepticism that China's style of political governance is even legitimate. And our scepticism that China represents a new modernity. He argues that our belief that the only logical conclusion of modernization is westernization – "the idea that we're all on different steps of the same escalator" – is deeply flawed. Even if their mentality is pragmatic in its willingness to learn and adapt from Western cultures, nothing can make China resemble our societies in any fundamental way. This is because it is not possible to conceive of China as a nation state like our own. We think in these terms because in the Western experience, our identity derives from the sense of our nations' recent histories. This is not so for China. The history of the nation over the last century is less relevant compared to the bigger picture – the sinuous tapestry of their 2,000 year history. What it means to be Chinese is a function of being a 'civilization state'. This concept is central to Jacques' argument, and he presents the idea with Lucian Pye's lapidary quote:
'China is a civilisation, masquerading as a nation state, obliged by its weakness at the end of the 19th century to adapt to European norms.'
If China is not, as Jacques claims, a conventional nation, but a sub-system in its own right, what cultural factors account for its extraordinary longevity? There have certainly been peaks and troughs. The period prior to the revolution of 1949 was one of utter humiliation and disunity – Jacques goes so far as to use the term 'Balkanization'. Yet in the second half of the 20th century, the values of unity, stability and order were thoroughly ingrained in the cultural psyche. This was an act of picking up lost historical threads. Jacques stresses the importance of meritocracy and particularly competence in Chinese culture, qualities which first came to the fore 1,700 years ago when the Tang dynasty opened the imperial state exams to commoners. He wishes to dispel any suggestion that China is simply 'lucky'; the people in charge are highly competent because their society is geared to make them so. Jacques makes little effort to hide his Sinophilia when he says "We have to learn statecraft from China". But perhaps we should be willing given how much China has learnt from us.
The importance of the Chinese phenomenon is not just a matter of facts and figures about trade surpluses and per capita GDP. The pressing question both for the west and China itself is a more intangible one: if China is to rule the world, what kind of ruler will it be? A takeaway point from Jacques' talk is the warning not to project our own values or history onto Chinese development in the search for an answer. History suggests that the Chinese notion of their place in the world is very different to our own, and so he claims it is unlikely China will ever have expansionist, colonial ambitions. It is telling that the typical reaction of Chinese people to the book's title is, according to its author, one of exasperation – "But we don't want to rule the world!" What they will still seek to develop is greater political clout, for which great economic power is a necessary but not a sufficient prerequisite. We should expect the international system to become increasingly geared towards Chinese power, but in a subtler way than some might think. "America is the architect and landlord of the international system. China is a tenant. Their relationships to it are different." He predicts no cataclysmic upheaval, because it is the same international system that has allowed China to flourish. Odd though it may sound given their 20th century history, Jacques is insistent that "the Chinese view of change is not revolutionary, but evolutionary."
While China has traditionally been quite inward-looking, we are now living through the most externalizing period in China's long history. The stand-out example of their modern initiative is that of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). This was China's first ever multilateral initiative, aimed at increasing the regional autonomy of the Asian financial world, and pulling up the rest of this developing region via the same investment methods that powered China's boom. China had expected 22 Asian countries to sign up. Instead, they had 57 signatories, with a further 30 waiting to join. Most strikingly, Western powers such as Britain, Germany, Australia and Italy have all signed up, much to the exasperation of the USA and Japan, who both remain aloof. This is a sign of both astute tactics for Britain et al, and of a seismic change. America is now obliged to come to terms with China in a relationship of parity, rather than superiority.
Perhaps Jacques' call to soften all scepticism is not particularly desirable. China's industrial ascendancy coincides with the world on the verge of ecological disaster. Many of the freedoms that we cherish in the West are not necessarily held in the same high esteem by government there, and the overall human rights record is questionable. Nonetheless, the signs are clear that the West will be wise to pursue a more mature relationship with China in the coming years. China's growth means the world is looking increasingly multipolar, and our business interests need to diversify accordingly if they want to prosper. Leaving behind a Western-centric view means adapting culturally too, and that is where the future is bright for companies like Today Translations. With such an emphasis placed on the language and customs of cultures around the world, the efficiency of international trade and communication, particularly in Chinese, will become the sink-or-swim issue. While localisation is still a specialised term for now, it might just be the word on everybody's lips soon.


text:
Q: Bloch sphere for 2 and more qubits if I represent my qubit in the Bloch sphere as
$|ψ⟩=a|u⟩+b|v⟩$
where
$|ψ⟩=\cos(θ_2)|u⟩+e^{iϕ}\sin(θ_2)|v⟩$,
I can see where my qubit is inside the sphere.
Now imagine I have 2 qubits or more and I want to check whether they lie on the xy-plane.
If I have my state for 2 qubits as, for example
$|ψ⟩=[0.5;0.5i;0.5i;-0.5]$,
how can I check their position on the Bloch sphere?
Thank you very much in advance.

A: The best way to think about the Bloch sphere is as a Bloch ball. In particular instead of considering only pure states we should consider mixed states ($\rho$) as well. Any mixed state can be completely specified by the expectation values of a complete set of mutually orthogonal observables, where orthogonality of observables A and B is given by $Tr(A B)=0$. So for example the state of a qubit can be complete specified by the three Pauli matrices (X,Y,Z). The expectation values of these three observables corresponds precisely with the three orthogonal axes of the space where the Bloch ball lives, and the shape of the Bloch ball is defined by the constraint that the density matrix $\rho$ has a non-negative spectrum, where $\rho$ can be given by $$\rho = \frac{\mathbb{1}}{Tr(\mathbb{1})}+\alpha_x X +\alpha_y Y + \alpha_z Z.$$ So the vector $\vec{\alpha}$ corresponds with a point in the three dimensional space of expectation values, and the set of points $\vec{\alpha}$ corresponding to non-negative $\rho$ defines the Bloch ball.
This way of thinking allows us to define the appropriate analogue of the Bloch ball for two qubits, or for any finite dimensional quantum system we wish to consider. For two qubits we can specify a complete set of mutually orthogonal observables given by the tensor products of Pauli matrices (XI, YI, ZI, IX, IY, IZ, XX, XY etc.), the dimension of the space is then 15 instead of 3. The shape of our "Bloch ball" will be given by the set of 15 dimensional points $\vec{\alpha}$ such that the density matrix $$\rho=\frac{\mathbb{1}}{Tr(\mathbb{1})}+\alpha_{IX} IX +\alpha_{IY} IY + \alpha_{IZ} IZ+ ...$$ has a non-negative spectrum. It turns out that this shape is no longer a ball! A good name for it is a spectrahedron. Understanding the structure of this shape and its higher dimensional cousins is a great way to spend your time.
So to answer your question more directly, what you are asking for does not make sense, because a two qubit quantum state does not live on a Bloch Sphere!
However, you can consider the one qubit reduced density matrices of the two qubit state, and ask where inside the Bloch Ball they live, in particular, if you have a 1 qubit reduced density matrix $\rho_1$ you can specify its position on the xy-plane by the point $\{Tr(X \rho_1), Tr(Y \rho_1)\}$.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


