text:
Q: Django static files on AWS S3 Bucket There are a bunch of questions similar to this one, but after going through some of them, I still can't get it right.
I have a Django app and I want to serve static and media files using an AWS S3 Bucket. I can run python manage.py collectstatic and the files are added to the bucket. However, I am getting a 404 not found error for static files on the browser. There was a point in time that my configurations worked because I was able to see the files coming from s3 by inspecting the page, but I can't find what was changed for it not to work now.
Here's my settings.py:
USES_S3 = os.getenv('USES_S3') == 'True'

if USES_S3:
    AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID = os.getenv('AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID')
    AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY = os.getenv('AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY')
    AWS_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME = os.getenv('AWS_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME')
    AWS_DEFAULT_ACL = 'public-read'
    AWS_S3_CUSTOM_DOMAIN = f'{AWS_STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME}.s3.amazonaws.com'
    AWS_S3_OBJECT_PARAMETERS = {'CacheControl': 'max-age=31536000'}
    AWS_LOCATION = 'static'
    STATIC_URL = f'https://{AWS_S3_CUSTOM_DOMAIN}/{AWS_LOCATION}/'
    STATICFILES_STORAGE = 'core.storage_backends.StaticStorage'
    PUBLIC_MEDIA_LOCATION = 'media'
    MEDIA_URL = f'https://{AWS_S3_CUSTOM_DOMAIN}/{PUBLIC_MEDIA_LOCATION}/'
    DEFAULT_FILE_STORAGE = 'core.storage_backends.MediaStorage'
else:
    STATIC_URL = '/static/'
    STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(CORE_DIR, 'staticfiles')
    MEDIA_URL = '/mediafiles/'
    MEDIA_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'mediafiles')

STATICFILES_DIRS = (
    os.path.join(CORE_DIR, 'core/static'),
)

storages_backend.py:
from django.conf import settings
from storages.backends.s3boto3 import S3Boto3Storage

class MediaStorage(S3Boto3Storage):
    location = 'media'
    default_acl = 'public-read'
    file_overwrite = False

class StaticStorage(S3Boto3Storage):
    location = 'static'
    default_acl = 'public-read'

I also tried to set the following variables, with no success:
AWS_S3_SIGNATURE_VERSION = 'virtual'
AWS_S3_REGION_NAME = 'eu-west-3'
AWS_S3_SIGNATURE_VERSION = 's3v4'

Any idea what could it be? I don't understand how collectstatic works and creates the files on the bucket but then I get 404.
Here's also an example of one of my html files (this one is the base.html):
<!DOCTYPE html>

{% load static %}

    <title>
    </title>

    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=0, minimal-ui">
    <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge" />
    <link rel="canonical" href="https://appseed.us/admin-dashboards/django-dashboard-dattaable">

    <link rel="icon" href="/static/assets/images/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon">

    <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/fonts/fontawesome/css/fontawesome-all.min.css">

    <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/plugins/animation/css/animate.min.css">

    <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/assets/css/style.css">

    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://cdn.datatables.net/1.10.24/css/jquery.dataTables.css">

    <link href="{% static 'ronfe.css' %}" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />

    {% block stylesheets %}{% endblock stylesheets %}

    {% include 'includes/navigation.html' %}

    {% include 'includes/sidebar.html' %}

            {% block content %}{% endblock content %}

    {% include 'includes/scripts.html' %}

    {% block javascripts %}{% endblock javascripts %}


text:
« Return to overview
Members of the European Parliament pave the way for pan-European fire safety
June 21st, 2018 in Europe, Fatal Domestic Fires, Statistics
Today a group of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) submitted a progressive pilot project proposal on fire safety to the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE). This proposal would fund an EU-wide analysis and assessment of available fire safety statistics aiming to mend the data gaps on fire statistics. The European Fire Safety Alliance welcomes and support the proposal for this project to collect European fire data.
The European Fire Safety Alliance (EuroFSA) is of the opinion that this project will provide strong evidence of the risk from fire for European citizens and be a powerful force to inform pan-European fire safety efforts. Chris Addiers, President of FEU, the Federation of EU Firefighters Associations: "the proposal is relevant and timely, as the clear majority of fire-related injuries are preventable through appropriate risk reduction measures."
"Data on fire casualties and fire safety is widely fragmented across Europe. The pilot project should map and fix the data gaps and pave the way for improved fire safety awareness and fire prevention in Member States" explained the Danish MP Bendt Bendtsen, one of the 24 MEPs who support this proposal. He added "Thankfully the rate of fire fatalities is dropping in Europe for the past decades. We would like to keep that trend going, and to help our national governments in their fire prevention efforts." The pilot project proposal is also a relevant follow up to the new European Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), just published in the Official Journal of the Union. "The revised buildings directive gives real momentum to the renovation of Europe's buildings, and this will be a golden opportunity to improve fire safety for our European citizens at the same time" said Bendt Bendtsen.
The project, tabled as an amendment for the EU budget 2019, will result in two important sets of recommendations. Firstly, the pilot project would allow to identify possible European actions to support enhanced data collection and streamlining in statistics on fire casualties, fire safety and fire prevention.
Secondly, the pilot project would also recommend EU-level actions to support fire safety and fire prevention efforts of Member States into the domestic environment, turning into a possible pan-European fire safety awareness campaign. Efforts to prevent development and consequences of fires requires building occupants to understand which safety precautions or emergency actions need to be taken. Targeted awareness campaigns can ensure that all occupants are familiar with the appropriate behaviour to prevent fire and their consequences.
The pilot project should also complement and support any initiatives by the newly established Fire Information Exchange Platform (FIEP) by the European Commission.
The ITRE Committee will vote on 10 July. If approved, the proposal will be sent to the Budgets Committee of the European Parliament. The EuroFSA invite all MEPs to support this amendment and this initiative which will strengthen the EU commitment to fire safety and support a breakthrough in fire statistics and prevention.
Chair European Fire Safety Alliance
The European Fire Safety Alliance (EuroFSA) recognizes that the majority of deaths and injuries caused by fire happen in the home and impact upon the most vulnerable in society. EuroFSA is a project within the Dutch Burns Foundation. It is an independent alliance of fire professionals and exists to reduce the risk from fireparticularly in the home https://www.europeanfiresafetyalliance.org/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Database I/O Manager (DbIo) provides an interface for your Zen Cart admin to import and export information from your database, using .CSV files as the interface.
#125: Recognize a field-type of `double`.
#117: Correct multi-language customized "Products" export field-ordering.
#118: Add customers' default address information to the "Customers" export.
#119: Add a handler to import/export the "Products Discount Quantity" information.
#110: Load jQuery if the Zen Cart version is less than 1.5.5a.
#111: Correct customized exports returning "too much information".
#112: Enable an export to return multiple .csv records for a database record.
#114: Enable nullable fields to be set to "NULL".
#105: (Products) Duplicate records on initial import result in debug log.
#106: (Products/Orders) Customized export can result in incorrect field values.
#107: (Products) Import/update doesn't update master-categories id.
#99: Correct the plugin's initialization for "early adopters".
#91: Back-ticks required around database field names.
#92: Enable special handling for handlers with fixed-field headers.
#93: Check for the php-mbstring extension; message if not installed.
#80: Record-count not updated; data needs encoding.
This version of DbIo adds the capability to REMOVE a product's database record and to use either the product's ID or its model-number as a "key" on import.
#7: Enable handlers to support "commands" (like REMOVE); the "Products" import now recognizes the REMOVE command.
#70: Fixed-header import misses "special import" fields.
#71: An incomplete import record was not being flagged.
#72: Don't post-process imports that have previously failed.
#73: Enable a handler to specify an alternate key; supports the "Products" import to key to either the product's ID or model-number.
#74: Enable a handler to specify a minimum base-class version.
#75: Don't gather export filters until needed; a performance enhancement for store's with a large number of categories and/or manufacturers.
#69: Enable a handler to perform some post-processing for the record-set just imported.
#63: Clarify some of the handlers' instructions.
#67: Unwanted HTML included in CSV-download in some configurations.
#60: Missing "Customers" handler's language file.
#62: Only default language exported by "Products" handler on multi-lingual stores.
#64: v_categories_name field not properly encoded by the "Products" export.
#65: Empty dates should be allowed when a date/datetime field is nullable.


