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What is Democracy Why Democracy - Test Papers
CBSE TEST PAPER-01
Class –IX Social Science (What is Democracy? Why Democracy?)
General Instruction:
All Questions are Compulsory.
Questions No. 1 to 4 Carry one marks each.
Questions No. 5 to 10 carry three marks each.
Questions No. 11 to 12 carry five marks each.
Who said these words, "Democracy is the rule of the people, for the people and by the people"?
Democracy comes from which Greek word?
Name the ruling party of Syria.
Which two countries of the world have allowed the ruling parties to contest elections?
What amendments did Pervez Musharraf bring in the Constitution of Pakistan by issuing a legal framework order?
Pakistan under General Pervez Musharraf was a democratic country or non-democratic. Give reasons.
'Some countries are not ready to give voting rights to their citizens'. Explain.
What dirty practices were used by PRI to win the elections in Mexico?
Name any two countries where elections are held regularly but they cannot be considered as democratic countries. Explain.
How is the dignity of citizens enhanced in democracy?
Write any five features of Democratic government.
Write any five features of Non-Democratic government.
[ANSWERS]
Abraham Lincoln quoted the saying at the Gettysburg Address; His saying is often quoted as a definition of democracy.
The word "Democracy" comes from two Greek words: Demos meaning "People", and Kratos meaning "Power".
The Baath Party
China and Mexico
In August 2002, General Musharraf issued a 'Legal Framework Order' that amended the Constitution of Pakistan.
According to this Order, the President can dismiss the national and provincial assemblies.
The work of the civilian cabinet is supervised by a National Security Council which is dominated by military officers.
After passing this law, elections were held and people elected representatives to the national and provincial assemblies. So Pakistan has had elections, and elected representatives have some powers. But the final power has been with military officers and General Musharraf himself.
Pakistan under General Pervez Musharaff was a non-democratic country.
He amended the Constitution according to his own will and for his personal benefits.
According to the amendments, he could dismiss the national and provincial assemblies.
Pakistan has had elections, and elected representatives have some powers. But the final power has been with military officers and General Musharraf himself.
In Saudi Arabia, women do not have the right to vote.
Estonia had made its citizenship rules in such a way that people belonging to Russian minority find it difficult to get the right to vote.
In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of an indigenous Fiji has more value than that of an Indian Fijian.
The PRI was known to use many dirty tricks to win elections.
All those who were employed in government offices had to attend its party meetings.
Teachers of government schools used to force parents to vote for the PRI.
Media largely ignored the activities of opposition political parties except to criticize them.
Sometimes, the polling booths were shifted from one place to another in the last minute, which made it difficult for people to cast their votes.
The PRI spent a large sum of money in the campaign for its candidates.
Mexico and China are two countries where elections are held regularly but they cannot be considered as democratic countries.
In China, the elections do not offer the people any serious choice.
They have to choose the ruling party and the candidates approved by it.
In China, before contesting elections, a candidate needs the approval of the Chinese Communist Party.
People have no choice. The government is always formed by the Communist party. This is against the democratic system of elections.
In Mexico, the PRI was known to use many dirty tricks to win elections.
This is against the democratic system of elections.
Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens.
Democracy is based on the principle of political equality, on recognizing that the poorest and the least educated have the same status as the rich and the educated.
People are not subjects of a ruler, they are the rulers themselves. Even when they make mistakes, they are responsible for their conduct. All the citizens are equal before the law.
People have political rights. They take part in an election process on the basis of Universal Adult Franchise.
Democratic government is accountable and responsive to the needs of people.
There are free and fair elections. People participate in them without any restriction.
People also participate in the functioning of decision making. They can protest or criticize the government.
Representatives are elected for the fixed tenure of time.
People are not subjects of the ruler; they are rulers themselves.
People do not enjoy political rights or they have very limited rights.
Elections are not held in a free and fair manner. People face many restrictions.
People are not allowed to participate in the functioning of the government's decision making.
The government is not accountable and responsive to the needs of people.
People are never considered rulers or dignified citizens. They are treated as subjects.


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Q: ListView OnLongClickListener doesn't works I wanna change background color of a ListView, but doesn't work with the listener OnLongClickListener.
The listener OnItemLongClickListener works but why OnLongClickListener no?
Code:
@Override
public View onCreateView(LayoutInflater inflater, ViewGroup container,
                         Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    /*
        etc..
    */
    ListView lv = (ListView)ret.findViewById(R.id.lun_list);
    lv.setAdapter(oa);
    lv.setBackgroundColor(Color.BLACK);

    lv.setOnItemLongClickListener(new AdapterView.OnItemLongClickListener() {
        @Override
        public boolean onItemLongClick(AdapterView<?> adapterView, View view, int i, long l) {
            showPopup();
            return false;
        }
    });
    lv.setOnLongClickListener(new View.OnLongClickListener() {
        @Override
        public boolean onLongClick(View view) {
            showTest();
            return false;
        }
    });

    return ret;
}
private void showTest(){
    FragmentManager fragmentManager = getActivity().getSupportFragmentManager();
    getView().findViewById(R.id.lun_list).setBackgroundColor(Color.YELLOW);
}

A: have you added the following attribute to your list view to handle OnLongClickListener
please set android:longClickable="true"

A: Use either listView.setLongClickable(true) in java code or add the attribute android:longClickable:"true" to the ListView in the xml Layout file

A: Avoided the problem:
I set the ListView in WrapContent Height, so now i can add a OnLongClickListener in the Background of the Fragment and do my events.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I have now officially read so much that I've not only forgotten what I've read, but even any reference to figure out what I've read. Here are some fragments of science-fiction stories that are floating in my mind.
There's a young woman, maybe she's a princess, on a planet not Earth that is kind of medieval, and there is some sort of ruling class with a prince or a king. There is also high technology, beyond anything we have on Earth still.
The young woman attends a ball or a series of events, and people are dubious about her, and she doesn't know why. She comes from another land, maybe, or her parents died young. One day, for some reason, staring in the mirror, she pushes on her stomach, and realizes there is something hard and unyielding. She continues to push and pull, and winds up removing her entire body, which is just a costume.
She's actually a spider-like, artificial intelligence-driven robot assassin whose job is to kill the king (or prince). Once she recalls her mission, she flees into the mountains, where she finds a monk. She winds up coming to terms with her identity and purpose while sleeping in a stable, perhaps? And the monk — maybe he is blind, so he doesn't know she's an AI robot spider assassin?
Anyway, eventually she winds up adjacent to the prince and then she — I can't remember. Does she kill him? Or? But she's happy with herself.
Kris Markel suggested it was "The Dust Assassin," which is an amazing story I need to read in depth! But it's not that — probably 40–60 years old, the story I'm thinking of.
Winner! It's "The Mask" from Mortal Engines by Stanisław Lem! You can read a summary of the collection of stories in that book. One of my favorite authors, and I clearly forgot having read that. Thanks, Martina Oefelein, who posted this in the comments!
This woman wakes up on Earth and she's naked and alone in the woods. She has some memories of herself, but no idea how she came to be there, and there's no other life on the planet that she can find.
When she sleeps, she dreams of little people who were given the ability to revive extinct intelligent species. But they're kind of right bastards. They give her one chance to ask for her species to be revived, and so she's savvy and waits, and asks them about various strategies.
Here's why they're bastards. They keep showing her in her dreams all sorts of civilizations that are better, worse, whatever, than hers, but they've turned down everyone. It's like "bright shiny ball! can't have it!" behavior.
One night, she asks what happened to the race that gave them this power? Oh, they went extinct! And they decided not to revive them because they did it for whatever reasons they had, and what-ev.
The woman ages normally, and when she's near death, she makes her request. She knows they won't revive her species…so she asks that these bastards' patrons get revived. The jerks are stunned. Nobody ever made a selfless request before, and they say, "Well, we can't evaluate the reasons for you doing this, so they must be good. Sure."
But before they can revive their old buddies, a booming voice from some energy void stops them, and says the idiots finally passed their test, which was to understand…uh, how not be judgmental doofuses, I think. They take these idiots up to a higher realm of existence, and have them revive humanity and give them this god-scale power.
Not sure these patrons really think through their gifts very well.
This professor guy dies, but has asked to be frozen and put into orbit. He is. Unfathomable time later, intelligent robots arrive, but everything on Earth has worn away into dust, and only dead frozen professor guy remains. They revive him, and stick his brain into a robot body, and then I believe they have a series of adventures.
This is almost certainly "The Jameson Satellite" found in Before the Golden Age: A Science Fiction Anthology of the 1930s, because I've read that book! It's really interesting to see what sci-fi was about before all the tropes became cemented into place. Thanks to Patrick Last Name Withheld!