the objections to publicize and the others are no longer cited. Instead, new -ize words are mentioned as currently attracting opposition, such as prioritize and routinize.
Confession: I find incentivise quite useful in certain contexts. In sentences, for instance, like "The Italian Government has passed a new law incentivising energy-saving and the use of renewables" (referring to specific incentives such as tax breaks).
And prioritising seems like a valuable and much-needed skill when I contemplate my lengthening to-do list.
We all have words we love or loathe, not necessarily for any rational reason. If I find incentivise and prioritise useful in their concision, why do I dislike the equally concise diarise so much? Anyway, I'd love to hear your pet hates, rational or not, in the comments.
Share your pain although I'm guilty of using that dreaded "diarise"! My pet hate would be "verbalise". Why can't we just use "articulate"?
We'll forgive you "diarise" as you've got an excuse – you must come across dictionaries-worth of these words in your line of work!
A sentence from our mag last week: "The challenge they face is how to do that on products with such low storageability and short life as cut flowers." Yup, storageability.
I can understand dubious words if they simplify life. But storageability? What's your mag, BTW?
Not quite sure why it riles me so, but I really hate the word "winningest" when used to describe a successful sportsperson/team.
Winningest is new to me – I'm glad I don't read the sports pages!
It's an Americanism, but I've started hearing over here now too.
Valorise means everything and nothing.
I come across valorizzare all the time in Ital to Eng translations and it drives me bonkers! And I've noticed they're using valorise in EU documents now.
Confession: I use "deploy" quite often but mainly in a military context (I do a lot of foreign policy translations so UN and EU missions to Lebanon, Afghanistan etc). Lanciare comes up all the time in Italian texts and I do salti mortali (I wish!) to avoid translating it as launch.
What really sets my teeth on edge are North Americans who drop the 'h' from herb and say 'erb'. My wife does it and it literally (yes, really) causes me pain.
'Medal' and 'Podium' used as verbs make me twitch too, and the business phrase I loathe the most is 'touch base'.
So "You should touch base with the guy who podiumed in the erb growing contest" is probably a sentence you should never use around me.
Note taken – we won't!
Great post, Marian! I still don't like any of the three bugbears! I've posted a link to this on our Facebook page. Let's see if some more people share their pet peeves.
Thanks, Janine. "Parenting" and "myself" when used in wrong context (as in 'contact myself') were mentioned on Twitter. It's fun finding out people's pet hates!
Several years ago, I opened a ready-meal which came, the directions told me, in an "ovenable" container.


Frozen pipes during the winter season can cause enormous burdens to the process of mending them is rather tiring or even expensive if you let it be managed by a professional plumber and any family plumbing system. Keep in mind that when the water freezes and expands on a pipe, the tendency is it'll create a crack that may cause the water to burst out of the pipe and cause enormous water damage inside your house resulting to high cost for the repair and replacement of damaged fixtures or furniture. Nonetheless, this horrific scenario can be prevented once you learn the way to mend frozen pipes without calling the help of a specialist.
An overnight freeze can cause important water pipe damage, with pipes frozen Denver, CO, costing a lot of money to fix or replace. Don't procrastinate and be sure to assess other maintenance during all seasons and the wintertime to keep your home from costly expenses.
Step one is to shut the valve from your external water source then open the faucet in thawing frozen pipes. It's an entailment of a frozen pipe if the water will come out for drops or nothing at all then. It really is proposed that the ice thaws to end, don't focus merely on the central region because the pressure from the steam that is stuck may cause the pipe to burst. Normally, frozen conduit happens on spots where there is no enough accumulation of heat like in outside walls or crawl spaces, so it's better to begin on these regions.
The easiest and most common way to thaw pipes to remove the ice is with using a towel and hot water. The towel should be hefty enough to hold the water that is hot then wrap it on the place of the pipe that is frozen. Pour on the towel covering the pipe and continue doing this until the ice completely melted. Do not forget to put a bucket underneath the pipe that will get hold of the extra water. Additionally, you can even use a hair dryer in thawing the ice but the process can be slower than using hot water. As the source of heat, you can use heat lamp in the absence of hair dryer then you definitely can continue in thawing. These are only few of the techniques in mending pipes that are frozen at home and consistently considering your security before performing the task.
Among the key means in order to avoid frozen pipes is to let faucets drip during extremely cold weather. Relief is provided by an open faucet from built up pressure brought on by ice blockages. The pressure is what can cause the pipe to burst and by alleviating this pressure, the issue will be eliminated.
Regrettably for many of us it's the time of year when our home conduits can be frozen causing a plethora of problems including no heat or hot water, not forgetting the possibility of the pipes breaking open which could find yourself costing you a fortune in repair invoices. In this article I am going to discuss some of the rationales that frozen pipes burst in addition to proactive actions that you could take to prevent your pipes from freezing in the first place.
We get lots of queries about winterizing houses and concerns about frozen pipes this time of year. Properly winterizing a house is time consuming and needs a reasonable amount of non-toxic antifreeze, a bit of understanding about how houses are piped and some unique gear. Here are the states that often leads to burst pipes, as well as some tips to prevent the difficulty.
Conduit place and the length of time it's been below freezing are very critical factors. For most dwellings internal conduits freeze at temperatures that are reduced than most homeowners would expect.
We get a surprising amount of frozen pipes in houses that are nicely heated. Normally it's an use of supplemental heaters which can cause trouble. Spaces that are unattended can be trouble spots and are worth paying attention to when the weather gets really cold. If you heat a place to keep the main heating system off you've got to be mindful of the other places the heating system shields.
Sometimes, a steady little trickle of water is. The constant movement of water can keep them . Allow the water drip constantly throughout the night preferably from a faucet linked into a wall outside.
When extreme cold surrounds water pipes for a lengthy time period, the fall in temperature can cause the water inside the pipes to freeze. The consequent stress on the conduit and buildup of water pressure can eventually result in a busted pipe, particularly when the water continues to freeze. In colder climates, most water pipes are insulated within an attempt to prevent freezing; yet, even a little hole in pipe insulation or an exterior wall can allow in air that can freeze the conduit. In warmer climates, you will be susceptible to frozen pipes when you've a sudden and dramatic temperature drop, as the pipes may not be adequately protected. In general, conduits within an attic, crawlspace, or outside-facing wall are most vulnerable to freezing.
The biggest key to preventing frozen pipes is insulating material that is appropriate. Purchase conduit insulating foam from your neighborhood hardware store and caulk any holes or cracks in the exterior wall near the conduits, for example where a cable wire enters your house. In the instance of of new construction, avoid running conduits through regions that are vulnerable. During extremely cold weather, keep faucets. This drip will keep the water going, which helps eliminate the danger of frozen pipes. If you're going out of town and guess an imminent deep freeze, your water pipes can also drain wholly as a precautionary measure- pipes that are empty cannot freeze. Turn your water off at the source, and after that run the faucets in the building until the water runs out. When you return, simply turn the main valve back on and run the faucets until all conduits have running water.
In places where temperature drops below freezing point, accessibility to water is limited. When your water and drain pipes freeze, you cannot have water for routine cooking, washing or drinking functions. Even the office cleaning or janitorial services are affected in the absence of water. Just in case you happen to be home, the problem can be solved with no aid. Below are some suggestions to thaw frozen pipes and the water will be flowing as good as ever.