Gaining new customers next to your existing ones is essential to building a profitable route. Door hangers provide an effective and economical way to attract new business from neighbors of your existing pest control customers. Unlike postcards and other marketing mailers which can be expensive with today's postage rates, door hangers cost less and you will more likely gain the homeowner's attention to your message when they remove it. Despite the bad rap they sometimes get, the fact is, door hangers work! There is however a right way and a wrong way to utilize them in your marketing efforts.
Define your target audience. Ideally, this would be a neighborhood that you are already servicing.
Check with your local government to see if there are any solicitor ordinances or any other regulations that prohibit distributing commercial advertisements door-to-door. While historically protected by the First Amendment, more and more communities are enacting ordinances and regulations that may impact your marketing efforts.
Develop a concise and compelling headline and body copy that addresses how your service will solve your customer's problem and make their life better. These are the top reasons people are motivated to make a purchase.
Also relate directly to your target audience. Referring to the fact you are currently servicing their neighbor's home, or mentioning the specific area or neighborhood you are targeting will increase your return on investment.
Include an incentive on the door hanger. This can be a coupon or a more personalized handwritten note with a special first-time customer offer. Think of something out of the ordinary that differentiates you from your competition.
Incorporating some sort of "call to action" with urgency is by far the most important thing you can do. Making your sales offer good for a limited time or promoting a timely treatment to control a specific seasonal pest work well. If you can get the prospective customer to take the first step in contacting you, you have the opportunity to cultivate that relationship and a much better chance of closing a sale. Incentivize them to complete a questionnaire on your website in order to receive a free promotional item such as a mini fly swatter imprinted with your pest control business logo. Then use the information you've collected from the questionnaire about their pest control problems to followup and close the sale.
Develop a distribution plan that best works with your marketing message. If you requested your call to action by a specific date, hiring a company to distribute the door hangers may be your best option. Otherwise, "clover leafing" the homes around your existing customers works great. Take 20 door hangers for each of your current customers and after performing the service, attach them to the five homes to the left of your customer, five homes to the right of your customer and the 10 homes across the street from your customer.
If you follow the suggestions in these seven tips you will generate a greater response and attract more new customers. ServiceMark has 20 years experience working one-on-one with pest control companies to design and print door hangers that generate results. Check out our stock pest control door hangers or call us at 1-866-782-6275 ext 1 to discuss how we can develop and print a custom design that will help you achieve your growth goals.


text:
Blackout over west campus last weekend
Posted on September 20, 2021 by Southern News Leave a comment
Ellis McGinley – Managing Editor
Madeline Scharf – News Editor
A generator failure in the campus Energy Center led to a nearly six-hour power outage on Friday, Sept.10, cutting electricity and cable services to the west side of campus.
This included all residence halls, some offices, and Connecticut Hall, forcing dining services to relocate to the Adanti Student Center for the duration of the power outage.
"I was in the middle of an important exam," special education major Hannah Clark, a junior, said. "This determines if I get in the education program or not, this is a super important test that just… ended. I'm, like, about to cry."
Elevators, running water and internet access were unavailable in the affected buildings. The Student Center and academic buildings were unaffected.
At the time the outage began, campus electrical services confirmed they had no more information than was eventually provided in emails to students and, at the time, were uncertain when power would be restored.
"[I'm] a little anxious," said elementary education major Anna Marvin, a sophomore, minutes after the outage began. "I need to get ready for work. I'm just hoping it gets fixed by Monday."
According to some residents, there had been a power outage earlier in morning, although it was not announced over campus alert systems.
"I got up at like, 7:30[am]. So, I got up and it had come back already, but I noticed like, the microwave and the stove timer were blinking," said psychology major Anna Jani, a sophomore and Schwartz resident. "And I heard the RAs talking about it."
Crucial updates for dining services were posted via Instagram and the Sodexo text alert system. However, students without Wi-Fi or who did not opt into Sodexo text updates for university dining services may not have accessed this information.
"I wanted to get lunch at Conn., but they're not letting people in because their power is out too," said exploratory major Olivia Carluccio, a freshman who lives in Neff. "I have snacks in my dorm, but I wanted to get real food. I had breakfast, though."
Resident advisors in West said they knew just as much as students. They were not informed why the outage occurred or when the electricity was estimated to return.
Liz Floyd, marketing manager for Sodexo, said around 1pm "we have not been yet informed yet on what the issue is or ETA on restoration, but our operations in the student center still have power."
Conn. allowed students inside to finish their meals inside the sunlight-lit dining hall but stopped taking new diners after the outage began.
"If students text OWLS to 82257, they can receive notifications, updates and promotions from campus dining," Floyd said.
This number was used to give students updates regarding the outage, relocation and reopening times of the dining hall.
Perishable food in Conn. were moved to coolers in the student center.
Food services manager Rinkesh Patel said, "we have coolers in the student center, so we can always transfer there. We are hoping the power comes back soon. If for any reason they let us know there's no power for the whole day, we'll open for dinner services in the student center."
Approximately half an hour after Patel's comments, it was announced the power outage was due to a generator failure in the Energy Center. It was estimated the outage would last as many as six hours, and the cause was uncertain.
However, the outage was unrelated to underground construction at the new School of Business site, which residential students were notified via email may have affected internet and cable connections Saturday, Sept.11.
At 5:18 p.m., it was announced via SouthernAlert email that power had been restored to the west side of campus. More information on why the outage occurred was not provided.
"I'm just gonna go back and grab my skateboard," said computer science major Miles Meade, a junior, at the start of the afternoon. "Hang outside, I guess. It's a nice day."


Browse Shelf Catalogue Record 140625 .
Item Information Catalogue Record 140625 .
Catalogue Information Catalogue Record 140625 .
Reviews Catalogue Record 140625 .
Adult Fiction Tura . Available .
. Catalogue Record 140625 ItemInfo Beginning of record . Catalogue Record 140625 ItemInfo Top of page .
Games traitors play Jon Stock.
Re-inventing the spy story for the 21st Century. John Le Carre meets Jason Bourne! Salim Dhar is the world's most wanted terrorist. The CIA is under pressure to hunt him down, after he narrowly failed to kill the US president. The borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan are the target of relentless drone strikes. Echelon, the West's intelligence analysis network, is in meltdown, monitoring all channels for the faintest trace of Dhar. But no one can find him. Only Daniel Marchant, renegade MI6 officer, knows where he is.
Great Britain. -- MI6 -- Officials and employees .
Terrorism -- Prevention -- Fiction .
A Daniel Marchant thriller .
Catalogue Information 140625 Beginning of record . Catalogue Information 140625 Top of page .