Forms and Pricing - How low can you go?
As low as $1.05! We're also offering new ways to get even more discounts when you file, print and mail through Eagle View. Check out our Buy Downs for extra savings this year.
Please note: We do not currently support corrections of recipient information, including the recipient's name, address or TIN/SSN. For instructions on how to correct recipient data, go to http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1099gi.pdf and refer to Section H, "Corrected Returns on Paper Forms."
Use this form to correct Employer EIN, Employment Code, Tax Year, Establishment Number, 3rd Part Sick Pay Indicator and Kind of Employer, Employee Name, Employee SSN and payment and withholding amounts on a W-2 form you previsously filed with the SSA.
Report proceeds From Broker and Barter Exchange Transactions for each person for whom the broker has sold stocks, bonds, commodities, regulated futures contracts, foreign currency contracts, forward contracts, debt instruments, etc.
File Form 1099-C for each debtor for whom a debt owed is $600 or more if the debtor is an individual, corporation, partnership, trust, estate, association, or company. Form 1099-C must be filed regardless of whether the debtor is required to report the debt as income.
Report Dividends and Distributions for each person to whom you have paid dividends or withheld any federal income tax on dividends, or paid $600 or more as part of liquidation.
Report interest paid to each person to whom you have paid at least $10 of interest during the year.
Use this form to correct payment and withholding amounts on a 1099-INT form you previously filed with the IRS.
Report sale or exchange transaction for money, indebtedness, property, or services of any present or future ownership interest in any improved or unimproved land, permanent structures, residential, commercial, industrial building, stock in a cooperative housing corporation or non-contingent interest in standing timber.
Use Form 1098, Mortgage Interest Statement, to report mortgage interest of $600 or more received during the year in the course of trade or business from an individual, including a sole proprietor.The $600 threshold applies separately to each mortgage.
Use this form to correct payment amounts on a 1098 form you previously filed with the IRS.
File Form 1098-T, Tuition Statement, for each student enrolled and for whom a reportable transaction is made. Insurers must file Form 1098-T for each individual to whom reimbursements or refunds of qualified tuition and related expenses is made.
Report certain information to the IRS and to taxpayers about individuals who are covered by minimum essential coverage and therefore are not the individual shared responsibility payment.
Report the information required under section 6055 and 6056 about offers of health coverage and enrollment in the health coverage for their employees.
File one 1094-C, Transmittal of Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage Information Returns, each time you file 1095-C Health Coverage Forms. One 1094-C must be marked as the Authoritative Transmittal.


text:
UK Muslims divided on Rushdie protests
Riazat Butt, Duncan Campbell and Martin Wainwright
Sat 23 Jun 2007 18.56 EDT First published on Sat 23 Jun 2007 18.56 EDT
Protesters outside Regent's Park mosque in London. Photograph: Will Wintercross/AP
While some British Muslims protested against the award of a knighthood to the writer Salman Rushdie yesterday, amid reports of strikes and demonstrations in India, Iran and Pakistan, others distanced themselves from the effigy-burning and calls for violent reprisals.
About 20 demonstrators protested at Regents Park mosque in London after prayers yesterday afternoon. Men with their faces covered to avoid identification waved placards, one of which read "God curse the Queen", and shouted slogans.
"We've come to demonstrate against the apostate Salman Rushdie," said one. "He has insulted Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. Salman Rushdie is the devil. We have a responsibility - he should be punished, he should be attacked. We should not be afraid of the kuffar [non-believer]. They say Tony Blair is going to be sent to the Middle East as a peace envoy. We hope he comes back in a box."
The protesters also burned a homemade St George's flag, to the cheers of some and the dismay others. "It is disrespectful to behave like this outside a mosque," said Mohammed Ahmed, a 24-year-old part-time charity worker. "This protest will do nothing to change the negative perceptions people have about our religion."
Mosque staff also distanced themselves from the demonstration. "We do not sanction this protest or the views they are expressing," said a woman from the director general's office.
The radical Muslim group Hizb ut-Tahrir condemned the knighthood but also what it sees as cynical motives for some of the protests by foreign governments. "While some of the dictatorships of the Muslim world now rush to defend the honour of the Prophet Muhammad in order to protect themselves from the wrath of the masses, they continually insult his memory by acquiescing in the murder of thousands of Muslim civilians in Waziristan, Iraq and Afghanistan at the behest of their masters," it said in a statement.
In Bradford, where the original public burning of Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses led to images circulated worldwide, the city's Council for Mosques condemned the knighthood as "extremely irresponsible", but two former lord mayors, Mohammed Ajeeb and Choudhary Rangzeb called for a calm response as the best way to make the community's point.
Mr Ajeeb said: "I would ask the Muslim community to demonstrate restraint. The circumstances facing Muslim communities today mean that any sort of demonstration in the streets is not going to help spread peace and harmony."
In Srinagar, in India, shops and offices were closed yesterday in protest. In Iran, worshippers at Tehran university chanted "death to the English" as clerics claimed the fatwa against Rushdie was still in force.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


In the last few years, Australia has experienced blackouts during peak heatwaves during the summer, most notably in South Australia, where thousands of homes were left without power during 2017 and 2018 as the grid system struggled to cope with demand. Since then, the installation of commercial and industrial solar energy storage has become well known – with Tesla's solar battery farm leading the media attention. And, thanks to its new solar battery farm South Australia saw no negative effects to its power supplies and grid in February 2019, despite seeing the hottest day on record (source).
But it's not just commercial and industrial solar energy storage that is seeing a boom in installation. Residential rooftop solar has reached record numbers and will continue to grow year on year.
Increasing energy costs from energy suppliers. Australia now has some of the highest energy prices in the world and residents are tired of increasing bills with no end, they want to take their energy needs into their own hands.
Weather patterns, heat waves and blackouts. Not only does Australia have one of the most expensive energy supplies in the world, but it's notoriously unreliable in some locations, as we mentioned. And after blackouts and extreme weather, there are typical increases in demand for solar battery installation – thanks to articles like this that promote the efficiency of owning your own energy supply. And, since SA's infamous blackouts 1-2 years ago the state is one of the most proactive for solar installation and has hit a new record with 63% of its energy needs met by rooftop solar (source).
Government incentives – some states offer incentives for installing a solar energy system, like Victoria's 50% off solar energy system rebate. Thanks to the reduced price of a solar energy system many customers are utilising the reduced costs to also install a solar battery.
Feed-in-tariff rates – energy retailer offer feed-in-tariff rates for the energy you supply back to the grid and this is something we're often asked about by customers. Here are the confirmed rates for this year.
This helpful chart from McKinsey & Company shows the value of adding solar energy storage functionality to your solar energy system.
Reducing the peak energy needs for neighbourhoods where supply is bottlenecked can reduce energy costs.


I think it's some GUI bug, that 2 options from Preferences, Advanced Tab, Miscellaneous labelframe went missing.
I attach a screenshot which explains it all.
Refine Marker option can be now found in Tools Menu -> Markers subsection, so it can be accessed in more convenient way now and a shortcut can be assigned to it. Same for Attach markers to shape vertices option.
As for the Experimental mesh generation option, it has been removed. However, there's another new meshing method that is basing on the depth maps.
Thank you Alexey, everything is fine.


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You are here: Home › News › Cost Breakthrough For Inorganic Solar Cells
Cost Breakthrough For Inorganic Solar Cells
By Will Parker on October 24, 2005 in News
While much of the research into solar power in recent times has been focused on organic solar cells, researchers from Berkeley Lab and the University of California have announced a breakthrough in the manufacture of inorganic dual-nanocrystal cells. The researchers say that the ultra-thin solar cells are comprised entirely of inorganic nanocrystals and are as cheap and easy to make as solar cells made from organic polymers, but offer the added advantage of being stable in air because they contain no organic materials.
"Our colloidal inorganic nanocrystals share all of the primary advantages of organics – scalable and controlled synthesis, an ability to be processed in solution, and a decreased sensitivity to doping – while retaining the broadband absorption and superior transport properties of traditional photovoltaic semiconductors," said researcher Ilan Gur. The nanocrystal technique is described by Gur in a paper appearing in the journal Science.
The paper describes a technique where rod-shaped nanometer-sized crystals of two semiconductors, cadmium-selenide (CdSe) and cadmium-telluride (CdTe), were synthesized separately and then dissolved in solution and spin-cast onto a conductive glass substrate. The resulting films, which were about 1,000 times thinner than a human hair, displayed efficiencies for converting sunlight to electricity of about 3 percent. While this is comparable to the conversion efficiencies of the best organic solar cells, it is still substantially lower than conventional silicon solar cells. "We obviously still have a long way to go in terms of energy conversion efficiency," admitted Gur.
The manufacture of traditional silicon solar cells is a costly and exacting business. Even the fabrication of the simplest cell is a complex process that has to take place under precisely controlled conditions, such as high vacuum and temperatures of up to 1,400 degrees Celsius. The discovery, twenty years ago, that organic polymers could be made to conduct electricity, encouraged researchers to look at how these materials could be used to make photovoltaic devices. But while organic solar cells can be made in bulk quantities for a few cents each, the efficiency of these devices has always been poor compared to the power conversion efficiencies of traditional cells made from semiconductors. It's possible that the new nanocrystal method developed by Gur could overcome the cost problems of traditional silicon cells and the stability and efficiency problems of organic cells.
In conventional silicon solar cells, an electrical current flows between layers of n-type and p-type semiconductor films, but with the inorganic nanocrystal solar cells, current flows due to a pair of molecules that serve as donors and receptors of electrical charges (known as a donor-acceptor heterojunction). This is the same mechanism by which current flows in plastic (organic) solar cells. "Because our inorganic nanocrystal solar cells appear to work primarily based on the donor-acceptor heterojunction model that is typical of organic systems, they help us to better understand the specific material properties needed to make such devices," explained Gur. Interestingly, unlike plastic solar cells, whose performance deteriorates over time, aging seems to improve the performance of these inorganic nanocrystal solar cells.
"The next step is for us to better characterize and further develop our prototypical system, as there is still a great deal we don't fully understand," concluded Gur. "After that, we have a lot of directions that we'd like to pursue, such as introducing variations in the system architecture and our choice of semiconductor materials."
Source: Berkeley Lab
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architecture, solar power, variations
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Brain Knows More Than It Lets On
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New *SOLAR POWERED* Hawaiian Dashboard Hula Doll Dancer Girl Yellow
Solar Powered MOUSE DRUMMER Musician Plastic No Batteries Children Home Decor
PennyWise IT Solar Powered Bobbler
Solar Powered toy - dancing Flower - Novelty Toy by Toysmith