text:
Seven people killed in crowd crush near Kabul airport on Saturday -UK govt
LONDON – Seven people were killed on Saturday in crowds near Kabul airport where people have been gathering to try to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban took control, according to Britain's Ministry of Defence.
Since the Islamist militants entered Kabul last weekend, thousands of people have tried to get on flights abroad, fearing a return to the austere interpretation of Islamic law imposed during the previous Taliban rule that ended 20 years ago.
"Our sincere thoughts are with the families of the seven Afghan civilians who have sadly died in crowds in Kabul," the UK defence ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
"Conditions on the ground remain extremely challenging but we are doing everything we can to manage the situation as safely and securely as possible".
A Sky News correspondent at the airport said tens of thousands of Afghans turned up on Saturday with those at the front crushed against the barricades.
Sky news showed footage of soldiers standing on a wall attempting to pull the injured from the crowds and spraying people with a hose to stop them being dehydrated.
Serbia votes in a referendum on possible constitutional changes


The Apple Pencil has become one of the most compelling reasons why most would consider the iPad Pro. While the stylus is pretty impressive in and of itself, in true Apple fashion, the company doesn't plan to stop there.
In a new patent awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple plans to create a similar device complete with sensors and advanced algorithms to detect more than just pressure and tilt. Instead, the new "intelligent stylus" as it's billed allows the nibs to be replaced, allowing the user to recreate various tool types, like a brush, a pen, and whatnot.
Even more exciting is one of the tips, which combines the technological advancements of the Apple Pencil with a traditional one. From a review of the patent, it appears the new intelligent stylus in this case would be usable as a traditional writing tool, but would also be able to digitize that writing, much like LiveScribe already does.
Apple also appears set to give the other end of the Apple Pencil some type of usefulness, apparently including sensors to make it function as an eraser. There were rumors that Apple had planned to include a similar feature in the first iteration, but it did not make it to the production device.
Currently, Apple Pencil has no way to tell one from the other on a single iPad. That might cause a problem in collaboration, so in the patent the new stylus actually carries a unique identification code that the iDevice would be able to detect. It also adds a Touch ID sensor of sorts, preventing unauthorized use.
Of course, the awarding of a patent doesn't necessarily guarantee that the technologies shown within will make it to a real-world product. That said, with such broad praise for the Apple Pencil, pressure is certainly on the company to improve on an already solid product.
It might take a while: Its early success resulted in widespread supply shortages, and most retail locations are only now catching up with demand.


text:
class Transform
{
private:
	bool m_matrixDirty;

	glm::mat4 m_matrix;

	glm::vec3 m_scale;
	glm::vec3 m_rotation;
	glm::vec3 m_position;

public:
	Transform();

	glm::vec3 getScale() const;

	void setScale(glm::vec3 scale);

	glm::vec3 getRotation() const;

	void setRotation(glm::vec3 rotation);

	glm::vec3 getPosition() const;

	void setPosition(glm::vec3 position);

	glm::mat4 getMatrix() const;

	glm::vec3 getForwardVector() const;

	glm::vec3 getRightVector() const;

	glm::vec3 getUpVector() const;

	void rebuildMatrix();
};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Rumor Has It is a YA contemporary, stand-alone series. While the books are told in chronological order, you can read each one by itself. There are slight spoilers, just because you do learn about previous main characters, but nothing that would detract from reading the books out of order. Check out the Rumor Has It page or buy them on Amazon.


text:
package com.github.akutschera.properties.maps;

import java.util.Map;

import org.springframework.boot.context.properties.ConfigurationProperties;
import org.springframework.stereotype.Component;

import lombok.Getter;
import lombok.Setter;

/**
 * Created by Andreas Kutschera.
 */
@Getter
@Setter
@Component
@ConfigurationProperties(prefix = "nested")
public class ConfigMapWithPrefix {

    private Map<String, String> one;
    private Map<String, String> two;

}


The surname files have been numbered and inventoried. This index shows the file number, the surname and then any other major names that can be found in the file.
Please let me know about corrections that are needed.


Six Sigma: And How It Applies To You As You Prepare To Sell Your Business.
How Can Six Sigma, That Sounds Like It Is Direct From A SciFi Story, Help You Prepare To Sell Your Business?
This approach forces you to consider the various components of your business as processes. They are not just things that happen randomly, or at least shouldn't be. They are organized activities capable of being measured and adjusted/improved. The focus of this measurement and adjustment is to make ongoing improvements to the various processes.
The term six sigma implies that such significant improvements have been made to a process that the failure rate, is six standard deviations away from the mean. To put that in perspective it means 3.4 defects per million. In quality control speak the quality would be so good that you would only reject 4 units per million manufactured.
Why do you care? You probably don't think in units of millions other than revenue. The reason that you should care is that in order to measure a process, you need to have one. So start there. If you haven't already done so, separate your business activities into the various processes that they represent. Formalize them. Document them. Follow the documentation. Measure the results. If there is room for improvement, look for ways to do it better.
You don't need to become a six sigma expert, nor seek six sigma certification. You merely need to apply the most basic of the underlying concepts to working on your business. Keep in mind the advantage that franchisees enjoy. They get to use systems and processes that have been continuously refined and improved. They bought the franchise partially because it provided them with these systems. Since six sigma is a concept and practice developed by Motorola, go to Motorola for information on Six Sigma Certification.
You need to think like a franchisor. You want to sell your business, which can be considered to be a franchise operation with only one location. The golden arches has thousands of locations. But the importance of defining systems and processes, and then going about a six sigma like methodology to improve them cannot be overrated.
To make your business stand out from most others, because of the efficacy of its systems and processes, you don't need to achieve six sigma level. You merely need to have proven, effective systems and processes for all critical business activities. Starting with those that attract and retain customers, and generate revenue.
Remember to think about your business as if you were going to be a buyer. You have a head start because you know the areas that are most prone to difficulty. Make sure that you work on supporting systems and processes for those areas. Work smart so the things you do bring you the best return on your time. Remember the old saying of First Things First. Fix the worst performing process first. And then the next worst, and so on.
Let's revisit your reason for doing this. You want your business to stand out from the crowd when you are ready to sell. But even before you sell, thinking and acting this way will make it more profitable. When you are in the sales transaction, you will be able to help prospective buyers have much more confidence in their abilities to operate the business as well as you have done or better. Proven effective systems and processes for all critical business activities will show them that success has been driven by systems and processes. And not by your brilliant and inspired ongoing performance. A system designed by a genius to be run by idiots.
Preparing in this way will make selling less stressful for you It will also make buying less stressful for your prospects. And it will make needed capital to finance the transaction easier to access. You will provide lenders with confidence in the ability of the business to repay the loan.
You may return from Six Sigma to Systemize Your Business , or you may go to Home Page .


Hands-on experiments with techniques for fabrication of microscale and nanoscale components. Students build their own light-emitting devices, solar cells, thermo-chromic indicators and chemical sensors. Relationships between energy use/generation and the device designs are highlighted throughout the class. The labs teach the fundamentals of top-down and bottom-up nanofabrication, exposing students to the basics of semiconductor device fabrication: lithography, doping, etching, metallization, as well as the application of molecular chemistry to nano-scale fabrication."