text:
module ValidatesEmailFormatOf
  class Railtie < Rails::Railtie
    initializer 'validates_email_format_of.load_i18n_locales' do |app|
      ValidatesEmailFormatOf::load_i18n_locales
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
… American Crime Story Doktor Doogie Kamealoha FX ABC Disney+ Peacock Peacock Originals CBS Hulu Netflix Originals Netflix Fox NBC ESPN MTV MTV2 VH1 BET Comedy Central LOGO Nickelodeon TV Land The CW
Watch This: The Best In Streaming This Week, Including 'Impeachment: American Crime Story' and 'Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.'
6. sep. 2021 15.00 CEST – Michael King
Historically, the television highlight of Labor Day Weekend was the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, an entertainment extravaganza broadcast to his "Love Network" of more than 200 stations around the nation and many others around the world. The fund-raising funfest is no more, but this week does signal the beginning of the fall television season and the beginning of the pro football season.
Several high-profile premieres are slated for this week, including the long-anticipated Impeachment: American Crime Story on FX, which delves into the sordid tale of Monica Lewinsky and President Bill Clinton. Meanwhile, over on Disney+, is a reboot of the early 90s hit ABC series Doogie Howser, M.D., which initially catapulted Neal Patrick Harris into stardom. In Doogie Kamealoha, M.D., a 16-year-old girl navigates her hospital residency, while simultaneously trying to deal with dating, each while under the watchful eye of her mother — who happens to be her boss.
Here's the rest of the best of streaming this week:
Take a Journey 'Beyond Salem'
On Monday, the long-time daytime NBC soap opera, Days of Our Lives moves into two different new worlds at the same time — streaming and a spinoff. Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem is a week-long miniseries event. The Peacock Original miniseries features many familiar Days characters from over the years in a mystery that turns into a race against time across the globe. Past and present Days stars are returning for the event, including Lisa Rinna, Deidre Hall, Drake Hogestyn, Jackée Harry, James Reynolds, Victoria Konefal, Robert Scott Wilson, Billy Flynn, Lamon Archey, and Sal Stowers.
Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem streams on Peacock Monday through Friday.
A New Name, A New Studio, Still CBS News
On Tuesday morning, Nate Burleson joins Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil for the premiere of CBS Mornings, which replaces CBS This Morning in the 7 am to 9 am morning news time slot. The updated show moves from CBS's venerable Studio 57 to its new Times Square Studios across the street from its distinguished competitors at ABC's Good Morning America. According to King, the show takes more than a passing nod to its sibling, CBS Sunday Morning. The new show will also have an up-tempo version of the Sunday Morning theme music.
CBS Mornings airs on most CBS stations from 7 am to 9 am, and streams on Paramount+.
We've got some personal news… we'll soon be moving to our brand new studio in Times Square!
We'll also have a new name and theme when @NateBurleson joins @GayleKing and @TonyDokoupil at the table beginning September 7.
Check out a sneak peak of #CBSMornings! 🌞 pic.twitter.com/bOp43O1KHH
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) August 31, 2021
Crime Time In The West Wing
Also on Tuesday, the anthology series American Crime Story moves into the White House with the story of the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. An all-star cast takes on the roles that everyone remembers from the headlines including Annaleigh Ashford as Paula Jones, Anthony Green as Al Gore, Billy Eichner as Matt Drudge, Cobie Smulders as Ann Coulter, Kathleen Turner as Susan Webber Wright, Margo Martindale as Lucianne Goldberg, Mira Sorvino, Beanie Feldstein as Monica Lewinsky, Edie Falco as Hillary Clinton, and Clive Owen as Bill Clinton.
Impeachment: American Crime Story premieres Tuesday night at 10 on FX, and streams the following day on Hulu.
This 'Doogie' is a Girl
Lahela "Doogie" Kamealoha is a 16-year-old prodigy juggling a budding medical career and life as a teenager in Doogie Kamealoha, M.D., coming Wednesday to Disney+. With the support of her caring and comical 'ohana (family) and friends, Lahela is determined to make the most of her teenage years and forge her own path. Peyton Elizabeth Lee (Alex Mack) stars as Lahela, with Kathleen Rose Perkins as her mother — and her boss, Dr. Clara Hannon. Jason Scott Lee (Mulan) is her father, Benny Kamealoha.
Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. streams on Wednesday on Disney+.
Flying 'Into The Night'
The second season premiere of the Belgian post-apocalyptic Netflix Original thriller Into The Night also lands on Wednesday. In the first season, a routine flight about to leave from Brussels headed to Moscow was hijacked by a frantic man demanding the plane fly west — just as reports of people dying on the sunlit portion of the earth. As the plane flies to outrun the dawn, it becomes apparent at each refueling stop that something catastrophic is occurring across the planet. In the season one cliffhanger, the passengers make it around the world to a fortified NATO bunker in Bulgaria — just ahead of the coming dawn.
Season two of Into The Night premieres on Netflix on Wednesday.
The League Plays Here
Are you ready for some football? That's the magic question on pro football fans' minds this week. The NFL regular season kicks off on Thursday night as the Dallas Cowboys visit the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As per usual, NBC hosts the NFL Kickoff festivities with Football Night in America at 7 pm, followed by the game. Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth are in the NBC Sports broadcast booth as the season gets underway. The rest of Week One kicks off at noon on Sunday with games on Fox and CBS, with the Bears and Rams playing Sunday night on NBC and the Ravens visiting the Raiders in Las Vegas for Monday Night Football on ESPN and ABC.
Pausing To Remember
On Friday night and Saturday, news specials will be found on many broadcast and cable networks as the nation pauses to remember the 20 years since the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Many people will recall exactly where they were as the planes flew into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Pentagon in northern Virginia, and into a field in Shanksville, Pa.
'I Want My MTV…'
Sunday night, the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards is being presented live from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Following a virtual affair last year, this year's awards is being presented in person once again with Doja Cat as the host. Most nominated artists for this year's awards include Justin Bieber with seven and Megan Thee Stallion with six.
The 2021 MTV Video Music Awards airs on Sunday night on MTV, MTV2, VH1, BET, Comedy Central, Logo, Nickelodeon, TV Land, and The CW.
Impeachment: American Crime Story - Official Trailer | FX


text:
#ifndef TI_TIUITABLEVIEWSECTIONPROXY_H_
#define TI_TIUITABLEVIEWSECTIONPROXY_H_

#include <TiCore.h>
#include "Components/TableViewRowType.h"

namespace TiUI {
class TiUITableViewRowProxy;
class TiUITableViewSectionProxy : public Ti::TiProxy, public TableViewRowType
{
public:
	CREATE_PROXY(TiUITableViewSectionProxy)
	TiUITableViewSectionProxy(const char*);
	virtual ~TiUITableViewSectionProxy();

	Ti::TiValue getRowCount();
	Ti::TiValue getRows();

	Ti::TiValue add(Ti::TiValue);
	Ti::TiValue remove(Ti::TiValue);
	Ti::TiValue rowAtIndex(Ti::TiValue);

	TI_CREATE_SETTER_GETTER(TiUITableViewSectionProxy, setHeaderTitle, getHeaderTitle)
	TI_CREATE_SETTER_GETTER(TiUITableViewSectionProxy, setHeaderSubTitle, getHeaderSubTitle)
	TI_CREATE_SETTER_GETTER(TiUITableViewSectionProxy, setFooterTitle, getFooterTitle)
	TI_CREATE_SETTER_GETTER(TiUITableViewSectionProxy, setFooterView, getFooterView)
	TI_CREATE_SETTER_GETTER(TiUITableViewSectionProxy, setHeaderView, getHeaderView)

	EXPOSE_GETTER(TiUITableViewSectionProxy, getRowCount)
	EXPOSE_GETTER(TiUITableViewSectionProxy, getRows)
	EXPOSE_METHOD(TiUITableViewSectionProxy, add)
	EXPOSE_METHOD(TiUITableViewSectionProxy, remove)
	EXPOSE_METHOD(TiUITableViewSectionProxy, rowAtIndex)

	QList<TiUITableViewRowProxy*> getTableViewRows();
	virtual TableViewRowType::Type getType();

private:
	QString _headerTitle;
	QString _headerSubtitle;
	QList<TiUITableViewRowProxy*> _tableViewRows;
};
}
#endif /* TIUITABLEVIEWSECTIONPROXY_H_ */


The State of the Homebuilding Industry: Ginn Company Sued by Homebuyers - Employees Posing as Competing Buyers!?
Ginn Company Sued by Homebuyers - Employees Posing as Competing Buyers!?
A group of buyers in communities built by The Ginn Co. — including grandiose Tesoro in Port St. Lucie — are claiming the developer and its affiliates fraudulently inflated real estate prices.
A class-action lawsuit filed late last month in U.S. District Court in Jacksonville targets Celebration-based Ginn, its sister companies, financing partner Lubert-Adler and banks that worked with Ginn, including SunTrust, Fifth Third Bancorp and Wachovia Bank.
The suit alleges Ginn led a scheme to bloat prices at every step of the process — from lavish sales launches to manipulated appraisals. Among the claims: Ginn staffers posed as competing buyers to pressure people to sign a sale contract.
The misdeeds happened in more than a dozen Ginn developments, starting as early as the late 1990s, according to the suit.
Some properties are now worth as little as 10 percent of their appraised value, "a phenomenon that absolutely cannot be explained by mere market downturn," the suit states.
Buyers from as far as England and as near as Boca Raton are parties. They are seeking class certification.
"We will vigorously defend against this litigation and any other false allegation brought against our company," Ginn spokesman Ryan Julison said.