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#TrackYourMinister: FG Says Nigeria Ready to Leverage Advanced AgriTech, Woos Investors – Other Major Stories This Week
To track the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), AgroNigeria started the #TrackYourMinister Weekly Brief. Here is our coverage of the ministry this week.
FG Says Nigeria Ready to Leverage Advanced AgriTech, Woos Investors
The Federal Government has expressed readiness to leverage advanced technologies to revolutionise Nigeria's agricultural value chains, particularly across commodities where the country has comparative advantages.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Hon. Mustapha Baba Shehuri, restated the commitment of the government while giving a keynote address at the 2020 Global AgriTech Summit which was held virtually on Wednesday.
The Summit is a professional agriculture conference dedicated to the local and international industry stakeholders to explore the business opportunities and showcase the technologies available in improving practices and processes in the sector.
Shehuri declared that the government was determined to see that the country's agricultural system use more enhanced technologies to boost production, notably citing the use of drone technologies.
Read the full story here: https://agronigeria.ng/2020/12/18/fg-says-nigeria-ready-to-leverage-advanced-agritech-woos-investors/
Nanono Receives Cocoa, Plantain Farmers Who Bemoan Exclusion from Govt Programmes
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono, on Tuesday, received farmers under the Cocoa and Plantain Farmers Association of Nigeria.
The farmers, decrying their exclusion from the Federal Government's intervention projects and programmes, met with the Minister during their visit.
The group, led by the Coordinator and National President of the association, Mr Ayodele Ojo, further decried their exclusion from recent intervention programmes of the Federal Government such as the Anchor Borrowers' Programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (CARES) Programme of the World Bank.
Read the full story here: https://agronigeria.ng/2020/12/18/cocoa-plantain-farmers-bemoan-exclusion-from-govt-programmes-present-four-point-demands/
Nanono Excited as IITA, NRCRI Release Five New Cassava Varieties
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono, has expressed his excitement over the release of five new cassava varieties by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in partnership with the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike.
The new varieties: Game Changer, Obasanjo-2, Hope, Baba-70, and Poundable, were developed under the NextGen Cassava Breeding Project.
The National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties officially announced them for release on Thursday.
The varieties were released to address three important product profiles for West Africa, that is, cassava refined for Garri or fufu, fresh markets and industrial purposes, a statement made available to AgroNigeria disclosed.
Read the full story here: https://agronigeria.ng/2020/12/17/breaking-obasanjo-2-game-changer-others-iita-nrcri-release-five-new-cassava-varieties/
Agriculture Must be Given its Pride of Place in Nigeria – Nanono
As crude oil continues to experience a steep decline, it is time for agriculture to be given its pride of place in Nigeria's economy, Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono has said.
According to Nanono, crude oil can no longer sustain the nation, and as such agriculture should be given more priority in the country's affairs.
The minister gave this charge recently at a one-day workshop organised for maize growers and processors by the Maize Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (MAGPMAN), in Owerri, Imo State.
The workshop was themed "Post-Harvest Management of Maize Stakeholders Conference- under the CBN Maize Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP)".
Read the full story here: https://agronigeria.ng/2020/12/15/agriculture-must-be-given-its-pride-of-place-in-nigeria-nanono/
44th NCARD Set to Address Burning National Agric Concerns
Issues affecting Nigeria's agricultural sector will be front burner at this year's National Council on Agriculture and Rural Development (NCARD).
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja will host the meeting tagged, "Nigeria's Agriculture and Food Security in the face of COVID-19, floods and insecurity."
According to a document made available to AgroNigeria, this year's meeting will span three days- Wednesday, December 16th to Friday, December 18th, 2020.
Top on the meeting's agenda will be the need to proffer practical solutions to emergent and long-standing concerns in the Nigerian agricultural ecosystem.
To this end, the sessions will focus on such issues like infrastructural deficiency, insecurity and research funding and implementation gaps, the document indicated.
Read the full story here: https://agronigeria.ng/2020/12/14/44th-ncard-set-to-address-burning-national-agric-concerns/
The post #TrackYourMinister: FG Says Nigeria Ready to Leverage Advanced AgriTech, Woos Investors – Other Major Stories This Week appeared first on AgroNigeria.
Seed & Mech Hubs to deliver Private Extension Services to Nigerian Farmers
Create Separate Ministry for Fishery, Aquaculture – Lawmaker Urges FG
NEPZA to Establish Special Economic Zone to Boost Agriculture in Taraba