The Marketplace Coalition is for Leaders that are discovering their Kingdom Assignment, are called to be an Ambassador (they have an apostolic call on their lives) and are thus impacting one or more of the . . .
The Marketplace Coalition is also for Leaders that are discovering their Kingdom Assignment, are called to be a Watchman (they have a prophetic call on their lives) and are thus impacting one or more of the . . .
As a part of the Marketplace Coalition in their local communities, these Leaders function as . . .
Click HERE to join a Marketplace Coalition - Huddle NOW!


Smicon has been supplying its products to the potatoes, fruit and vegetables processing industry since the eighties. By now the majority of Dutch processors who process and pulp the flows of potatoes, fruits and vegetables residual flows use Smicon machines.
These potato, fruit and vegetable residual product flows are cut, pumped, filtered and dehydrated to reduce the amount of waste, to reduce cost of transport or to recycle residues. The products obtained in this way subsequently go to the animal feed and/or biogas industries.


As an artist applying to FACTOR, there are three profiles you may need.
In order to submit an application for funding, you will first need to create a User Profile to log in to our online system.
To apply for and accept funding from FACTOR, you need an Applicant Profile.
The third profile is the Artist Profile, which informs FACTOR more about you as an artist, and provides the information required to assess your artist rating within FACTOR's artist rating system.
The artist profile gives FACTOR a clear picture of the artist's career, and provides data by which FACTOR can measure both the music industry interest and the public interest in that particular artist.
Every FACTOR application that relates to a specific artist must link to an artist profile in the FACTOR system.
The artist rating determines which programs the artist can apply to on their own behalf; and which programs someone else can apply to for a project involving that artist. The artist rating also sets the level of funding in different programs and components.
In some programs, such as Comprehensive Music Company, the artist profile must be reviewed and rated by FACTOR, but the artist rating is not relevant to the eligibility of the project.
Only artist profiles with Additional Information are eligible for artist ratings above General Artist. If you have only completed the Mandatory Information section of your profile, you'll receive a rating of General Artist, and you will not need to update your profile before profile review deadlines.
The first time you submit a new artist profile for review, you will receive a General Artist rating (even if you have provided Additional Information).
Any Additional Information that you have submitted is reviewed after the Annual Review (end of February). If you would like your Additional Information reviewed at the Semi-Annual Review (end of August), you must request a review by clicking on the Request Review button in your Artist Profile. These deadlines are the only times that FACTOR assigns ratings of Artist 2 and Artist 3. After the Annual Review, some artist ratings will increase, while others will decrease. After the Semi-Annual Review, some artist ratings will increase, though none will decrease. It's important to make sure that you update your Additional Information with the most current information before each deadline!
Who gets Artist 2 and Artist 3?
FACTOR staff assess all the artist profiles that have submitted Additional Information data at the time of the Annual Review, and those who have requested a reassessment at the Semi-Annual Review.
Artist profiles with the strongest values across all the Additional Information sections are the likeliest to receive a rating of Artist 3 or Artist 2. FACTOR assigns as many Artist 2 and Artist 3 ratings as our budgets can support. The rating system is very competitive. Roughly 95% of all artists who apply to FACTOR will maintain their General Artist rating.
The table below provides an example of values submitted in each of the Additional Information sections that overall would result in a rating of Artist 3 or Artist 2 at the 2019-2020 Annual Review period.
If your numbers across all Additional Information sections are comparable to the snapshot above, you may want to update your Additional Information before the next profile review deadline in the hopes of increasing your artist rating.
Please remember that these are not cut-off values, but are provided for comparative purposes only.
If your numbers across all Additional Information sections fall short of these values, you can choose not to complete the Additional Information sections and focus instead on creating strong project applications.


The New World NWGHU701 gas hob brings cutting edge technology, a sleek new design and pure British innovation & build quality.
New World is proud to be part of the only major cooking appliance manufacturer still producing in the UK with every product built by a small dedicated team in their own purpose built UK factory.
Simplicity at its best the New World NWGHU701 Gas Hob offers 5 gas burners with variable power levels and for peace of mind a flame failure safety device – If the flame accidentally goes out or if a burner is left on for a very long time, the gas is shut off from the source, ensuring perfect safety.
Designed to make operation simple, the easy to access front-mounted control dials provide for quick single hand ignition, while the stylish twin enamel supports allow pots to be easily transferred from one burner to another.


Integrated Clinical Dentistry C1 will be focused on clinical experiences of Human Disease in Dentistry. This will cover more advanced concepts and will be delivered through symposia, problem solving exercises and recorded lectures.
Information available on Compass Events Calendar, including lectures, tutorials and practicals.
1 x written assessment in Oral Surgery, Conscious Sedation, Oral Pathology and Oral Medicine; 1 x Oral Surgery Short Case; 1 x Viva Voce and continuous sessional assessment in Radiology and Clinical sessions.


text:
Paramore - Riot! (Reissue) Limited SILVER LP
Due for release via Fueled By Ramen / Atlantic Records on the 28th of May
Fueled By Ramen will be reissuing one seminal album from our 25- year history each month throughout the calendar year of 2021. For April 2021, we will be releasing Paramore's second studio album 'Riot!' on silver vinyl.
For a Pessimist I'm Pretty Optimistic
That's What You Get
Misery Business
Let the Flames Begin
Crushcrushcrush
We Are Broken
Born for This


text:
Go the F--k to Sleep Guy: You're Terrible at Parenting
But then, so is everyone else: Adam Mansbach
(Newser) - It's appalling the way some parents are raising their kids. Just look around: There's that couple letting their children rot their brains with iPhones throughout an entire restaurant meal. Or that dad ripping a tutu off his son for fear it'll turn him gay. Or the mom...
Jackson's New Obama Video: 'Wake the F*** Up'
Samuel L. has a strong message for voters
(Newser) - Samuel L. Jackson wants you to vote for President Obama—and in a new ad, he gets that message across as only he can. "Wake the F*** Up" is a Dr. Seuss-style rhyme, written by Adam Mansbach, who also authored "Go the F*** to Sleep" ( which Jackson...
Screw 'Fascist' iPods, Get Vinyl
Author of 'Go the [bleep] to Sleep' says analog is still king
(Newser) - Some things have never been improved upon, and if you ask Adam Mansbach (author of the hit book Go the f--- to Sleep) one of them is the vinyl record. "Vinyl is democratic, as surely as the iPod is fascist," Mansbach declares in Salon . "Vinyl spins like...
Samuel L. Jackson Records Go the F*** to Sleep
Audiobook available for free
(Newser) - Samuel L. Jackson—he of the "motherf--ing snakes on this motherf---ing plane"—has lent his talents to another modern classic: the wildly popular "kids'" book Go the F*** to Sleep , by Adam Mansbach. He narrates the audiobook version of the story, which has also been optioned...
Why Parents' Fave New Book Is Go the F*** to Sleep
...even though it won't be published until June 14
(Newser) - Go the F*** to Sleep snagged the No. 1 spot on Amazon's best-seller list this week—almost a month before it hits bookshelves—and Rebekah Denn thinks she knows why. The 32-page book blends soothing rhymes with sleep-deprivation-induced obscenity, and the Internet-savvy attribute its early success to a viral...