text:
Articles from Tiancheng Huo
Deep imaging in highly scattering media by combining reflection matrix measurement with Bessel-like beam based optical coherence tomography
Explore aip.scitation.org Jul 7 2018
Multiple scattering in biomedical tissue limits the imaging depth within a range of 1–2 mm for conventional optical imaging techniques. To extend the imaging depth into the scattering medium, a computational method based on the reflection matrix measurement has been developed to retrieve the singly back-scattered signal light from the dominant detrimental multiple-scattered background. After applying singular value decomposition on the measured matrix in the post-process, the target image underneath the turbid media is clearly recovered. To increase the depth of focus of the incident light by elongating the focal spot along the optical axis, a digital grating pattern ...
Mentions: Zhongping Chen UC Irvine Yan Li
Multimodality endoscopic optical coherence tomography and fluorescence imaging technology for visualization of layered architecture and subsurface microvasculature
Explore OSA | OSA Publishing May 2 2018 Gastroenterology , Probes
Endoscopic imaging technologies, such as endoscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) and near-infrared fluorescence, have been used to investigate vascular and morphological changes as hallmarks of early cancer in the gastrointestinal tract. Here we developed a high-speed multimodality endoscopic OCT and fluorescence imaging system. Using this system, the architectural morphology and vasculature of the rectum wall were obtained simultaneously from a Sprague Dawley rat in vivo . This multimodality imaging strategy in a single imaging system permits the use of a single imaging probe, thereby improving prognosis by early detection and reducing costs.
Quantitative angle-insensitive flow measurement using relative standard deviation OCT
Explore aip.scitation.org Nov 21 2017
Incorporating different data processing methods, optical coherence tomography (OCT) has the ability for high-resolution angiography and quantitative flow velocity measurements. However, OCT angiography cannot provide quantitative information of flow velocities, and the velocity measurement based on Doppler OCT requires the determination of Doppler angles, which is a challenge in a complex vascular network. In this study, we report on a relative standard deviation OCT (RSD-OCT) method which provides both vascular network mapping and quantitative information for flow velocities within a wide range of Doppler angles. The RSD values are angle-insensitive within a wide range of angles, and a nearly linear ...
Mentions: Zhongping Chen Ling Wang UC Irvine
Feature Of The Week 11/26/2016: Tsinghua University Demonstrates Optical Computing Technique and Achieves High Speed OCT of 10 Mega-A-Scans/Second.
Explore Optical Coherence Tomography News Nov 26 2016
In the past few decades, OCT has been applied in a wide range of applications including clinical and material research areas. For some biomedical applications such as surgical guidance, real-time volumetric OCT (4D-OCT) imaging is in high demand. However, for high definition volumetric imaging in real time, i.e., 1000 pixels along 3 spatial dimensions and 30 volumetric imaging per second, the data flow will be 1000×1000×1000×30=30GVoxel/s. To process these massive data is a big challenge to the performance of current GPUs and CPUs. Professor Ping Xue, Postdoc Xiao Zhang and their colleagues from Tsinghua ...
Mentions: Tsinghua University Ping Xue Chengming Wang
Optical computing for optical coherence tomography
Explore Nature Publishing Group Nov 22 2016
We propose an all-optical Fourier transformation system for real-time massive data processing in high speed optical coherence tomography (OCT). In the so-called optical computing OCT, fast Fourier transformation (FFT) of A-scan signal is optically processed in real time before being detected by photoelectric detector. Therefore, the processing time for interpolation and FFT in traditional Fourier domain OCT can be dramatically eliminated. A processing rate of 10 mega-A-scans/second was experimentally achieved, which is, to our knowledge, the highest speed for OCT imaging. Due to its fiber based all-optical configuration, this optical computing OCT system is ideal for ultrahigh speed volumetric ...
Mentions: Tsinghua University Ping Xue Tianyuan Chen
Ultrahigh-speed optical coherence tomography utilizing all-optical 40 MHz swept-source
Explore SPIE | Journal Mar 25 2015 Tunable Sources
We present an ultrahigh-speed optical coherence tomography (OCT) based on an all-optical swept-source with an A-scan rate of 40 MHz. The inertia-free swept-source, which has its output power of 41.2 mW and tuning range of 40 nm and high scan linearity in wavenumber with Pearson's correlation coefficients r of 0.9996, consists of a supercontinuum laser, an optical band-pass filter, a linearly chirped fiber Bragg grating, an erbium-doped fiber amplifier, and two buffer stages. With sensitivity of 87 dB, high-speed OCT imaging of biological tissue in vivo is also demonstrated.
Feature Of The Week 2/2/14: Tsinghua University.Demonstrates Linear-in-Wavenumber Swept Laser with an Acousto-Optic Deflector for OCT
Explore Optical Coherence Tomography News Feb 2 2014 Tunable Sources
Compared to the conventional time domain OCT, the frequency domain (FD) detection techniques enable a dramatic increase in imaging speed. Spectrometer-based FD-OCT (SD-OCT) systems are already widely used, especially for ophthalmic application in the 800 nm wavelength range. Alternatively, the application of FD-OCT systems based on a rapidly swept, narrowband light source, i.e. swept source OCT (SS-OCT) offers the additional advantages of dual balance detection, potentially longer ranging depth and higher imaging speeds. However, a general disadvantage of most FD-OCT systems is the requirement to resample and recalibrate the detected OCT interference fringe prior to fast Fourier transformation, in ...
Linear-in-wavenumber swept laser with an acousto-optic deflector for optical coherence tomography
Explore opticsinfobase.org Jan 3 2014 Tunable Sources
We report a novel linear-in-wavenumber ( k -linear) swept laser source based on an acousto-optic deflector (AOD). The AOD-based optical filter includes an acousto-optic deflector and a reflection grating. The laser may tune k linearly in wavenumber over time due to its appropriate configuration and is favorable for fast imaging because it avoids data resampling and recalibration, as are required in conventional swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). We achieved k -linearity with Pearson's r correlation coefficients of 0.99995 without and 0.99997 with optimization. The laser has a tuning range of 50 nm, a 3 dB swept range ...
Feature Of The Week 10/13/13: Tsinghua University Demonstrates a Tiny OCT Endoscopic Probe Using a Hollow Ultrasonic Motor
Explore Optical Coherence Tomography News Oct 13 2013 Probes
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an emerging modality for obtaining cross-sectional images. Due to limitation of the light penetration, small and high resolution probes for endoscopic OCT have been regarded as powerful tools in examining internal organs. Among them, circumferential probes are utilized extensively for imaging within hollow tissues, such as arteries, esophagus, and colon. In recent years, distal scanning is of high interest, as the whole fiber remains stationary in this case. The twisting and nonuniformity in the conventional proximal scanning are avoided. However, some problems emerge such as the wire-shadow effect and the relative large size of the ...
Tiny endoscopic optical coherence tomography probe driven by a miniaturized hollow ultrasonic motor
Explore SPIE | Journal Aug 21 2013 Probes
We present an endoscopic probe for optical coherence tomography (OCT) equipped with a miniaturized hollow ultrasonic motor that rotates the objective lens and provides an internal channel for the fiber to pass through, enabling 360 deg unobstructed circumferential scanning. This probe has an outer diameter of 1.5 mm, which is ultra-small for motorized probes with an unobstructed view in distal scanning endoscopic OCT. Instead of a mirror or prism, a customized aspheric right-angle lens is utilized, leading to an enlargement of the numerical aperture and thus high transverse resolution. Spectral-domain OCT imaging of bio-tissue and a phantom are demonstrated ...
Mentions: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Tsinghua University Ping Xue
Noninvasive three-dimensional live imaging methodology for the spindles at meiosis and mitosis
Explore SPIE | Journal May 13 2013
The spindle plays a crucial role in normal chromosome alignment and segregation during meiosis and mitosis. Studying spindles in living cells noninvasively is of great value in assisted reproduction technology (ART). Here, we present a novel spindle imaging methodology, full-field optical coherence tomography (FF-OCT). Without any dye labeling and fixation, we demonstrate the first successful application of FF-OCT to noninvasive three-dimensional (3-D) live imaging of the meiotic spindles within the mouse living oocytes at metaphase II as well as the mitotic spindles in the living zygotes at metaphase and telophase. By post-processing of the 3-D dataset obtained with FF-OCT, the ...
Understanding three-dimensional spatial relationship between the mouse second polar body and first cleavage plane with full-field optical coherence tomography
Explore SPIE | Journal Dec 15 2012 Developmental Biology
he morphogenetic relationship between early patterning and polarity formation is of fundamental interest and remains a controversial issue in preimplantation embryonic development. We use a label-free three-dimensional (3-D) imaging technique of full-field optical coherence tomography (FF-OCT) successfully for the first time to study the dynamics of developmental processes in mouse preimplantation lives. Label-free 3-D subcellular time-lapse images are demonstrated to investigate 3-D spatial relationship between the second polar body (2PB) and the first cleavage plane. By using FF-OCT together with quantitative study, we show that only 25% of the predicted first cleavage planes, defined by the apposing plane of two ...
Feature Of The Week 7/22/12: Label-Free Subcellular 3D Live Imaging of Preimplantation Mouse Embryos With Full-Field Optical Coherence Tomography
Explore Optical Coherence Tomography News Jul 22 2012 Developmental Biology , Microscopy
arly patterning and polarity is of fundamental interest in preimplantation embryonic development. Label-free subcellular 3D live imaging is very helpful to its related studies. We have developed a novel system of full-field optical coherence tomography (FF-OCT) for noninvasive 3D subcellular live imaging of preimplantation mouse embryos with no need of dye labeling. 3D digitized embryos can be obtained by image processing. Label-free 3D live imaging is demonstrated for the mouse embryos at various typical preimplantation stages with a spatial resolution of 0.7 µm and imaging rate of 24 fps. Factors that relate to early patterning and polarity, such as ...
Mentions: Tsinghua University Peking University Ping Xue
Compressed sensing with linear-in-wavenumber sampling in spectral-domain optical coherence tomography
Explore opticsinfobase.org Jul 16 2012 Ophthalmology
We propose a novel method called compressed sensing with linear-in-wavenumber sampling (k -linear CS) to retrieve an image for spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). An array of points that is evenly spaced in wavenumber domain is sampled from an original interferogram by a preset k -linear mask. Then the compressed sensing based on l1 norm minimization is applied on these points to reconstruct an A-scan data. To get an OCT image, this method uses less than 20% of the total data as required in the typical process and gets rid of the spectral calibration with numerical interpolation in traditional CS-OCT ...
Label-free subcellular 3D live imaging of preimplantation mouse embryos with full-field optical coherence tomography
Explore Linking to Scitation Content Jun 28 2012 Developmental Biology
Early patterning and polarity is of fundamental interest in preimplantation embryonic development. Label-free subcellular 3D live imaging is very helpful to its related studies. We have developed a novel system of full-field optical coherence tomography (FF-OCT) for noninvasive 3D subcellular live imaging of preimplantation mouse embryos with no need of dye labeling. 3D digitized embryos can be obtained by image processing. Label-free 3D live imaging is demonstrated for the mouse embryos at various typical preimplantation stages with a spatial resolution of 0.7 µm and imaging rate of 24 fps. Factors that relate to early patterning and polarity, such as ...
Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography with a Fresnel spectrometer
Explore opticsinfobase.org Apr 5 2012
We propose a novel spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) equipped with a Fresnel spectrometer, which utilizes a Fresnel zone plate (FZP) as both dispersion and focusing optics and thus spreads the spectral interferogram evenly in wavenumber domain because of the proportional relation between the focal length of the FZP and the wavenumber. With no need of the conversion calculation from wavelength to wavenumber in conventional SD-OCT, this new design is favorable for fast imaging with high resolution. As only a FZP and CCD are used, the Fresnel spectrometer is simple and compact. It is experimentally shown that its performance is ...
(13 articles) Tsinghua University
(13 articles) Tianyuan Chen
(13 articles) Ping Xue
(12 articles) Chengming Wang
(10 articles) Jing-gao Zheng
(10 articles) Ning Zhang
(3 articles) UC Irvine
(3 articles) Zhongping Chen
(2 articles) Peking University
(2 articles) Jiang Zhu