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crowdfunding seaweed
Crowdfunding for Agriculture: Agritech and New Foodstuffs
Posted on September 29, 2021 September 29, 2021 by Clive Reffell
The world's population is expected to have grow by over 2.3 billion people from 2009 to 2050. To feed the world population by then, food production will have to increase by around 70% from the 2005/07 levels (source: The World Bank). Meeting this world demand for food is going to need innovation in agriculture: selecting what to grow, how to grow it, learning how yields per acre of land can be raised, and reducing food waste significantly. Innovations and breakthroughs do not have a past history for banks, other traditional lenders or investors to weigh up the potential risks and returns. Crowdfunding for agriculture, agritech and new foodstuffs will help develop the innovation needed to feed over 9 billion people by 2050.
It's more than just the number of people
Annual economic growth forecasts for developing countries are around 2.9%, which will reduce economic poverty substantially. Rising income levels usually drive an increased demand for meat, eggs and dairy. This in turn boosts pressure to grow more corn and soybeans to feed more cattle, pigs and chickens. If too many farmers follow this trend it would still mean shortages of subsistence crops for the poorest people.
an increasing level of foodstuff used for biomass fuels
methane produced by livestock is a significant contributor to greenhouse gasses
extreme weather conditions associated with climate change will ruin crops more often
On the plus side:
hydroponic farming enables more efficient use of resources
robotics coupled with better data collection will allow greater use of artificial intelligence
better crop selection, reduced infestations and better-timed harvesting will improve arable efficiency and yield levels
food waste can be significantly reduced
Types of crowdfunding for agriculture
There are different types of crowdfunding, all based on the broad principle of getting a little bit of support from a crowd of people, rather than try to get all the money from a single source.
Donations crowdfunding is what it says; people donate and expect nothing tangible in return. The satisfaction of having helped a cause or an idea they empathise with is enough.
Reward crowdfunding was originally a way to incentivise donors with a perk – some form of a related benefit: perhaps a product sample; a t-shirt as a thank you; or a mention on a website page. This developed in to commercial reward-based crowdfunding, whereby crowdfunding platforms can be used as virtual sales channels: a "donation" is "rewarded" with a specified product item that can be made on demand. The sums involved can range from very modest projects to some generating over £1m of orders.
It is common for startup creators of an innovative product to use reward-based crowdfunding to check marketplace traction. On achieving good results they move on to equity crowdfunding to set up a solid business. A great example is The Cheeky Panda, which has disrupted the paper tissue market with a plant-based alternative. It began in 2016 with a reward-based crowdfunding project that aimed to generate £10,000 of orders for tissues made from sustainable bamboo, which has three crops a year. After just five years' trading and four rounds of equity crowdfunding, plus VC and institutional investment, the business is currently valued at £80m. Its founders are reportedly planning an IPO in 2022 at a flotation value of £300m.
The UK remains a global leader in equity crowdfunding – which is the raising of investment funds through trading shares in a business via a crowdfunding platform. By comparison, U.S. equity crowdfunding remains complicated by a two-tier system of accredited and non-accredited investors; limits on how much businesses are allowed to raise and individuals can invest; and strict (expensive) legal verification of documents. After a brief trial period in China it does not exist at all. It is banned by the financial authorities in India who claim the majority of people need to be protected from both scammers and from inherent financial investment risks they do not understand.
In peer-to-peer lending, crowds of retail investors make money available to P2P loan companies, for whoch they receive a higher fixed rate return than the retail investment levels generally available to individuals. With fixed repayment dates, it is a more liquid form of investment than taking equity in startup businesses. P2P lenders make the funds available to vetted borrowers. Without having to pay middlemen, shareholders, or finance a legacy infrastructure of bank branches, it means the borrowers can pay lower interest rates. Approval and access to the money is also much faster.
Folk2Folk is a UK P2P lender specifically for the crowdfunding for agriculture / farming sector.
Crowdfunding new foodstuffs
Seaweed is being hailed as a "superfood." It is increasingly used as a basis for snack products, and for meat-free mince used in sausages and burgers. It can also be used in fabric to make clothing, in cosmetics, and feeding seaweed to cattle can reduce their methane output by up to 80%. While it is growing, on undersea ropes, it is more effective at removing CO2 from the environment than forests on the land.
Seaweed farming is in its infancy in the UK. Traditional lenders and investors lack a database of past performance against which they can assess the risks and potential returns. The modest sums often sought for early stage developments are not large enough to interest VCs.
Yorkshire-based Seagrown reached its reward crowdfunding target of £25,000 in August 2021, which will allow it to seed an extra four kilometres of rope. The seeded ropes will be suspended just offshore in the North Sea in October, and Seagrown expect to harvest their crop in summer 2022. The perks for the biggest backers include a boat trip out to the rope lines. This will give Seagrown's founders a unique opportunity to spend time with them and find out how much they may be prepared to invest if they decide to go ahead with equity crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is good marketing and network building, it can open doors.
In 2019, the US plant-based food company AKUA launched the world's first kelp burger made from sustainable seaweed. In 2018 they had used reward-based crowdfunding to generate $80,000 of orders for a packaged kelp jerky product via Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Then from early November 2020 to late April 2021, they raised $1,070,000 (the maximum permitted at the time) via the US equity crowdfunding platform Republic. This reinforces that progression from reward to equity crowdfunding is now quite a standard path. AKUA's success, and that of all similar businesses, creates a growing market for seaweed farmers.
A meat-free burger made from kelp, a type of seaweed. Source: AKUA
An example of crowdfunding for agriculture related to clothing is a young UK entrepreneur, Adam Costello. He grew up near the Anglesey coast. Time spent clearing plastic waste from the sea and the beaches led to a business plan to make clothing using seaweed fibre, and decorate it with messages about ocean sustainability. He offered the clothing to early backers through Kickstarter. His gross order value was modest, just over £14,000, though it was enough to start his Inland Sea business. This shows how crowdfunding provides an individual with a way to follow their passion and start making a difference, as well as an income.
Crowdfunding hydroponic farming
Also known as vertical farming, crops are grown indoors, in stacked layers, in nutrient-rich water instead of soil. Hydroponic farmers manage and maintain optimal nutrient levels in the liquid solution. It means food can be grown anywhere there is a supply of fresh water and energy for lighting – no soil required! Food can even be grown underground or in surplus office blocks, nearer to population centres in hyper-local supply chains. This reduces the food miles required to put it on to consumers' plates. It uses far less water per volume of food produced, and no pesticides, making it more sustainable and climate-friendly.
A World Wildlife Fund 2020 report estimates indoor farming will have an annual growth rate of over 24% between 2018 and 2024, hitting $3 billion in revenues worldwide in 2024.
At a startup level, Harvest London raised over £400,000 in 2019 to grow food to order in the heart of London for restaurants. They are still trading, desite the hospitality shutdown during the Covid pandemic.
Also in London, UK, Square Mile Farms raised over £500,000 through equity crowdfunding in June 2020. They install vertical farms in workplaces, to engage employees in their maintenance and help businesses create a culture of healthy, low-impact living. Early customers included the major property owners and developers Grosvenor Estates and British Land, plus Vodafone. The property owners became active partners through providing access to their commercial tenants.
A hydroponic herb tower
More recently, another specialty B2B operator, Local Indoor Farming (LIF) in The Netherlands, raised €108,000 in July 2021 through a crowdfunding campaign on the CrowdAboutNow platform. LIF will now manufacture and provide herb towers to hotels and the catering industry so they can grow their own fresh ingredients in a totally controllable manner in limited space.
On a much larger scale, Aerofarms is a US agritech business that began in New Jersey in 2004 and today it has indoor vertical farms across the country. In 2010 it raised an undisclosed amount through equity crowdfunding. They use any available buildings that are large enough, including former factories and nightclubs, even a paintball venue. In 2019 Aerofarms invested $42m in a 150,000 square feet purpose-built facility in Virginia. A recent investor in 2020 was the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) that wants to grow food in its desert. In 2021 Aerofarms completed an IPO. They are listed on the NASDAQ exchange and currently valued at $1.2 billion. They claim they grow 400 times more food per unit of land than conventional farming can achieve.
Inside an Aerofarms hydroponic vertical farming facility
Crowdfunding for agriculture technology – agritech
Drone Ag provides farmers with drones they can fly using software loaded to their mobile phone. Without having to be there, they can spray crops, check that crops are growing well, spot infestations, and create images far clearer and more detailed than using satellite-generated ones. This enables better control of pests and soil nutrition, reduces costs and chemical use, and ultimately increases yields and profit. The two business founding brothers were farmers themselves, and through absolutely understanding the challenges that exist today they have created technology that will handle the future. They raised almost £300,000 in 2019 in exchange for approximately 16.6% equity, and then a further £300,000 in 2020 for 10.7% equity.
In the last 12 months, UK-based Small Robot Company has transitioned from prototypes to a commercial service. It uses an autonomous robot and AI software to create a weed map for customers. Fungicides and biopesticides can then be applied with precision to reduce the amounts wasted in places where they are not needed. In August 2021 Small Robot Company raised £4m through equity crowdfunding to manufacture a fleet of robots for its commercial weed mapping service. Two other devices under trial include the world's first 5G-ready agri-robot for arable farms, and SlugBot is the world's first robotic monitoring and bio-molluscicide treatment system for slugs.
Crover is a new business in Scotland. Its crowdfunding for agriculture technology was to develop a robot that burrows down in to cereal crops stored in silos or while it's in transit at sea. The robot checks non-visible conditions inside the crops: humidity, temperature, presence of any pests, and so on. In August 2021 it raised £337,000 through equity crowdfunding. Crover's next steps include pilot tests in the UK and Italy as part of the agROBOfood Innovation Experiments throughout March 2022.
Crowdfunding for agriculture will accelerate the innovation in new foodstuffs and agritech required to feed over 9 billion people by 2050.
I originally wrote this article for Crowdsourcing Week as part of its Content Marketing programme.
Posted in Business finance, Crowdfunding, SME growthTagged crowdfunding agriculture, crowdfunding agritech, crowdfunding for agriculture, crowdfunding seaweed, equity crowdfunding


text:
Novel Info
Show Off Once in Every World - Chapter 408
Show Off Once in Every World
READ LATEST NOVEL AT LightNovelFull.Com
Read latest chapter, novel at LIGHTNOVELFULL.COM
Chapter 408 – The Beauty of the Cities in the Holographic Game LXI
by BobaTeaTranslations
He recalled that video, her words, her expression, her eyes, were the appearance she had never shown before, which was the expression of a woman who really fell in love.
He looked at her while motionless, his hand slowly clenched into a fist, "Do you like Mobei Eagle so much?"
This question was abrupt, but it would be asked sooner or later.
Wen Ying bit her pale lips, "I'm sorry."
"Who the hell wants to listen to you say I'm sorry?" When he saw her stop, he realized what he had just said and grabbed his hair carelessly. "Don't tell me you're sorry. You don't have anything to be sorry for. At the beginning, we each took what we needed. I just resented your stabbing me back last……now, forget it. It's none of my business if you like him. You don't have to answer me and don't say anything about being sorry."
He was distraught for a while, but saw that her expression of a dead dog had changed slightly, and she suddenly pursed her lips and smiled.
"You are still the same."
"You like to talk to yourself when you encounter some things that are annoying. You won't finish talking for a long time……alright." Before he could retort, she bound the bandage and tied a small bow with the bandage's tail, which looked funny in contrast to his strong arm. Duhuo couldn't help sniffing again, but suddenly remembered that Fei Xue had tied the same bow for him. At that time, it was still a keyboard game, but in order to increase interest, the game side specially designed a bow bandage, which automatically tied a small butterfly after the last circle.
He watched with rapture.
Original translation is from bobateatranslation dot com. If you're reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft.
Obviously, he knew that he didn't like her at that time, but after overlapping the two people, he couldn't help but add a few more inexplicable feelings when he recalled them.
Wen Ying was actually reminded of this service by Duhuo. No wonder she hadn't seen Zheng Yun for a while. She probably logged in to another server. As the president, he couldn't always hang out on his trumpet account.
Duhuo: "The game server needs to be closed for seven days. The game prepares to make an announcement to hold an offline anniversary celebration with real people. Are you coming?"
Luo Ying: "I raised my appearance by 50%."
Duhuo: "En?"
Luo Ying: "I'm afraid of being scolded. You see, the scolding in the game is very fierce. I bumped into a person at the scene of receiving the helmet before. He used his inconvenience of legs to attack others indiscriminately. I always feel that real life is more terrible than in the game."
Duhuo: "…… There is a problem with the clarity of the video. In real life, your actual person looks better than the video."
Luo Ying: "How do you know?"
Duhuo: "……"
Because I'm the lame person you hit head on.
A Demon's Journey
Human Binary: The Unrivalled King of Technology