The learning platform has many active users and many of them wish to use their mobile device to access the platform. To support that our Customer decided to apply Responsive Web Design approach to the platform. The approach defines some patterns for developing of layout of web pages. So a page implemented using such patterns looks fine both in desktop browsers and on mobile devices. The main challenge was that the platform already has 1200+ pages.
First of all the most of the pages and some of existing controls have been redesigned to render more straightforward HTML markup. Then a new library of CSS classes has been implemented. That library contained many generic CSS classes for different elements/parts of the pages. The main idea was to avoid of using of CSS classes specific to a page. Therefore, the similar elements will have the same CSS classes on different pages. In addition, it should reduce duplication of CSS styles. Alter that in order to support mobile devices CSS3 media queries were applied to the CSS classes for different display resolutions. It allows having different views of the same page on different devices.
The proposed approach allowed the Customer's application to support such popular platforms as mobile devices without implementing native applications. Therefore, the web application looks perfect and usable as on desktop as on mobile devices.


In the past week, reporters, dog lovers and researchers have gotten jazzed by the news that dogs are more likely to interact with a social "PeopleBot" than one that is not.
Frankly, I would do the same myself.
The PeopleBot in this study was even directing the dog to a bucket of food. From a dog's perspective, what's not to like here?
Here's the 411: Researchers at the Hungarian Academy of Science and Eötvös Loránd University took 41 dogs and divided them into two groups.
Both groups were exposed to the PeopleBot robot — essentially a screen on top of a human-sized platform with wheels. Two arm-like things wearing four-fingered gloves dangle from the sides of the platform.
Each each dog in each group watched their owner interacting with the robot before leaving the room. In one group, the robot was "social" — whatever that means in the context of a TV screen with arms. The other was not.
When the human left the room, the robot and the dog were observed. The social robots might talk to the dog or call it by name. In both groups, the robot pointed to one of two buckets that held food.
While the dogs had difficulty understanding the pointing, those with the social bot were more likely to go to the bucket with the food.
All I have to say is this: you don't go from a hungry wolf to an old lady's lap dog without learning a few things along the way — like being observant. Or flexible. Or making nice about oddball requests if there's food involved.
Some researchers have concluded that the study points future roboticists toward designing interactive robots some degree of socialness.
REALLY?!! They needed a dog for that?
Dogs, cats and critter bots, oh my!
The reporting of dogs interacting with robots reminds me of seeing a shelf of stuffed toy cats curled up in pillowed baskets in a hospital pharmacy gift department.
As I got closer, I saw the cats' sides were rising and falling as if they were breathing. It took several minutes to understand what I was seeing — battery-powered toys. Hardly interactive, but absolutely mesmerizing.
It's interesting that while the Hungarian researchers chose dogs to study because they had no preconceptions about robots, the Boston Dynamics team chose to call their intimidating machine "BigDog" when we humans have so many positive preconceptions about dogs.
And, Jason, if you don't have a backyard, check out Boston Dynamics' LittleDog. LittleDog is being used at universities ranging from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to the University of Southern California (USC).


Coppertone is an iconic American brand that's been around for generations. Everyone has used Coppertone, from movie stars to presidents to babies all across America. Everyone knows it, even just from it's scent. We created a campaign that encompassed television, on-line, print and outdoor around the fact that no other brand of suntan lotion can make this claim.


KD-X441DBT Digital Media Receiver • JVC U.K.
The Wireless Bluetooth JVC KD-X441BT is a Digital Tick Approved DAB radio providing crystal clear access to hundreds of local and national radio stations. The integrated Bluetooth technology comes with an impressive variety of possibilities. Along with the convenience of hands-free phone calls, you can also search through your phone book once your phone is paired with the receiver. The JVC KD-X441BT lets you quickly switch between two paired phones — handy for vehicles with more than one driver or for people with a personal and work phone.


What really works to help avoid teen driver crashes?
College and teen drivers: What really works to help avoid crashes?
The number one killer of American teenagers is vehicle crashes.
This is because teens lack of driving experience, driving distracted from using a cellphone, chatting with their friends or drinking and driving - and it's why their insurance rates are much higher than older drivers.
Russell Henk is program manager and senior research engineer at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute in College Station, TX.
Henk has firsthand experience of teen car crash deaths. In 2001, in his hometown of San Antonio, 10 teenagers were killed in car crashes during a six-week period.
After that, Henk created Teens in the Driver Seat®, a peer-to-peer program that helps young teen drivers practice attentive driving every time they're behind the wheel. The program is an unmitigated success, with 750 Texas high schools participating along with more than 200 high schools in 34 other states.
The focus is on education, information and encouragement using meetings, contest, games and activities to engage students. In 2010, the program expanded to include middle school students.
In 2012, Henk started a program for college-age students called U in the Driver Seat. CarInsuranceQuotes asked Henk what makes the program successful, the crash risks college student drivers face and advice for parents and drivers.
What is the U in the Driver Seat program about?
It started in 2012 at the request of Texas college students. It came about because we had a number of "graduates" of our high school program, Teens in the Driver Seat, who went to college and told us there's a need for a program directed to college students.
It's not a prescriptive program -- we don't make them watch videos or sign a "safe driving" pledge. It's not top-down; students run it. It gives them the freedom and responsibility of tailoring something that works for them, in their community.
While law enforcement and policies are very important with helping teens drive safely, that's not what we emphasize. We're more about focusing on the positive aspects of driving -- providing items and incentives -- that will help students avoid high-risk driving situations. We want to inspire, motivate them and equip them to make a difference in their communities.
Why are college students susceptible to impaired driving?
Students still don't have a lot of driving experience. They do have a great deal of freedom and flexibility in their schedules, and they're on their own a lot more than in high school. So they're open to experiencing new things. A piece of that is that they'll experiment with drugs or alcohol. Each increases their chances of being in a car crash.
Students are so busy with classes during the day along with homework, activities and maybe a job, that they're often tired and exhausted – plus, they lack the driving skill that goes with experience. Combine these factors and crash risk skyrockets -- according to the National Safety Council, lack of driving experience coupled with driving in the dark is the highest crash risk.
Impaired driving traditionally refers to a driver using drugs or alcohol behind the wheel. But anything that keeps a student from giving 100 percent of his or her attention to driving also meets the definition of impaired.
What's sad is that often a conscientious, well-regarded college student isn't drinking or using drugs, and driving -- they just made a mistake in driving at night when they were tired, and crashed.
What are the strengths of a peer-to-peer program?
We discovered this with Teens in the Driver Seat. My initial research showed that positive peer pressure made a strong difference in the success of programs that steered teens away from using drugs and smoking.
So I thought, "Why not see if it will work with helping teens drive safely?" It's true with college students, too -- hearing about the "drive safely" message has much more impact if it's coming from the mouth of a peer. If it comes from a parent, it sounds more like nagging.
What successes are you seeing with this program?
It just started in 2012, so at this point we're still collecting data. The Clery Act requires each college campus to document when laws are broken -- and that includes underage drinking, driving under the influence and public intoxication.
We're working with campuses and will use that data as a foundation. In a few years, we can see if metrics are improving.
Do you have any advice for college-age drivers (and their parents)?
Students should be careful about driving after dark, when they're tired and when they have been drinking. Instead of crashing your car, think about crashing -- that is, staying -- overnight at a friend's place whom you trust.
It's probably news to parents -- it was to me -- that car crashes are the No. 1 cause of injury and death in teens and people in their early 20s. I suspect most parents are thinking more about the dangers of suicide, drugs or a crime situation. Car crashes probably isn't "top of mind."