text:
Dead Lucky
Life After Death on Mount Everest
Hall, Lincoln
Lincoln Hall's breathtaking account of surviving a night in Everest's "death zone."
Lincoln Hall likes to say that on the evening of May 25, 2006, he died on Everest. Indeed, Hall attempted to climb the mountain during a deadly season in which eleven people perished. And he was, in fact, pronounced dead, after collapsing from altitude sickness. Two Sherpas spent hours trying to revive him, but as darkness fell, word came via radio from the expedition's leader that they should descend in order to save themselves. The news of Hall's death traveled rapidly from mountaineering websites to news media around the world, and ultimately to his family back in Australia. Early the next morning, however, an American guide, climbing with two clients and a Sherpa, was startled to find Hall sitting cross-legged on a sharp crest of the summit ridge.
In this page-turning account of survival against all odds, Hall chronicles in fascinating detail the days and nights that led up to his fateful night in Mount Everest's "death zone." His story is all the more miraculous given his climbing history. Hall had been part of Australia's first attempt to reach the top of Everest in 1984 but had not done any major climbing for many years, having set aside his passion in order to support his family. While others in the team achieved their dream during this 1984 expedition, Hall was forced to turn back due to illness. Thus, his triumph in reaching the summit at the age of fifty is a story unto itself. So, too, is Hall's description of his family's experience back in Australia, as sudden grief turned to relief and joy in a matter of hours. Rarely has there been such a thrilling narrative of one man's encounter with the world's tallest mountain.
Publisher: New York : Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2007.
Characteristics: xx, 309 p. [16] p. of plates :,ill., maps ;,24 cm.
Read more reviews of Dead Lucky at iDreamBooks.com
ashishxsharma Oct 26, 2012
An amazing ordeal of survival at extreme altitude and showcase of human strength of a person, who decided to "Not to Die".
Once you are done reading, you surely will value "Life" more.
Infodemon Oct 06, 2010
A first-person account from a climber who almost died on Everest during the 2006 climbing season. After collapsing and being abandoned by his teammates, who thought he was dead, Hall was found alive the next morning and eventually made it safely down from the mountain. His account of the night he spent slipping in and out of reality in the death zone is harrowing, but gripping.
dparent Jan 19, 2009
If you like books about Everest, this is an interesting story though I was expecting a little bit in terms of what really happened to Lincoln Hall.
jbeckber Nov 04, 2008
Probably the most pragmatic account of Everest - good, bad and ugly.
Hall, Lincoln, 1955-
Mountaineers — Australia — Biography
Mountaineering Accidents — Everest, Mount (China and Nepal)
Mountaineering — Everest, Mount (China and Nepal)


If you live on Beacon Hill and your trash isn't picked up tomorrow, call 1-800-976-0071 to report service disruptions. You will get patched through to city officials and will be able to let them know that your trash is starting to pile up, and that this dispute needs to get resolved soon. You can also go to http://www.seattletrashwatch.com for more information.
This strike is avoidable, and seems an awful lot like what I remember from my history lessons. American culture has a fundamental reflex against carpet bagger robber barons moving into towns and short-changing the labor force.
If you're angry too, call Duane Woods (WM West Division VP) at (480) 419-6140. If you don't get him, leave him a message telling him how we don't want him lowering our local standard of living.
Thank you union apologists(above). Seems like you have a pretty selective memory of your 'history' lessons..or will they sponsored by the SEIU? By no measure is the current contract offering short changing the labor force. You're delusional.
Oh, don't be such a whiner and corporate stooge, "right to work". Employees should have every right to organize for better working conditions. Besides, the "salary" that WM keeps quoting (and changing, I might add) is based on 10-15 hours of mandatory overtime each week, which is a sleazy way to run a business.
Unions aren't perfect – nothing run by humans is – but most people in this country know absolutely nothing about them, and instead just settle for some dumb stereotypes and half truths. If you turned off the KVI and fox news, you might actually learn something about labor relations.
In the meantime, the strike's off, so everyone can unclutch their pearls.