text:
A question of reinvention
Nuclear energy needs to reinvent itself so that its benefits, risks and deeds are understood in terms of the values guiding us through this pandemic, says Jeremy Gordon.
We are in the middle of the biggest public spending spree the world has ever known- and simultaneously, the biggest science-based policy response the world has ever known. It is gratifying to see that large scale coordinated action is possible, even if it is only when we realise that worst-case scenarios are also possible.
Frank M. Snowden, professor emeritus of history and the history of medicine at Yale, told the New Yorker: "Epidemics are a category of disease that seem to hold up the mirror to human beings as to who we really are."
In that case we can be relieved that when facing catastrophe the vast majority of people did not hesitate to value the lives of their loved ones and the health of their communities above all else. And despite polarisation, degradation of our media and clever attempts to mislead us, the vast majority of people valued the views of subject matter experts.
Four years ago in my home country I was told that, "The British people have had enough of experts," by Conservative politician Michael Gove. Now I am watching him, as well as the prime minster and every other cabinet member, appeal for public trust by saying at every opportunity that they are following "the best scientific advice." Even so, their actions have been measured against another authority, the World Health Organisation, and evolving Imperial College briefings to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) resulted in a policy reversal.
"If you think SAGE is a cosy consensus of agreeing, you're very wrong indeed," said Patrick Vallance, the UK government's chief scientific advisor. The global effort to figure out the workings of novel coronavirus and COVID-19, its effects on the human body, and what countermeasures we should take has been playing out in the information age, with everyone from nurses on the front line, infectious disease experts and even tech entrepreneur bloggers contributing much to public understanding. Not everything out there has been useful, but I personally found the informed experts of social media by far the best sources of information.
Having spent time in Hong Kong in January, I have been watching closely from the start. My simple brain was satisfied once it had taken on board four key facts: first, nobody has any immunity to this virus; second, asymptomatic cases and long incubation times make it extremely difficult to track and stop; third, it doubles every two or three days unless you take radical steps to mitigate its spread; fourth, demand for ventilators is such that healthcare systems crash and carnage ensues before even 0.1% of the population is infected.
Covid-19 is rare among our global challenges in working on such simple and urgent principles. But many other issues also have strong rationales for serious collective action sooner rather than later. They also have their own authoritative UN bodies and legions of scientists communicating clear axioms for government action.
Writing for nuclear energy professionals who provide 10% of the world's electricity, with a tiny environmental footprint, I don't need to state the obvious. My point is that when values are shared and risks are clear, human beings can achieve things that once seemed impossible.
A 'before' and an 'after'
The last few weeks have shown us a lot about our pre-Covid-19 way of life.
As human beings we have been reminded that personal contact is essential to us, that community wellbeing is paramount and that our nature is to act with solidarity during a crisis.
Our society realised that it can create evidence-based policy and it can make public investments in the common good. The best of our leaders will change their minds as new facts emerge, and it is the least privileged among us who are most affected by issues and policies.
As individuals we saw the air in our cities clear up noticeably in days, and when we ventured out we found streets so free of traffic that we could safely share the whole road. The soundtracks of our suburbs reverted to birdsong. Wildlife began to bounce back as soon as human pressure was lifted. In energy systems, carbon dioxide emissions dropped by about 15% and renewables and nuclear both played proportionally larger roles. Eventually we will know how many people's lives have been saved simply by the cut in air pollution. In many ways lockdowns have represented interventions in our fossil-fuel-addiction. We need to hold tight to the insights we've gained.
Echoing Professor Snowden, the entrepreneur James Altucher said, "The virus is enhancing what is already inside each person. Jerks are turning into bigger jerks. Compassionate people are becoming more compassionate. You get to decide in this very difficult time who you really are." And we will see who people really are when we try to reboot the global economy. Bad actors will jump at any chance to do what they always wanted, and there will be thousands of voices clamouring to set the narrative justification of why their way is the only way things can be. A potential descent into blaming, nationalism and war will be as tangible as an ascent to the clean and equitable ways of life our values aspire to. Whichever way things work out, the 2020s are guaranteed to be transformational.
The nuclear industry is orders of magnitude too small to have any influence on the new global direction and is caught flat footed and weak. Its current range of products and projects will be lucky to scoop up any of the coming stimulus cash, most of which will go to developments with short lead times, more visibility and more integration with the wider economy.
I hope I am shown to be pessimistic, because the economic benefits of nuclear are huge, and investment in it provides a clean and secure long-term platform for the economy as a whole, which we surely need.
Characteristically, nuclear has kept on trucking in this crisis. Thanks to innate fuel security, managerial preparation and innovation, and stoic efforts by its people, it has served society very well. I want to extend my gratitude to everyone that made this possible: the utilities that are supporting people who cannot pay their bills and the plant operators that donated badly needed protective equipment to medical workers. By the time you read this there will have been even more good deeds.
However, to emerge from this crisis saying "aren't we strong and reliable" will not be enough and represents a poor strategy. It would only take one slip-up to spoil everything. The world is set to change very quickly now but the nuclear industry is still far behind the curve of popular culture. It will find itself stranded unless it catches up with society. More than a renaissance, nuclear energy now needs a reinvention to position itself so that its benefits, risks, words and deeds are understood in terms of the values guiding us through this pandemic – society, science, and solidarity – which will be galvanising in years to come. Nuclear needs to be not just part of the solution to issues of energy supply, but part of the solution to everything.
It's not impossible. The legacy of Albert Einstein has made nuclear science a byword for genius. In large reactor designs we have fundamental infrastructure for national resilience that are worthy of public investment and support. And in advanced reactor designs we will have flexible energy platforms that can disrupt fossil fuels and do away with their pollution permanently. Conditions and support for nuclear workers and their communities are usually good, but we can make them core to the mission of our sector and extend them through partnerships with non-traditional allies.
Leading the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi provides a confident voice in the international system making nuclear's role and potential impossible to ignore. In the ecosystem of independent advocates we have empathetic grassroots activism demanding objectivity and ambition in energy choices that affect all of society. Nuclear energy already contributes directly or indirectly to virtually all of the Sustainable Development Goals.
As the 2020s began we expected them to be transformational for clean energy. Now we know they will change much more than that. The question for us is: who do we really want to be when this is over?
Jeremy Gordon is an independent communication consultant with 15 years of experience in the international energy industry. His company Fluent in Energy supports partners of all kinds to communicate matters of clean energy and sustainable development.
Cartoon by Alexy Kovynev
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After hearing of a comic storyline cut from Captain America: Civil War yesterday, more cut scenes and bits of dialogue have been revealed and this time they are to do with Black Widow.
The cut bit of dialogue was revealed in the film's novelization, and was between Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff. The novelization doesn't directly point towards what scene the conversation would have taken place in, but speculation has it that this took place during Agent Carter's funeral. In the film Romanoff shows up after the funeral and exchanges some brief words with cap, and this extra bit of dialogue would likely have stretched out that conversation.
This dialogue hints further at the Black Widow backstory we got in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and demonstrates how harsh Romanoff's upbringing was. The conversation also works well in the context of the film, as Romanoff draws a parallel between friends being forced to turn against each other both then and now. With the lines serving a purpose of not only fleshing out Black Widow's backstory, but also the context of the film one can only wonder as to why it was removed from the final cut of the film- potentially being saved for a solo film?
I don't think there is an appropriate parallel between that scenario and the Civil War movie. Maybe that was from an older script in which it would have been a better fit. I'm glad that wasn't in the final cut.
*Gasp* They edited scenes from the film!! Poor EDITING!!
I don't think anywhere in the article does the author allude to poor editing. Nor anyone else in the comment section. Scenes will be cut, it always happens. This article, and the cap one where you left a similar comment are just talking about what may have been.
Just addressing the cognitive dissonance. Of course the article doesn't mention poor editing, because that's not the spin the media is doing with these Marvel films like Silly War.
And yes, all films will have scenes cut. ALL films. But one film will be labeled as poorly edited, while another just gets over looked as–how did you put it? "What may have been".
Never mind the fact that I've seen several editing issues in Silly War myself.
LOL! Playing the victim again?
Have you read the Black Widow comics of recent? Lots of modern day espionage, action, and adventure, cut with some serious moments via flashbacks. Those books make me excited for the prospect of a Black Widow movie.
I really would like to see a Black Widow origins story on film. It would have its own Battle Royale (the Japanese movie) segment.


text:
Q: MySQL: "= true" vs "is true" on BOOLEAN. When is it advisable to use which one? And Which one is vendor independent? MySQL provides 2 ways to check truth value of boolean columns, those are column_variable = true and column_variable is true. I created a table, inserted few values & tried a few select statements. Here are the results:
First I created this table:
mysql> create table bool_test (
    -> id int unsigned not null auto_increment primary key,
    -> flag boolean );
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.13 sec)

Then I inserted 4 rows:
mysql> insert into bool_test(flag) values (true),(false),(9),(null);

mysql> select * from bool_test;
+----+------+
| id | flag |
+----+------+
|  1 |    1 |
|  2 |    0 |
|  3 |    9 |
|  4 | NULL |

Here are all the select queries I fired on this table:
mysql> select * from bool_test where flag;
+----+------+
| id | flag |
+----+------+
|  1 |    1 |
|  3 |    9 |
+----+------+
2 rows in set (0.49 sec)

mysql> select * from bool_test where flag = true;
+----+------+
| id | flag |
+----+------+
|  1 |    1 |
+----+------+
1 row in set (0.02 sec)

mysql> select * from bool_test where flag is true;
+----+------+
| id | flag |
+----+------+
|  1 |    1 |
|  3 |    9 |
+----+------+
2 rows in set (0.04 sec)

mysql> select * from bool_test where flag = false;
+----+------+
| id | flag |
+----+------+
|  2 |    0 |
+----+------+
1 row in set (0.01 sec)

mysql> select * from bool_test where flag is false;
+----+------+
| id | flag |
+----+------+
|  2 |    0 |
+----+------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)

mysql> select * from bool_test where !flag;
+----+------+
| id | flag |
+----+------+
|  2 |    0 |
+----+------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)

mysql> select * from bool_test where not flag;
+----+------+
| id | flag |
+----+------+
|  2 |    0 |
+----+------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)

mysql> select * from bool_test where flag != true;
+----+------+
| id | flag |
+----+------+
|  2 |    0 |
|  3 |    9 |
+----+------+
2 rows in set (0.00 sec)

mysql> select * from bool_test where flag is not true;
+----+------+
| id | flag |
+----+------+
|  2 |    0 |
|  4 | NULL |
+----+------+
2 rows in set (0.00 sec)

mysql> select * from bool_test where flag != false;
+----+------+
| id | flag |
+----+------+
|  1 |    1 |
|  3 |    9 |
+----+------+
2 rows in set (0.04 sec)

mysql> select * from bool_test where flag is not false;
+----+------+
| id | flag |
+----+------+
|  1 |    1 |
|  3 |    9 |
|  4 | NULL |
+----+------+
3 rows in set (0.00 sec)

My Question is: when is it advisable to use is/is not and when is it advisable to use =/!=  with true/false ? Which one is vendor independent?