text:
<?php

/**
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 *
 * @author Javier
 */

namespace LolApi\Exceptions;

class NotFoundException extends LolApiGeneralException{
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(from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) The Talbot Samba is a supermini car manufactured by the PSA Group in the former Simca factory in Poissy, France, and marketed under the short-lived modern-day Talbot brand. Based on the Peugeot 104, it was the only Talbot not inherited from Chrysler Europe, engineered by PSA alone. It was also the last new Talbot to be launched, and the last in production. Its demise in 1986 was effectively the end of the Talbot brand for passenger cars. Launched initially as a three-door hatchback, it was also for some time the only supermini available in a factory-ordered cabrio body style, and the most economical car in Europe.
The PSA Group, formed in 1976 when Peugeot bought out its competitor, Citroën, took over the former Chrysler Europe in 1979; one its first decisions was to rebrand all of the models manufactured in the French and British factories to Talbot. Among the models inherited from Chrysler was the Scottish-built rear-wheel drive Talbot Sunbeam, the only supermini in the lineup.
The Sunbeam was originally conceived by Chrysler as a stopgap model, developed to keep the Linwood works running—it was based on the running gear of the earlier Avenger made there—while helping the company to maintain a foothold in the growing supermini market. Aware that a more modern design was needed to compete with upcoming front-wheel drive rivals, Chrysler undertook some development work on a shortened version of the Chrysler Horizon (which had the development code C2), dubbed C2-short, but it was cut short by the company's financial problems and plans to divest Chrysler Europe.
PSA decided that the Linwood plant would be unprofitable to maintain and should be closed, which meant an end to both the Avenger and Sunbeam model lines, further emphasizing the need for a new supermini in the Talbot lineup. On the eve of the 1980s, PSA's supermini lineup consisted of models based on the veteran front-wheel drive 1972 Peugeot 104, which came in a shorter three-door and longer five-door version. Citroën rebadged the short-wheelbase 104 as the Citroën LN, and the long-wheelbase chassis formed the base of the five-door Citroën Visa.
In 1979, PSA decided that their new small Talbot would also be based on the 104 rather than the Horizon. Keeping the common underpinnings allowed the new model, known internally as project C15 (later renamed to T15 to reflect the brand change from Chrysler to Talbot) to be launched in 1981, in time to replace the Sunbeam when Linwood would close. In order not to create too much internal competition with the Horizon and Peugeot's planned 104 replacement (which later became the Peugeot 205), the shorter version of the 104 platform was chosen. This made the projected model slot in size slightly below popular superminis such as the Ford Fiesta, but above the smallest cars, including the about-to-be-launched Austin Metro.
Bodywork. Length/width/height/wheelbase – cm (in) : 351/153/136/234 (138/60/53.5/92.1); weight : 800 kg (1766 lb).
Engine. Straight 4 1360 cc (83 ci), front-mounted, 8 valves, 2 carbvs, manual 5-speed gearbox, front wheel drive. Maximum power : 59 bhp @ 5800 rpm; torque : 109 Nm @ 2800 rpm. Top speed : 168 km/h (104 mph); 0 – 60 mph in 11.6 sec.


Earlier this year our multi talented salon manager Jimmy was picked to work alongside seven of the UK's top session stylists to create a photographic collection for national trade magazines and large exposure across the Internet.
The brief was to create an interpretation of the latest Schwarzkopf's Essential Looks. Essential Looks is a trend report magazine created from a collaboration of the catwalk shows from Milan, Paris, New York and London. This is broadcast over all of Europe and America.
Jimmy said "Yet another great opportunity has been put my way, there was no way I could decline this offer. I have worked with a few of the guys in the past and already know how skilled these people are. The days went smoothly and the whole team were really passionate and influential. A high end shoot like this one is something I have always aspired to do. Now I have had a taste of this I want to do more!"
The shoot went over four days planning, prepping, styling and shooting. Through the whole time everyone was picking up new skills and ideas. Tyler Johnson headed up the team. Tyler is an international session stylists who works with many editorial companies such as Vogue, Elle and Esstetica as well as working on fashion weeks all over the world. He is the main stylist who creates our Essential Looks trend report.
"To have another opportunity to work with Tyler was awesome. He is a stylist that I look up to and always admire the work he does, on this shoot he really let us take the raines and make it our own, but he was always there with little pointers, tips and ideas. He supported our dessicions and made the shoot the most relaxed shoot I've ever done. The end images were exactly what we wanted thanks to Tyler, his team and Colin Roy (the talented photographer).
The collection features in the latest Hairdressers Journal over a multi page spread. Schwarzkopf have also started heavily publicising the images as part of their latest campaigns.
We're seriously proud of Jim and the work he's produced! It's a great inspiration to the rest of the team and a demonstration of the fashion forward approach to hairdressing that Jakata takes.
Keep checking our Facebook and Instagram pages over the coming weeks as we'll be posting images and videos from the shoot.