A gardening group in East London are calling on the Mayor to use his planning powers to create Europes biggest 'urban forest garden' in the centre of the capital.
In an attempt to tackle air pollution and create community space, the project would see a green walkway connecting Hackney and Tower Hamlets covering nearly two thirds of a mile in with trees and shrubs.
They are offering this proposal as an alternative to current plans that have been put forward by the developers Ballymore and Hammerson.
The firms have submitted a planning application for 1,356 homes and a shopping space to the local councils.
Ballymore and Hammerson say that they have consulted the public extensivily, and have updated their proposals which include plans for 6 acres assigned as public space, which includes connected gardens, terraces and walkways.


Accredited Certification Services Pvt Ltd (ACS PVT LTD) accreditation was Withdrawn as of January 5 2017.
JAS-ANZ has investigated over several months the market practices of: Accredited Certification Services Pvt Ltd, B09, IVY Estate, Wagholi, Pune Maharashtra 412207 India. ACS failed to provide any adequate response to evidence that they issued certification without any procedural compliance. ACS further failed to respond to a 'Show Cause' why their accreditation should not be suspended, and to accept a forensic audit of their operations. Therefore, the accreditation of ACS was withdrawn on 05/01/17. ACS PVT LTD did not appeal the decision.


Based on ancient, traditional remedies of the Miao people of Lei Gong Shan (Thunder God Mountain) in China, Indulge Thairapy's new Yin-Yang Balancing Treatment is a perfect treatment for the common ailments of people living here in tropical Singapore.
With hot and humid weather all-year round, Singaporeans generally use/are exposed to a lot of air-conditioning and consume copious amounts of iced & cold beverages. This disrupts the body's natural yin-yang and qi balance, leading to an abundance of coldness and dampness accumulating in the lower half of the body and excessive heatiness accumulating in the upper half of the body, which can cause a myriad of health problems. These include insomnia, headaches, anxiety, irritability, excessive skin and scalp oiliness, poor blood circulation to the extremities, muscle aches and pains and menstrual irregularities etc.
Indulge Thairapy's Yin-Yang Balancing Treatment addresses the root of the problems rather than just treating the symptoms individually. This is achieved by employing a combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) massage techniques with specially-blended herbal essential oils, Gua Sha Treatment on the back to release the excessive heatiness of the upper body and soothing, warming Moxibustion Treatment to expel the excess cold and dampness in the lower body.


text:
Smore Magazine
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The Glass Octopus – A Rare Sighting
Blog, Videos / January 24, 2023 January 24, 2023 / By Smore Science
The glass octopus is a rarely-spotted organism found in tropical and subtropical seas around the world. This organism gets its name due to its transparent body which looks like glass. One can look straight through its body to see the nerves, the eyes, and the digestive tract. Scientists believe that the glass octopus gained its …
The Glass Octopus – A Rare Sighting Read More »
How Do Birds Know to Fly South?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sv401Tbqoo It is known that a few bird species leave their homes and fly south for the winter. This movement of birds which occurs according to the seasons each year is known as migration. Why do birds fly south for the winter? There are a few reasons why birds migrate. Many bird species are …
How Do Birds Know to Fly South? Read More »
How do Root Modules Form?
Blog, Videos / January 6, 2023 January 19, 2023 / By Smore Science
Plants need products derived from nitrogen; however, they cannot use free nitrogen in the air. How do they solve this issue? One of the best events in nature is when two different organisms team up and look out for one another. This is referred to as symbiosis. Plants like peas team up with a soil …
How do Root Modules Form? Read More »
How Does Optical Fiber Work?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lic3gCS_bKo Light is the fastest thing in the universe. Why not get light to piggyback data, and make the internet faster? This is where optical fibers out"shine" other methods. Imagine you are in a room, and it has open doors and windows. Now you stand at the center of one of the walls and throw …
How Does Optical Fiber Work? Read More »
How Does a Color Laser Printer Work?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDiHTK9nwYw Imagine how the world would have been without printers. There would be no newspapers. Books would not be available and acquiring documents would have been so much harder. But how do these devices work? For starters, printers make use of four colored inks only: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Different combinations of these inks …
How Does a Color Laser Printer Work? Read More »
Amoeba Hunts and Kills Paramecia and Stentor
Blog, Videos / December 13, 2022 January 24, 2023 / By Smore Science
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XlzCe5gDu0 Amoebae are organisms made up of only one cell. They are predatory and eat other, smaller microbes. The liquid present within a cell is called the cytoplasm, and it can be categorized based on its texture. The cytoplasm towards the periphery of the cell is more rigid and is called ectoplasm (Greek: ektos; which …
Amoeba Hunts and Kills Paramecia and Stentor Read More »
Hungry Venus Flytraps Snap Shut on a Host of Unfortunate Flies
Blog, Videos / November 24, 2022 January 24, 2023 / By Smore Science
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7eQKSf0LmY Carnivorous plants can be thought of as mavericks of the plant kingdom. When faced with limited resources, these botanical marvels tend to bend the rules to come up with clever solutions! There are over 800 species of predatory plants all over the globe! Many carnivorous plants, like the Venus flytrap, have evolved as …
Hungry Venus Flytraps Snap Shut on a Host of Unfortunate Flies Read More »
Molecular Machines of the Body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_tYrnv_o6A You may not be able to see them, but there are millions upon millions of tiny molecular machines in your body. While machines in the outside world are made of metals, the machines inside your body are made up of proteins. The molecular machines in cells help organisms perform a range of biological …
Molecular Machines of the Body Read More »
Cockroaches and Their Eggs!
Videos / October 22, 2022 January 24, 2023 / By Smore Science
https://youtu.be/qzkxntU1UA0 Cockroaches, also known as roaches, are common household pests closely related to termites. While cockroaches have been indicators of uncleanliness throughout human history, most cockroach species are not "dirty pests" but live in various habitats. Only 30 cockroach species out of the 4,600 known species roam near human habitats. Cockroaches can tolerate various climatic …
Cockroaches and Their Eggs! Read More »
Fly Over a Martian Crater!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T24yNNi8ZmA Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in our solar system. It is a terrestrial planet, having a thin atmosphere and a crust composed of elements similar to Earth. Additionally, its core consists of iron and nickel. Mars is well-known for the features on its surface, such as impact craters, valleys, dunes, …
Fly Over a Martian Crater! Read More »
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text:
package org.pentaho.di.trans.steps.excelinput.staxpoi;

public class StaxUtil {

  public static int extractRowNumber( String position ) {
    int startIndex = 0;
    while ( !Character.isDigit( position.charAt( startIndex ) ) && startIndex < position.length() ) {
      startIndex++;
    }
    String rowPart = position.substring( startIndex );
    return Integer.parseInt( rowPart );
  }

  public static int extractColumnNumber( String position ) {
    int startIndex = 0;
    while ( !Character.isDigit( position.charAt( startIndex ) ) && startIndex < position.length() ) {
      startIndex++;
    }
    String colPart = position.substring( 0, startIndex );
    return parseColumnNumber( colPart );
  }