A: MySQL is actually fooling you. It doesn't have a boolean column type at all:

BOOL, BOOLEAN
These types are synonyms for TINYINT(1). A value of zero is considered
false. Nonzero values are considered true:

Also, the boolean literals are not such:

The constants TRUE and FALSE evaluate to 1 and 0, respectively.

Considering that:

*

*Many database systems do not have booleans either (not at least in standard SQL and column types)

*MySQL doesn't have an easy way to enforce 0 or 1 in BOOLEAN
My conclusion would be:

*

*You'll have to use WHERE IS flag or just WHERE flag because = simply doesn't work correctly. Which one, is possibly a matter of preference.

*Whatever you choose, no option will be vendor independent. For instance, Oracle won't even run either of them.

Edit: if cross-platform is a must, I'd go for this:
WHERE flag=0
WHERE flag<>0

I'm sure we've all done it lots of times.

A: If the flag column is indexed and all values are either 0 or 1, where flag = true is much faster than where flag is true.
During our testing, is true resulted in a "full table scan" and took 1.121 seconds, while = true was executed with "key lookup" and only took 0.167 seconds. The table had about 3 million rows.


Collapsible / Portable spill containment liners for IBC's, Pallets, Drums, Tanker-Trucks & Machinery containing Chemicals, Oils, Fuels, Toxic and contaminated liquids.
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Foam sided Spill Containment Bunds/Spill Mats are a cost effective solution for clients wanting to prevent liquid contaminants from polluting our drains and waterways, ensuring you operate within our environmental laws and regulations.
Flexible liners, also called Spill Bunding, Berms, Geomembrane or Floor Tarps/Tarpaulins are custom made in our Melbourne facility and transported to any location worldwide, allowing the end user to quickly deploy and install.
Able to withstand temperature conditions ranging from -30 up to +100 Degrease Celsius and durable enough to contain a wide range of mild to heavy chemicals, Jet Fuel and toxic liquids these portable spill containment bunds are a must have for companies wanting to comply with strict environmental regulations.


text:
Securing Remote Access While Protecting Against Encrypted Threats
Jay Kelley
As many non-essential businesses remain closed to help stop the spread of COVID-19, prompting employees and contractors to work from home or remotely for at least a few more weeks, organizations are beginning to shift their technology concerns from securing application access and maintaining user productivity, toward application security.
At the same time, attackers continue to seek out opportunities as users continue to work from home or remotely. As F5 CEO François Locoh-Donou rightly pointed out during F5's recent quarterly earnings call, attackers prey on curiosity. With this curiosity now piqued, attackers attempt to gather more information about how organizations are attempting to secure applications and data access for their remote users. They are trying to steal insight into personal stimulus checks or small business grants and loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Combine this with the increased use of potentially vulnerable home networks—as well as the heightened use of business and personal devices over those networks—and attackers now have burgeoning new opportunities to steal business and personal data.
What Today's Threats Look Like
Phishing and spearphising attacks have risen significantly as former office dwellers have shifted to working from home or remotely. Phishing websites have grown—and continue to grow—exponentially during this time as well, many using COVID-19 misinformation or fake cures as a lure. Credential theft attacks have also exploded. Attackers are using phony calendar and video conferencing invitations, some with titles like "HR – Layoff Discussion" or the like, to frighten and entice users to click on the invitation. The users then find themselves on a convincing but fake login page, where their credentials are stolen. Ransomware continues unabated. And, a new threat—videobombing—has emerged, where attackers insert themselves in video conferences to annoyingly disrupt meetings, or even surreptitiously recording private video conferences to steal sensitive corporate information.
So, corporate security operations (SecOps) and IT teams now need to worry about securing remote access from virtually everywhere to applications and critical data—for nearly their entire workforce—almost overnight. And at the same time, they also must be cognizant of the fact that employees, contractors, and other personnel working from home may be using easily compromised home networks to access critical applications and data.
Securing remote access helps alleviate some of those concerns. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager delivers a secure remote access solution, via SSL VPN. SSL VPN enables home-based and remote workers to access their corporate network through a secure, encrypted tunnel. The tunnel is encrypted on both the inbound and outbound routes with government-grade 2048-bit key encryption. Every application or file that a home or remote worker accesses passes through a secure, encrypted tunnel.
But, what happens when a user opens their browser and accesses a website while connected via VPN to their corporate network and applications? Or, accesses their personal, web-based email and clicks on a link in an email they've received? How can SecOps or IT be sure that the user isn't sending out sensitive corporate data masked by encryption to that website? Or, that the encrypted website the user is going to doesn't lead to a malicious command-and-control (C2) server, waiting for communications to trigger an advanced persistent threat (APT) already lying in wait on their network? Or even that the encrypted website or web application being accessed isn't downloading new, more insidious malware to launch on their network?
Protecting Customers and Their Employees
F5 SSL Orchestrator protects against encrypted threats. It's a centralized point to decrypt and re-encrypt both incoming and outgoing encrypted traffic. According to F5 Labs, Chrome, the most widely used web browser, now fetches over 86% of web pages over secure HTTPS connections; Firefox grabs HTTPS page loads at a still impressive 80.5% average.
They are hiding malware and other malicious payloads in encrypted traffic. While different solutions in an organization's security stack are able to decrypt encrypted traffic, those same devices were never designed to address the computationally intensive task of decrypting and then re-encrypting, meaning they often cannot support or enforce the robust security capabilities they were purchased for in the first place. These devices can simply fail when trying to decrypt traffic, or may allow traffic to bypass inspection completely, or they may not be able to address the latest encryption protocols and ciphers, increasing the chance of threats entering the network. Moreover, if all of the security devices are run in sequence or are daisy-chained, there is a risk that if a security device breaks down, goes offline, or needs to be replaced, traffic may again bypass uninhibited because a link in the chain has been broken.
F5 SSL Orchestrator enables SecOps and IT to design dynamic service chains, allowing just the security solutions needed to inspect decrypted traffic for specific traffic types to check that traffic, based on SSL Orchestrator's contextual policy engine. The traffic is automatically steered by SSL Orchestrator to the appropriate dynamic service chain, checked by existing security solutions earmarked for that traffic in the security stack, then redirected back to SSL Orchestrator for re-encryption.
Combining BIG-IP APM and SSL Orchestrator empowers organizations to secure access to their network, applications, and data by employees, contractors, and other users now working from home or remotely. In addition, these solutions protect users who have already securely accessed the organization's network, applications, and data remotely from intentionally or inadvertently exfiltrating sensitive data, communicating with nefarious command-and-control servers, or downloading malware hidden within encrypted traffic via phishing or other attack methods. Simply put, F5 enables and secures apps and access to them from anywhere.
For more information on F5 BIG-IP APM, please click here.
For more information on F5 SSL Orchestrator, please click here.


text:
Q: What is this formula called? summation
Does people know what this formula called? I want to google its properties and read about it more - if it has official name

A: It is called a "weighted average" or "weighted mean". The numbers $\mu_i$ are called the "weights".


For reasons we haven't been able to find out, the latest update of Mozilla Firefox (38.0 and higher) changed the defaults for text display so that the settings for previous versions resulted in most text on the History of UHF Television site being displayed at the smallest font size.
The previous selections will populate in the "Sans-serif" and "Size" windows. Check the box which says "Allow pages to choose their own fonts ..." if it is not already checked. Click on "OK" then close the original tab you opened for "Options".
These steps should restore the original appearance of the pages here.


Creative hubs are springing up all over the city!
Below is a list of the major coworking spaces in the city. For a comprehensive list throughout South Australia, visit Coworking Spaces.
313 Halifax Street - a creative co-working office space in Adelaide, for web developers, app developers, designers and more.
BlankSpace - BlankSpace is a co-working space for visual creatives specialising in film, animation, photography and graphic design.
DEW - available for use as a work hub, art space, studio and lounge.
Evolve Eastend - eastend space focused on creative professionals, social awareness and wellbeing.
GamePlus - a collaborative workspace for game developers.
Intersect - for professionals who share similar values and working styles.
mâché - a premier location for audio, visual and digital artists to work in a collaborative environment.
MESH Coworking - a software/developer/scale-up focused coworking space in the heart of the city.
Metric - a collective of creative businesses and our teams are positive, welcoming, fun and collaborative. We have spaces available for small companies of varying sizes, and you would have access to a shared boardroom, fully equipped kitchen and additional meeting room.
SouthStart - SouthStart is the co-working space for tech startups, founders and innovation entrepreneurs to collaborate and build global businesses from Adelaide.
Space SA - the evolution of co-working and how work gets done. Offering a dynamic workspace to create a community of business experts, social innovators, entrepreneurs, start-ups and thinkers.
Spot Co-Working - Adelaide's newest boutique office space offers members a collaborative, independent work environment which shares premium resources and ideas to optimise a work-life balance.
St Pauls Creative Centre - co-working space for creative industries and arts sectors.
The Catalyst Collaborative at Catalyst Foundation- is tailored to experienced and entrepreneurs, small business owners, the self-employed, consultants and professionals.
The Mill - a creative hub for Adelaide artists from all disciplines.
WotsoWorkspace - flexible workspaces ranging from private/group offices to open plan, collaborative coworking, meeting rooms and event areas.
262 Melbourne St. - Serviced Professional Offices providing a range of services with business administration, conference meeting rooms and waiting room available.
Carrington House - providing serviced suites, meeting room hire and business support for companies and individuals of all sizes; including start-ups and established practices.