text:
Kit Harington Expresses Interest In Coming Back As Black Knight In The MCU
At the end of 'Eternals,' we see Dane Whitman talking to Sersi about his family history, it is the first time we see another human character finding out something ominous about their life.
Cover Image Source: IMDb
By Nupur Bosmiya
While talking about his film Baby Ruby with interviewer Josh Horowitz, Kit Harington gave fans a little taste of what might be coming for his Eternals character soon, ScreenRant reported. The last time we saw Harington in Eternals, his character Dane Whitman or Black Knight starts looking into his family history while also telling his partner Sersi about it. But before anything could be revealed about his family history, Sersi gets taken away by Arishem.
However, we do have some form of closure at the end of the credits when we see Dane open an ominous-looking box with a sword in it. Before Dane could wrap his hand around the hilt of the cursed sword, we hear a mysterious voice from the background asking Dane not to do that. We later learn that the voice belongs to Mahershala Ali, the actor slated to play Blade in the MCU. While this appearance should confirm Harington's appearance in the show with the same name, Kevin Feige has yet to make an announcement about how the character arc will go.
Love these portraits by @bysidnaidu of Kit Harington after our chat for #happysadconfused
The chat drops soon on https://t.co/ARx5Swj34L pic.twitter.com/QLTQ1tqv8T
— Josh Horowitz (@joshuahorowitz) September 12, 2022
In this interview, Harington shares what he knows about the future of the character. "I, again…and this is true: I don't know much of what they're planning. And you know, I hope to be involved in future stuff, with that character, with Dane Whitman, and that he might go on and be the thing that everyone quotes at me in the street. But I honestly don't know. I don't know what their plans are. I know they're going into a kind of Phase 5," Harington said.
While this is disappointing, Marvel has a reputation for featuring its characters in surprise appearances. So, it is entirely possible that may we see these characters somewhere along the journey. It is to be noted though that the Eternals have no foreseeable future at the moment either. While the ending of the film confirmed that 'Eternals will return,' fans are yet to see any announcements regarding their appearances. During the San Diego Comic-Con and Disney's D23 expo, the Marvel Studios announced many projects including Agatha: House of Harkness while confirming that Armor Wars will be coming soon, but there was no news of our immortal beings anywhere.
After a long day of press Kit Harington sat down for his only one on one #TIFF2022 chat and couldn't have been lovelier. Great chat about parenthood (BABY RUBY was a great surprise), his MCU future, GAME OF THRONES, & more. https://t.co/jwAhShwNEl
But Dane might just be Dane from the Natural History Museum. Because when he just got the role, he was trying to find out more about the character, Black Knight, but realizing how overwhelming it was he decided to keep it mellow, Inverse reported. "I did the reading on him and I quickly forgot about it as soon as I can," Harington said. "None of that stuff's real. What's real is this movie, and who he is in this movie. He's just Dane Whitman, at the Natural History Museum."
In conversations with director Chloé Zhao, "we talked about how he represents humanity and that he's a really good guy," he said. "He's chill. Sometimes that's hard to do on camera."
Harington's mainstream success with the MCU is not new. He has been a successful recurring character on the show, Game of Thrones even getting a resurrection because of popular demand. Now, he is moving toward doing films like Baby Ruby, exploring fatherhood.
Meet #DaneWhitman. Check out his brand new character poster and see Dane in Marvel Studios' #Eternals only in theaters NOW! 🦒
Get Tickets: https://t.co/zCpW4ecVMp pic.twitter.com/BlHnwYlx0b
— Eternals (@TheEternals) November 8, 2021
Eternals is currently streaming on Disney+ and Game of Thrones is streaming on HBO Max.


New here I was wondering if anyone's doing any work on the Victor 9000 drivers? I've currently got an actual DMA card for the hard drive in pieces (have scanned both sides of the board) and am gradually piecing together what it's doing, but it might well benefit from someone who's got a bit of an eye for these things, plus it should help produce the emulated implementation? I believe Curt Coder wrote everything for the V9000 thus far? I confess I've precisely 0 experience of writing anything for MAME.
Grateful for any pointers, and happy to help in any way I can!
I wrote some code for samdisk (https://github.com/simonowen/samdisk) to interpret V9000 floppy format -- there were some images floating around and I wanted to boot them in MAME.
Oops -- I didn't write 10-bit CRC check code, so errors are indeed possible.
I can redump if necessary. Is the code for samdisk in the samdisk github - it didn't look like it was? Output-wise is it just a straight sector dump? All these questions!
It's not in samdisk github because it's incomplete - missing CRC check and does not handle variable sector per track in output. I also worked on C64 floppy support, similar problem there. I can put WIP code into my github so you can play with it, though.
If you could, that would be excellent and I'll have a poke at it. The other thing that happens with those disks is the rotation's variable so the bitcell timings change depending on the zone - I suspect that could have thrown off the other person's analysis. Certainly looking at the raw dump traces there was no reason to think that it was bad (the disks work fine on a real victor).
Any luck? I was going to clean up V9000 and C64 code and submit it to samdisk github.


I've been thinking again about a peculiar collection of poems that God is writing, and about how great poems get written.
Just as every note in a musical score is significant, every word in a poem tells, and tells significantly. And it does not line up that way by chance or sloth. Poetry, with its compact, exact language and precise punctuation, may be the most carefully crafted and painstakingly written, and edited, form of communication. Poets will fight tooth and nail with a publisher over placement of a comma. And long before that, poets, at least the best of them, may die a thousands deaths over just one poem. Without a will to erase, add, move, or revise lines, to puzzle perhaps for hours over the right word, image, or phrase – then decide to leave it as is – and then to run through the process again, and then again, you just don't get ascending poetry.
Back in the days of the Greek epic poet Homer (eight centuries before Christ), pieces crafted from metal were called poiēma, a word derived from poiēo, which was a basic term for all kinds of craftsmanship. Within a few centuries, around the time of Plato, poiēma in Greek literature had developed into a word that often denoted what we today would call artistic work, including the work of someone who wrote a book or a play. Plato and others after him also used poiēma especially of poetical works. Quite easily, then, the early church pressed poiēo into service in New Testament Greek to indicate God's works as creator and redeemer and Jesus' works and deeds.
The apostle has involved us in a little wordplay here. I don't mean that we should get all sentimental and call for a new translation: "We are God's poems." But we do get our English word "poem" from poiēma. So we have good reason for meditating on the implications of what it means by God's grace to be God's poems. You can bet Paul was.
For God's poiēma, the editorial process began when we submitted our stories to Jesus the Editor, for consideration to be published. Submission is the hard part. We have worked so terribly hard, and for such a long time, on our own stories. And we're so proud of them. If anyone tries to touch them, look out! So we're deathly afraid of editors. There may be too much we are going to have to part with, or they may not even like our stories. Never mind that, as any seasoned writer will tell you, working with a skilled editor makes for the emergence of an ascending story.
After submission, the editor says, "I like what you've got in mind, but there's stuff we've got to work on, correct a few lines, polish it up here and there, if you want to publish with us. Still interested?" Crumbs. More hard work! But what other choice is there if you you want to get published and read. Sure, you could submit elsewhere, but you've already done that and nobody else has come even close to the contract that this publisher has offered.
When your story arrives back in your hands you nearly faint dead away. You had no idea! Such extensive surgery. This is going to take time. Yet as you follow the Editor's guidelines and margin notes, you start to gain a new intuition, which says, yes, this makes perfect sense now. This is the way it should be.
You make the changes and resubmit it. Further drafts of your story then pass back and forth, and you're sometimes elated at the editor's work, sometimes deflated. Man, this is taking longer than I thought. When will it be finished? When will it be published so that everyone can read it?
"Patience," Christ the Editor responds. "You're making good progress, but we've still got a few wrinkles to iron out. You have a tendency to get ahead of yourself or fall behind or forget about a change that's been made. And your still inclined to insist on keeping material from the old story.
"I know it's slow and painful at times. I get that. But keep in mind that I've already been sending parts of your story around for reviews and, as you know, they're being well-received. So hang in there. You want that masterpiece I promised, don't you?
This entry was posted in THE SATURDAY POST, UNCATEGORIZED and tagged Ephesians 2:10, Jesus Christ, poems, poetry, poiēma by Charles Strohmer (c) 2014. Bookmark the permalink.
Thank you, James. I'm glad it spoke to you. And thx for taking time to say. Later, C.
Wonderful Charles…often thought about the extensive poetry oeuvre in the New Testament! There seem so many pieces that are basically Psalms… The Magnificat of course, the Nunc Dimittis, Zacharias in Luke 1, Paul in 1 Cor 13, and on and on… Keep it coming!
Michael, great to hear from you. Thx for stopping by with a note. Hmm, given your skills with the strings, and since you've been thinking about it, have you written any pieces using any poetry in the NT, or from the Psalms? I've been reflecting on the Psalms for a couple months. Superb poetry there, my friend, as you know.