  /**
   * Convert the column indicator in Excel like A, B, C, AE, CX and so on to a 1-based column number.
   * @param columnIndicator The indicator to convert
   * @return The 1-based column number
   */
  public static final int parseColumnNumber( String columnIndicator ) {
    int col = 0;
    for ( int i = columnIndicator.length() - 1; i >= 0; i-- ) {
      char c = columnIndicator.charAt( i );
      int offset = 1 + Character.getNumericValue( c ) - Character.getNumericValue( 'A' );
      col += Math.pow( 26, columnIndicator.length() - i - 1 ) * offset;
    }

    return col;
  }
}


text:
Q: displaying supplementary info about collection item in MVVM new to WPF and MVVM, and trying to get my head around the normal way to do things.
Say I have an observable collection of customer objects. I can bind a ListView, or ItemsControl to this and they all display fine.
Now say I have some supplementary information about each item that is not stored in the customer object. Say perhaps a special offer is on, and certain customers are eligible for the offer, but this flag is not held in the customer object.
What is the standard way to display this supplementary info in the list?
My immediate thought is to create a new collection of some structure in my viewmodel that contains both a customer object, and this flag. I can then bind the list straight to this collection, and bind the various display components to the appropriate struct members.
However, this seems a bit of a waste when I already have an ObservableCollection of customers. If I want the new list to be "live", then I need the new collection to subscribe and react to add/removes in the underlying customer collection.
Is this the way to do it? Or is there some way I can maintain the offer flags in some way separately, and yet still bind to them in my ListView?
Many thanks

A: When using the MVVM pattern, the ViewModel is the "model of your view", i.e. it is a model that closely resembles your current view.
I can see why you might want you underlying model to store offers and customers separately.
Pseudocode:
class MyModel
{
   List<Offer> Offers {get; set;}
   List<Customer> Customers {get; set;}
}

However, you cannot bind a ListView to your customers and somehow correlate them with your offers. It is the role of your ViewModel to shape the Model so that it is easier to bind it to your view:
class CustomerViewModel
{
    // the customer model
    private Customer customer;

    // and offer - might be null
    private Offer offer;

    // expose properties of the two above model objects here
}

Your view model would create an ObservableCollection of these CustomerViewModel instances, using the collection of model Customer instances, locating an Offer if one exists.
This ObservableCollection<CustomerViewModel> can be readily bound to your view.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Home Article A Stimulus Everyone Can Love
A Stimulus Everyone Can Love
As Congress dithers, the economy continues to crumble. The consensus that we need a stimulus package has been undermined by deadlock over what should get funding. Here's a plan both sides can agree on.
by Robert Kuttner
Watching the economy unravel while the government dithers is like viewing an accident in slow motion. Or to change the metaphor, it is like one of those movies where the film begins with the tragic ending and the rest of the movie recounts the unfolding back story.
Consider: The Paulson rescue of banks is a failure. Credit is still widely frozen. Retail sales, according to the recently released October government statistics, are plummeting at a rate not seen in decades. Some big chain stores reported drops in excess of 20 percent. Unemployment is accelerating. It is now 6.5 percent (which understates involuntary part-time employment) and will very likely jump to double digits by early next year.
None of the indirect efforts to contain foreclosures has helped more than a small fraction of the 3 million homeowners at risk. State and local governments are cutting back spending and laying off workers. This slide has all the classic signs of a severe recession that feeds on itself as it deepens.
The ineptitude of the executive branch will not end until the new administration takes over, nine weeks from now. But in a deepening recession, nine weeks is a long time.
Obama was right to pass up the invitation to Bush's swan song, the upcoming international economic summit -- which was thrown together without adequate preparation and will achieve little. The president-elect was also right to fend off Paulson's invitation to get involved in the current treasury secretary's bailouts, which were flawed at conception.
However, the blockages of the transition period should not be an excuse for Congress to do nothing. Three weeks ago, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was calling for an immediate economic stimulus package in the range of $250 billion to $300 billion. Since then, the prospect of a stimulus has attracted the usual Christmas tree demands. The automakers want a bailout. Other industries are lining up. The New York Times reports that even the makers of luxury boats want help. And now, Sens. Max Baucus and Ted Kennedy are considering the idea of adding health reform to an early stimulus.
But all this special pleading, whether defensible or not in substance, is leading to legislative deadlock that the economy can ill-afford, and Congress could well do nothing. Congress, with the support of the incoming president, should go back to something like the Pelosi plan, and get it done by Thanksgiving.
The easiest part, politically and substantively, is relief to state and local governments. New York's governor, David Paterson, just announced cuts of $5.2 billion in education, health, and human-service spending, because state revenues are tanking. Most other governors are in similar positions. And local social service agencies face steep cuts in private charitable donations as well as in public subsidies. What could be more perverse in a recession? But Patterson, like other governors and mayors, has no choice since states and localities cannot run budget deficits.
So first, there should be immediate relief for state and local governments, to the tune of at least $100 billion. The value of that approach is that it doesn't require complex strategies of new job creation; it simply prevents avoidable job loss. If Washington sends a check to cities, towns, states, and counties, not a single pending public project need be deferred and not a single public worker need be laid off.
Second, unemployment insurance should be increased and extended. And third, Congress can pick up the state portion of Medicaid, so that states can expand rather than reduce health coverage. Congress could also provide funds for energy audits and retrofits, so that existing programs can be expanded and homeowners can save on energy bills. This will also provide jobs for construction workers in a homebuilding industry facing a depression.
Congress can and should do this right now. It's still the old Congress, split down the middle. But with mayors and governors of both parties crying for relief, it is hard to imagine very many Republican legislators voting against this package.
Detroit will have to wait a few months. It's too hard to get this right overnight. Any effort to add an auto bailout to the stimulus would sink it. Figuring out how to help Detroit without just throwing money at dumb auto executives is really a challenge. These people can't seem to learn to make energy-efficient, well-designed cars that attract enough buyers. The terms of relief require hard questions. Republicans and many Democrats are right to resist pressure for an immediate subsidy.
And with the exception of an expansion of Medicaid or children's health, it's also too heavy a political lift to expect comprehensive health reform as part of a quick stimulus.
I'm all for a much larger recovery outlay early in 2009, after the new Congress takes office. The economy will surely need it, because conditions will keep worsening. But waiting to get that done right is no excuse for failing to pass an emergency stimulus now.
We've seen this movie before. It's called "1931." A financial crash slowly turned into a Great Depression, while the president and the Congress offered too little, too late. We all know the ending. There is still time to avoid having to sit through the sequel, but time is fast running out.
Robert Kuttner
Robert Kuttner is co-founder and co-editor of The American Prospect, and professor at Brandeis University's Heller School.
Read more by Robert Kuttner


Registration points are located near the entrance to Madagaskar Conference Room.
40th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ORTHOPAEDICS AND TRAUMATOLOGY, GCM SUM IN KATOWICE.
The role of genetic factors in the development of hip osteoarthritis. Does the prevention provide a complete protection? Is it always effective?
The role of biological and biomechanical management in protection of articular cartilage.
Prevention of hip osteoarthritis in infants.
Prevention of hip osteoarthritis in adolescents.
Current concepts in treatment of conditions predisposing for the development of hip arthritis in children.
Satellite Session - Stryker: Tritanium surface – concept of biological fixation.
Satellite Session - Zimmer Biomet: Trabecular Metal constructs in complex revision cases.
EVALUATION OF PREOPERATIVE PLANNING IN HIP REPLACEMENT. CURRENT OPTIONS FOR PREVENTION OF LEG LENGTH DISCREPANCY.
Biomechanical aspects of leg length inequality in patients with total hip replacement.
Do we need preoperative planning in hip replacement surgery?
The evaluation of available methods?
Preoperative planning – the legal ramifications of leg length discrepancy.
Static and dynamic manifestations of leg length in hip replacement.
Leg length and lateral offset after hip arthroplasty.
The effects of leg length discrepancy after hip replacement and options for corection of inequality.