Among the solitary essential concepts in service is the sales funnel. Sales funnels can increase your revenue online by automating your company. They supply a course of the very least resistance to expanding as well as scaling your business on auto-pilot. However after spending time with a few of the world's finest marketing experts, I can tell you with near assurance, not only exactly how sales funnels will enable you to make more cash online, yet which particular funnels you must carry out.
Now, if you're anything like me, you may be averse to particular funnels. As an example, I'm never a shopping man, but I do recognize that free-plus-shipping funnels are absolutely squashing it. In fact, just this previous week, while attending the Closing Table Mastermind with Perry Belcher and Roland Frasier, I got much more understanding into the alluring "tripwire" funnel, allegedly coined by Perry Belcher.
However, Belcher really did not develop the concept. He attracted that from an old Columbia House advertisement that offered 13 CDs or tapes for the big rate of $1.00. Remember it? Yet all of us know that this alluring offer (aka tripwire) had method a lot more to it than just the $1.00 price tag. In the background, there was a continuity program at the workplace. In Columbia House's' design, this was called unfavorable choice payment. That means, you instantly get regular month-to-month shipments (along with an expense) unless you specifically state or else.
So why is this so powerful and also what does it have to do with sales funnels? In fact, what you'll see is that Columbia House's sales funnel was rather straightforward. You simply selected the CDs or tapes you wanted for a dollar, then received a regular monthly shipment every month at a pre-defined price. They would constantly bill you for those CDs or tapes every month. There were variations of this offer as well where you might order 11 CDs or tapes for one penny then get the 12th complimentary.
Regardless you take a look at it, these were all irresistible deals. This was also great to skip. But what Columbia House and other firms understood was that, although they would lose money out of the gate, they would, on average, in time, make money hand over initially. And that is the power of the sales funnel. Prior to automation, this is how sales funnels functioned. As well as, if you contacted, you would certainly get a real-time person properly walking you through the funnel.
The Columbia House example provides deep understanding into the psychology of a deal that's alluring. By initial identifying the life time value of a client as well as their retention rate, Columbia House established that it could invest a particular quantity of cash getting consumers and still be highly rewarding. That's basically what's finished with sales funnels today. As well as what actually makes those sales funnels so effective are tripwires.
Today, it's the tripwire that creates the alluring deal. Although Columbia House didn't quite have major up-sells or down-sells in their funnels, they produced a basic two action funnel that functioned. It functioned since the tripwire was so attractive. It appealed deeply to the customer. After all, just how can you resist an offer like that for 12 or 13 CDs or tapes for $1 or 1 cent when they were retailing at around $10 each at the time.
One more effective instance of this was via Sports Illustrated. In fact, Sports Illustrated was successfully on the decline at the time it presented its innovative tripwire. There's something regarding substantial products that individuals just get in touch with. Also when you're using a digital information product on the backside, by sweetening the take care of a tangible good, you can fairly actually send your conversions via the roof.
In the example of Sports Illustrated, take on your own back to 1990 when publication registration prices were starting to hand over. Because period, Sports Illustrated experienced a 7% decrease in their flow in the first fifty percent of the year. Currently, whatever they did, they were unable to obtain the registration rates up. Even by providing deep discount rates on subscriptions, consumers weren't ordering it. And also, if they marked down too considerably, it would affect their capacity to get marketers paying premium prices without revealing that consumers were paying near to the complete cover price of the publication.
Sports Illustrated, possessed by Time, Inc., had not been the only publication that was experiencing under the business's umbrella. People magazine had actually likewise experienced an extreme decline of 5%. Time, Inc., knew that it required to do something fast. So it started to provide a tripwire that included sports bungles on VHS. Nonetheless, the cost was outrageous and also there were just numerous slips it might offer. So, they counted on the football phone as the brand-new tripwire.
Why the football phone? Initially, it attracted the target market. As well as, it was one-of-a-kind as well as amazing. Far more interesting than an uninteresting magazine subscription. The football-shaped phone idea was conceived by Sports Illustrated's director of flow at the time, Michael Loeb. Back then, marketing on cable television was additionally extremely low-cost. And also, the phone, which was sourced from China, just set you back a couple of dollars "landed". So everything made good sense.
Loeb worked with the logistics of this deal for lots of months. Nevertheless, that wasn't the only offer. They also cooked up an offer that consisted of a sneaker phone. If you'll reflect to 1990-1991, it was both provides that were running virtually concurrently. Discuss an early-on split-test, right?
So, what were the outcomes of all this? Over 1 million brand-new customers. That's right. As well as those offers just competed a restricted time. However it successfully saved the business. That's the power of a tripwire offer. It's a substantial product that obtains individuals delighted concerning whatever else the core deal is. As a matter of fact, some individuals will just purchase what you're selling entirely for the uniqueness of the tangible tripwire deal.
Sales funnels are one of the solitary most powerful ideas in organisation today for an extremely particular factor. It's not just the instance of the tripwire that's powerful. It's the entire kittycat cheat, so to speak. There are a lot of components as well as components to what make a sales funnel work so well that I wanted to break it down as well as offer some more examples to give a much deeper understanding to just how you can use them to boost your revenue online.
Currently, if you're not making use of a sales funnel today, or if you're just finding what a sales funnel is, then there are a few ways you can swiftly take advantage of this powerful idea in your service to create eruptive results. Firstly, if you do not have a ClickFunnels account, go here and enroll in the 14-day cost-free test. When you've setup your account, get hold of a custom-made domain as well as start building your funnel. If you require aid, watch a few of the on-boarding videos included with ClickFunnels.
It does not matter if you have an existing company or you're working to configuration a brand-new service, funnels are the key to growing and also scaling no matter where you're beginning with. However, there are 5 certain methods you can make use of sales funnels to boost your earnings today. No matter what company you remain in or what you're marketing, you can take advantage of these today, right now, to develop explosive results.
At the Inner Circle mastermind today, Russell Brunson explored the hook-story-offer technique that comes before building the funnel. Can you build a sales funnel prior to you have a hook and also a tale? Yes. Yet you could have trouble acquiring grip, particularly if you're competing in a red sea. Red seas are entrepreneur-infested waters contending for the same swimming pool of clients, whereas blue oceans are an area where couple of entrepreneurs are swimming in.
What does that tell you? Invest the moment responsible and the story. Yes, the offer is also vital. However it's the hook and also the tale that's going to reel prospects in. For example, Brunson made use of the narrative of fit-to-fat-to-fat creator, Drew Manning. Manning, that remained in terrific shape, went out there and also got a bunch of weight over a 6 month period to much better understand what it seems like to be fat. But after that he went out there and shed all the weight.
That right there is an extraordinary hook as well as story. It's unique. And also, due to that, Manning has experienced a meteoric increase, despite the fact that his deal isn't that great. However when the hook and also the tale is just so excellent, the deal is almost unimportant. Successfully, you can offer almost anything when the hook and also the tale just crush it. Another instance is the story of Robert Allen that would always claim he can be dropped in any kind of city in the nation and also purchase a house no money down within 60 days. Which's precisely what he did. His brand has done over a billion bucks in sales because of it.
Those are all wonderful hooks and tales. Without that, your deal will struggle. If you can think of a special means to create your hook as well as story, the remainder will fall into place. Because there is a lot red ocean out there, this is most likely one of one of the most vital indicate make before you launch any sales funnel.
Tripwires are great low-barrier-of-entry products that make potential customers use their charge card. Often, these are too-good-to-pass-up products that are supplied at an amazing cost. Just think about the tripwire supplied by Columbia House or Sports Illustrated, for example. Tripwires help make it easier to acquire brand-new customers, and afterwards to rise them up your worth ladder.
Anything that makes client purchase harder, such as a pricey product or service out of eviction, is mosting likely to make expanding and also scaling your business more difficult. The reality is that it sets you back 5 times as a lot to bring in a new customer as it does to preserve an existing one. That's why tripwires are so effective. They reduced the barrier-of-entry right into your company. And also anything that can reduce the barrier of entrance is always ideal.
One more wonderful method to introduce a sales funnel and conveniently enhance your income whatever service you remain in is via a lead magnet. The lead magnet requires to add actual value. But it can be in various styles such as a PDF book, list, cheat sheet and so forth. After the download, you can use an one-time offer. This implies a three-step funnel. You could also create an up-sell if they take the single deal or even a payment-plan down-sell if they decline it.
Why do a lead magnet with lots of value? First, you're setting on your own up as a professional. If that content is truly workable, and it includes a substantial quantity of worth to the prospect's life, after that they're mosting likely to perceive you as the authority. Yet it does something much more than that. It's a matter of micro-commitments. The concept? Obtain somebody to agree to do three small points for you and also the 4th one is quickly an indeed.
One of the most effective sales funnels you can build is based around the webinar. In fact, it was the webinar that conserved Brunson's business from insolvency a number of times. It was a combination and end result of knowledge that bring about the excellent webinar manuscript, which develops the basis for the supreme sales funnel. Several of it originated from Jason Fladlien, while other items came from in other places in Brunson's trip.
Nonetheless, all that information incorporated into the style of an ideal webinar and also funnel, has actually literally transformed business of many entrepreneurs who have actually taken their understanding as well as monetized it with the rapid pressure of webinars. Constructing a webinar is one of the best courses to success with a sales funnel. As a matter of fact, the webinar funnel is fairly possibly the most transformative funnel you can introduce for any business, brand-new or old.
An additional means to raise your earnings with a sales funnel is to develop a high-ticket mentoring funnel that goes from application to call to shut.
The application enables you to extract those who aren't serious. And also, on the call, you can seal the deal. Now, this sort of sales funnel jobs if you have actually currently had outcomes with clients. Otherwise, help complimentary up until you obtain results for people. After that, gather testimonies and also make use of those as part of the pitch for the training.
Most likely one of the largest and most preferred sales funnels these days is the free-plus-shipping offer funnel. It makes a great entrance point into any funnel by developing a single deal or up-sell after the deal, similar to a tripwire funnel. Nonetheless, the distinction here is the power of the word cost-free. Yes, tripwires, which are really inexpensive services or products, function well. But there is genuine power in the word cost-free.
As a matter of fact, people will jump up as well as down for a totally free deal, even if they need to cover the shipping and handling, in contrast to taking an offer that they even need to pay a small amount of cash for.