"In the boundless landscape of the soul, there are beautiful creatures who are nothing else but ourselves.
I participated to TEDx Talks last September 24, 2016. It was an incredible experience and one of the most intense moments of my life.When I was invited to participate in the TEDxRovigo Landscape: Share your vision, I wanted to talk about my research on the psychology in the portraiture. Then I remembered that I wanted for a long time, go on the stages of the TED to tell the story of my life as a demonstration that we can change the path of our destiny.
My story is very strong and full of dramatic moments, but thanks to those stories I am now a strong and determined person. The pauses that you will see as I speak, are given by the fact that my throat was clutched as I told the few episodes. There are scars too difficult to delete but I am stronger, and the proof is that I am here today, proud and free to tell.
My painful past does not want to be a lament but a share and stimulate healing to people like me who have suffered violence and has never managed to overcome completely dark periods. I am a witness proving that anyone can change their destiny into something wonderful.
I hope that my story can be an example to someone to radically change horrible stories, find their way to stand into the light and overcome the bad memories.
I ask you to share this video and talk about it with your friends to help me complete my mission. I promised myself since very little that I would be taken away from that life, and I would tell the world what happened to me. My wish is to create a book with the story of my life going over the places of memory, a complex project but necessary because as certain events have occurred to me, I'm sure that still the same happens to so many women and girls out there.
Shortly I will create a Crowdfunding, so I ask for your help.
Thank you for your words of love and affection that I receive daily.
A wide huge hug full of light and positive energy.
My talk starts from 0:30 sec with a video intro with my pictures done for this edition. Enjoy it!
TEDxRovigo Standing Ovation from monicasilva on Vimeo.


text:
Q: How can I use fortify() to create a filtered R data frame from a shapefile? I am in the process of building a ggplot choropleth map of population in administrative areas in Wales. I have downloaded the Boundary-Line data from the Ordnance Survey and extracted what seems to be the right shapefile (community_ward_region.shp). Using R, I have got as far as reading in the shapefile.
require(maptools)
shape <- readShapePoly(wards)
str(shape)

Which gives me this promising output:
Formal class 'SpatialPolygonsDataFrame' [package "sp"] with 5 slots
  ..@ data       :'data.frame': 1690 obs. of  4 variables:
  .. ..$ NAME      : Factor w/ 1507 levels "Abbey Cwmhir",..: 969 90 111 200 441 477 1455 249 255 305 ...
  .. ..$ DESCRIPTIO: Factor w/ 4 levels "COMMUNITY","COMMUNITY WARD",..: 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 ...
  .. ..$ COMMUNITY : Factor w/ 858 levels "Abbey Cwmhir",..: 67 67 81 128 152 152 152 152 157 190 ...
  .. ..$ FILE_NAME : Factor w/ 23 levels "ABERTAWE_-_SWANSEA",..: 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ...
  .. ..- attr(*, "data_types")= chr [1:4] "C" "C" "C" "C"
  ..@ polygons   :List of 1690
  .. ..$ :Formal class 'Polygons' [package "sp"] with 5 slots
  .. .. .. ..@ Polygons :List of 1
  .. .. .. .. ..$ :Formal class 'Polygon' [package "sp"] with 5 slots
  .. .. .. .. .. .. ..@ labpt  : num [1:2] 259009 188524
  .. .. .. .. .. .. ..@ area   : num 1923892
  .. .. .. .. .. .. ..@ hole   : logi FALSE
  .. .. .. .. .. .. ..@ ringDir: int 1
  .. .. .. .. .. .. ..@ coords : num [1:1629, 1:2] 259413 259420 259427 259427 259432 ...
  .. .. .. ..@ plotOrder: int 1
  .. .. .. ..@ labpt    : num [1:2] 259009 188524
  .. .. .. ..@ ID       : chr "0"
  .. .. .. ..@ area     : num 1923892

Now if I do this:
bar <- fortify(shape, region = "NAME")

I get a nice data frame called bar that looks pretty much as I expected:
> str(bar)
'data.frame':   4744053 obs. of  7 variables:
 $ long : num  302962 302970 302974 303013 303015 ...
 $ lat  : num  280066 280076 280078 280097 280105 ...
 $ order: int  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ...
 $ hole : logi  FALSE FALSE FALSE FALSE FALSE FALSE ...
 $ piece: Factor w/ 29 levels "1","2","3","4",..: 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ...
 $ group: Factor w/ 1762 levels "Abbey Cwmhir.1",..: 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ...
 $ id   : chr  "Abbey Cwmhir" "Abbey Cwmhir" "Abbey Cwmhir" "Abbey Cwmhir" ..

However, this is a large data frame and ggplot runs out of puff when trying to display it. In reality I only want to look at one area at a time. It looks as if the FILE_NAME factor in the shape object is what I want as it mostly corresponds to counties and the major conurbations.
> unique(shape@data$FILE_NAME)
 [1] ABERTAWE_-_SWANSEA
 [2] BLAENAU_GWENT_-_BLAENAU_GWENT
 [3] BRO_MORGANNWG_-_THE_VALE_OF_GLAMORGAN
 [4] CAERDYDD_-_CARDIFF
 [5] CAERFFILI_-_CAERPHILLY
 [6] CASNEWYDD_-_NEWPORT
 [7] CASTELL-NEDD_PORT_TALBOT_-_NEATH_PORT_TALBOT
 [8] CONWY_-_CONWY
 [9] GWYNEDD_-_GWYNEDD
[10] MERTHYR_TUDFUL_-_MERTHYR_TYDFIL
[11] PEN-Y-BONT_AR_OGWR_-_BRIDGEND
[12] POWYS_-_POWYS
[13] RHONDDA_CYNON_TAF_-_RHONDDA_CYNON_TAFF
[14] SIR BENFRO - PEMBROKESHIRE
[15] SIR_BENFRO_-_PEMBROKESHIRE
[16] SIR_CEREDIGION_-_CEREDIGION
[17] SIR_DDINBYCH_-_DENBIGHSHIRE
[18] SIR_FYNWY_-_MONMOUTHSHIRE
[19] SIR_GAERFYRDDIN_-_CARMARTHENSHIRE
[20] SIR_YNYS_MON_-_ISLE_OF_ANGLESEY
[21] SIR_Y_FFLINT_-_FLINTSHIRE
[22] TOR-FAEN_-_TORFAEN
[23] WRECSAM_-_WREXHAM
23 Levels: ABERTAWE_-_SWANSEA ... WRECSAM_-_WREXHAM

Q. How can I select only a subset of the data from the shape object I extract from the shapefile? For example, only the POWYS_-_POWYS parts? If I can somehow include the FILE_NAME in the data frame that is created with fortify then I could easily subset the bar data frame but I don't know how to do that. Or is there a way to use fortify to extract only parts of the object?

A: Select a subset of the shapefile data using indexing:
sub.shape <- shape[shape$FILE_NAME == "POWYS_-_POWYS",]

fortify(sub.shape) will then give you a much reduced dataframe.


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