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Q: JavaFX Label extension unable to coerce I'v extended a JavaFX Label.
public class UpdateLabel extends Label{
    private StringProperty updateKeyPrefix = new SimpleStringProperty();
    public String getUpdateKeyPrefix(){
        return this.updateKeyPrefix.get();
    }
    public void setUpdateKeyPrefix(String updateKeyPrefix){
        this.updateKeyPrefix.set(updateKeyPrefix);
    }

    private ObjectProperty<Enum<?>> updateKeyEnum = new SimpleObjectProperty<>();
    public Enum<?> getUpdateKeyEnum(){
        return this.updateKeyEnum.get();
    }
    public void setUpdateKeyEnum(Enum<?> updateKeyEnum){
        this.updateKeyEnum.set(updateKeyEnum);
    }

    public Update getUpdate(){
        return new Update(this.getUpdateKeyEnum(), this.getUpdateKeyPrefix(), null);
    }
}

Now when i use it in my fxml I get the following errors:

I can still compile regardless, but when I run it I get this:

A: Okay found it already: I wasn't extending the correct Label class. (Java.awt instead of the JavaFX one).


Gymnasts look like bodybuilders. Gymnasts have very defined muscles and extremely low body fat levels. To build a gymnast's body, you must train in a similar manner. Their size and definition come from their training methods. Gymnasts train for strength, power, balance, coordination, agility and conditioning. According to trainer Gina Paulhus, "The first thing you have to realize is that gymnasts' bodies are a 'side effect' of their training more than an actual goal of the training. The gymnasts' muscles hypertrophy more or less as needed to aid their skill development and routine performance."
Perform cardiovascular exercises such as jogging, sprinting and interval training to build stamina and lose body fat. Gymnasts perform a variety of cardiovascular exercises to be able to have the stamina for long practices and meets. Gymnasts also must keep their body fat levels low. Too much body fat will hurt their energy levels, stamina and make them weigh more, making it difficult to push themselves during their routines.
Perform core conditioning exercise drills such as leg lifts, crunches, planches and handstands. These drills will strengthen the core and define the abdominal and lower back muscles. Gymnasts require outstanding core strength. During events, gymnasts must use their core to pull and push themselves in different directions. This style of training gives gymnasts defined core muscles.
Perform body-weight training routines. Perform exercises such as pushups, pullups, handstand pushups, body-weight squats and different planche positions. These exercises, which are done by gymnasts, promote muscle growth throughout the entire body. Gymnastics coach Christopher Sommer explains, "Now another question that we should ask ourselves--is the bodyweight training of the Olympians also beneficial to the fitness enthusiast? And if so, is it possible to apply at least some of it to those without a professional instructor to guide them or tens of thousands of dollars of specialized gymnastics equipment? And the answers are once again--yes and yes. There are some of our specialized exercises that are relatively easy to learn and require little or no equipment beyond a chinup bar and some floor space."
Practice and perform the planche and front lever. These two exercises build strength and size in the entire upper body and core. During these exercises you hold your body in a static position and progress to other positions. Coach Sommer explains, "Basically these two exercises promote extreme strength and stability throughout the shoulder girdle both anteriorly and posteriorly. In addition, they'll trash your core and work your lower back/hips thoroughly."
Consult a physician or certified trainer before attempting this program.


April | 2011 | ifindkarma. elegance is refusal.
Abbott and Costolo: Who's on First?
It's spring, and a young man's thoughts turn to baseball. Nom.
Abbott: Well Costolo, I'm going to New York with you. You know Bucky Harris, the Yankees' manager, gave me a job as coach for as long as you're on the team.
Costolo: Look Abbott, if you're the coach, you must know all the players.
Costolo: Well you know I've never met the guys. So you'll have to tell me their names, and then I'll know who's playing on the team.
Costolo: You mean funny names?
Costolo: And their French cousin.
Costolo: That's what I want to find out.
Costolo: Are you the manager?
Costolo: You gonna be the coach too?
Costolo: And you don't know the fellows' names?
Costolo: Well then who's on first?
Costolo: I mean the fellow's name.
Costolo: The guy on first.
Costolo: I'm asking YOU who's on first.
Costolo: Well go ahead and tell me.
Costolo: Look, you gotta first baseman?
Costolo: When you pay off the first baseman every month, who gets the money?
Costolo: All I'm trying to find out is the fellow's name on first base.
Costolo: Look, all I wanna know is when you sign up the first baseman, how does he sign his name?
Costolo: All I'm trying to find out is what's the guy's name on first base.
Costolo: I'm not asking you who's on second.
Costolo: One base at a time!
Costolo: I'm not changing nobody!
Costolo: I'm only asking you, who's the guy on first base?
Costolo: What's the guy's name on first base?
Costolo: Now how did I get on third base?
Costolo: If I mentioned the third baseman's name, who did I say is playing third?
Costolo: There I go, back on third again!
Costolo: Would you just stay on third base and don't go off it.
Costolo: Now who's playing third base?
Costolo: What am I putting on third.
Costolo: You don't want who on second?
Costolo: Look, you gotta outfield?
Costolo: The left fielder's name?
Costolo: I just thought I'd ask you.
Costolo: Then tell me who's playing left field.
Costolo: I'm not… stay out of the infield! I want to know what's the guy's name in left field?
Abbott & Costolo Together: Third base!
Costolo: Look, You gotta pitcher on this team?
Costolo: You don't want to tell me today?
Costolo: What time tomorrow are you gonna tell me who's pitching?
Costolo: I'll break your arm, you say who's on first! I want to know what's the pitcher's name?
Costolo: Today, and tomorrow's pitching.
Costolo: All we got is a couple of days on the team.
Costolo: You know I'm a catcher too.
Costolo: I get behind the plate to do some fancy catching, Tomorrow's pitching on my team and a heavy hitter gets up. Now the heavy hitter bunts the ball. When he bunts the ball, me, being a good catcher, I'm gonna throw the guy out at first base. So I pick up the ball and throw it to who?
Costolo: I don't even know what I'm talking about!
Costolo: Is to throw the ball to first base.
Costolo: Now who's got it?
Costolo: Look, if I throw the ball to first base, somebody's gotta get it. Now who has it?
Costolo: So I pick up the ball and I throw it to Naturally.
Abbott: No you don't, you throw the ball to Who.
Costolo: That's what I said.
Costolo: I throw the ball to Naturally.
Costolo: That's what I said!
Costolo: I throw the ball to who?
Costolo: Now you ask me.
Costolo: Same as you! Same as YOU! I throw the ball to who. Whoever it is drops the ball and the guy runs to second. Who picks up the ball and throws it to What. What throws it to I Don't Know. I Don't Know throws it back to Tomorrow, Triple play. Another guy gets up and hits a long fly ball to Because. Why? I don't know! He's on third and I don't give a darn!
Costolo: I said I don't give a darn!
* Did I mention I dreamt of pop songs?


text:
FinanceNewsRecent Articles
Russia Sold 85% of US Treasury Securities Last Year –– They Own Over $100 Billion in Gold
Russia's gold reserves rose to more than $100 billion thanks to rising gold prices and the country's efforts to boost its bullion holdings. In June alone, Russia added more than 18 tons of the precious metal.
June's gold purchases brought Russia's gold reserves to a total of 2,208 tons, according to the latest data released by the Central Bank of Russia (CBR). This meant Russia was sitting on a mountain of gold valued at $100,277.6 million as of July 1, the CBR report shows.
Since the beginning of the year the national holdings of the precious metal have been increased by around 96.4 tons amid Moscow's push to de-dollarize its foreign exchange reserves. More than 6 tons were added to Russia's coffers in May, around 16 tons in April, and a further 18 tons in March.
The biggest gold shopping spree came in February, when Russian gold reserves rose by more than 31 tons in one month. During the first month of the year 6 tons of gold were added.
Last year, Russia was crowned the most committed purchaser of gold as it acquired almost 275 tons, the largest amount ever purchased in a single year, according to the World Gold Council.
Read & share: Rothschild Just Dumped Massive Amounts of US Assets — U.S. Capital Markets Are 'Risky'
"Russia, right now, obviously wants to buy as much gold as it can while the price is still relatively cheap. That allows it to build up a bigger hoard of gold to replace the diminished value that the dollar is going to play as a reserve currency," veteran broker Peter Schiff previously told RT.
The analyst later predicted that the precious metal is set to top its 2011 highs (up to $1900 per ounce) in the near future.
Moscow used to be one of the largest investors in US Treasury securities, but has sold off much of them in recent years. Russia's holdings of US debt are currently at the lowest level since May 2007 totaling $12.024 billion.
Last year, Russia reduced its holdings by more than 85 percent, from $96.9 billion in January to $13.2 billion in December.
Source: RT News
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