The endless zombie horde strikes again in "How to Survive," a top-down action game made by EKO Software and published by 505 Games. Available for XBox Live, the game has already been confirmed for upcoming release on the Playstation Network, Steam, and even for the Wii U. With AMC's "The Walking Dead" shambling on stronger than ever, and Telltale's "Walking Dead" game winning game of the year, zombies have chomped, grabbed, and moaned their way into every corner of pop culture. For video games in particular, one could argue that the zombie game is practically its own genre, and has been for ages. Can "How to Survive" break through the well-defended perimeter fence of zombie-fatigue and nosh on wary gamers juicy, squirming wallets?
A combination of Diablo and X-Men Legends, "How to Survive" plays a lot like the recent zombie apocalypse game "State of Decay," just from a top-down perspective. It also doesn't boast "State of Decay's" playtime or fully-realized sandbox perspective, but instead trades on a more hectic "bash-em-up" style gameplay and more streamlined RPG elements.
"How to Survive" has two major game modes – Story, and Challenge. Story plays out over 6 to 8 hours depending on your style and difficulty level, and follows the young strapping protagonists as they try to escape a deadlocked island by piecing a plane back together and fueling it up for a getaway. Story mode can be played alone or with a friend for offline co-op (couch mode), while Challenge mode can played with a buddy online or in the room. Challenge mode doesn't bother with the story, and just drops you into the game with a straightforward goal and a truckload of the undead.
The concept of the game is simple – survive on an island overrun with the dead, and get enough resources to escape. Supply collection is priority numero uno. The crafting system in "How to Survive" is robust enough to be enjoyable, but not so complicated that it'll scare anyone away. You see, in "How to Survive," putting weapons together out of junk you found around the island isn't your only job – you have to stay fed, stay hydrated, repair vehicles, AND battle ravening ghouls.
Each character has a meter for their hunger, thirst, and tirednesslevels. As the hunger meter increases, the character's strength goes into the toilet, making melee combat an unteneable option. Considering how often the game ambushes the player with enormous throngs of gap-jawed corpses, being too weak to fight is a non-starter. Hunger can be maintained through fishing, hunting, and scavenging, like our ancestors of old. Hunting is the most effective option – taking down a deer will brush away that pesky hunger meter, but can create a brand new exciting danger. Fresh meat (like, say, a big 'ole bloody deer) draws zombie attention, and may get you in more trouble than a peckish stomach might. Plus, the characters can't eat raw meat, so you'll have to take it back to a campfire to cook it. However, there arises another wrinkle to add to the risk/reward matrix – fresh meat can be turned into zombie distraction bombs, like the pipebomb in Left 4 Dead. Zombies run for the yummy morsel and then . . . boom.
Being thirsty drops your health directly, making it paramount to survival. However, if you don't have anything to carry potable water in, you could break your chainsaw down and use the gas reservoir to carry more water . . . but there goes your chainsaw. The little interactions between the game's systems, the push and pull, is when the game gets the most interesting. Sacrificing one advantage to gain another, hoping things work out the way you want them to – it does a good job of capturing the "scavenger-punk" sensibilities of the apocalypse.
You get three characters to choose from, and they amount to character classes. Kenji has heightened precision, making him the group's most solid marksman. Abby gets stamina, meaning she'll get tired slower, and can keep on truckin' for longer. Jack is the classic "tank," a beast of health and strength who's great for the smashy-smashy but not much else.
The combat is engaging, frequent, and satisfying for the most part. Melee has a "charge" mechanic that pays off patience with big hits. Running a gaggle of zeds down with a chainsaw is as fun as it ought to be. The ranged combat has a circular targeting reticle that shrinks the longer you aim, and will grant a sweet, xp-gifting headshot if you time it right. Sometimes the biters will explode from a standard arrow, which I'm not complaining about. The game mentions trying to use stealth, but it's nearly impossible to pull off.
Though none of the game systems are particularly deep, the interaction between them all often creates that nervous sense of second-guessing-your-decisions that's vital to the zombie tale.
The story in story-mode is serviceable but not memorable – a series of fetch quests interspersed with shaky dialogue and character motivation guide players toward the repair and refuel of a vehicle that can get you off the island. The framing device of the story (and really, the game itself) is a "How to Survive" manual penned by a wildly entertaining scotsman named Kovacs. The entire plot and device is a reference to Max Brooks' popular "Zombie Survival Guide" that spawned the "World War Z" book that spawned a Brad Pitt movie that spawned bad reviews. The voice of Kovacs guides you through the brand new terrifying world, offering helpful events and tutorials along the way.
The story also features zombified deers and fish and other wildlife, which does at least make a stab at being original. None of that in Walking Dead or World War Z, be assured. The gutwrenching horror of being devoured by zombie pirahna is an exciting new variation on a well-worn fear. The story plays pretty fast and light, keeping a fairly (black) comedic tone throughout.
The top-down perspective is a good choice for the action/RPG style of the game, and the textures and lighting effects are pretty for a downloadable game. The palette is actually colorful at times, a nice departure from the "smeared in gray" look that is so often used for horror-based subject matter. The island setting is packed with plantlife swaying in the wind, gamboling zombies, and frollicking animals both alive and dead. And yes, the zombies explode and come apart in satisfying ways.
One of the few complaints about the graphics rests in the walking animation of the player characters. There's a slightly robotic cast to all of their movements, like they're particularly mobile GI Joe action figures instead of breathing, living people. It doesn't always pop up, but sometimes the characters turn or change directions, and there's a definite "wooden" feeling. It isn't terrible, but it can distract from an otherwise pleasing visual presentation.
The menus and loading screens are particularly well done, displaying cool art, immersive animations (ie, turning pages), and sometimes even quizzes-while-you-wait that toss free XP for correct answers.
Good multiplayer can polish over a lot of problems, and this is definitely true in the case of "How to Survive." Online co-op can be fine, but toss a controller to a buddy on the couch and you're golden. The game is fairly pick-up-and-play, so even the most novice gamer who's just in it for the zombies won't have much of a problem. Because the players have to choose two different characters, they're forced to play to each other's strengths and cover for their weaknesses. Jack and Kenji might make for an epic zombie-killing team, but their lack of stamina is going to lead to trouble down the line. Abby and Jack are going to have to get pretty close and personal to be effective, and Kenji and Abby are probably going to be doing a lot of hardscrabble running and guerilla tactics.
While the maps don't change appreciably with multiple play-throughs, the placement of the zombies israndomized, for the most part. The scares and desperate, out-of-supply moments caused by a sudden horde of the living dead can make for some great gamer "remember that time" moments.
How to Survive is a sometimes thrilling trip into the zombie apocalypse that, when firing on all cylinders, can be pretty memorable. The addition of offline multiplayer was a smart move – like Left 4 Dead, a game can go a lot further and last much longer in the gamer consciousness when it lets buddies tag along. "How to Survive" is highly recommended for zombie enthusiasts and Action RPG fans, lightly recommended for action fans, and a non-necessity for everyone else.
A delightful romp through the corpses that brings some nice RPG elements along for the ride. Nothing fancy.
Nice to look at, nothing mind-blowing, but definitely appreciated.
Grab a friend, a pizza, a melee weapon, and a shotgun and go to town. Fun will be had be all.
There's no real story to speak of, and when it does rear up you'd rather it didn't.


HTML5 is not a single technology, but a collection of improvements to HTML, the primary markup language of the Internet. It is essentially a major overhaul to the World Wide Web, with the intent of improving multimedia applications and redesigning the web for a much broader range of devices, particularly mobile devices. More than 25 innovative HTML5/advanced web features, discussed in more detail in this report, are in various stages of development and implementation. While the official line from the W3C is that the HTML5 standard will not be complete until 2020, ABI Research believes most of these 25 features will become widely used at varying intervals within the next 5-7 years. The introduction of HTML5 features will fundamentally, dramatically change the Web, as browsers will be able to access the computer's or mobile's capabilities, such as file read/write, etc. The web will become smarter, more personalized, and intuitive. HTML5 features will enable the web to challenge native applications in terms of rich user experiences.
This report is a study of HTML5, measuring its impact on mobile devices, web developers, computing companies and other players in the Internet ecosystem. Drivers and barriers to the growth of HTML5 are explored. Forecasts include the market acceptance (via mobile devices) of 25 HTML5 features by region.
4.7. Why Are These Technologies Potentially Important to Mobile?
6.17. Web Developers - Which Ones Are Important?


At EPIC, our mission and our passion is to build a company that not only provides the highest quality of music for our clients, but also creates career enhancing opportunities for musicians, gives back through music charities, and passes on our experience through education and internships. We do this within the framework of a well-crafted strategic plan, supported by a strong set of guiding principles, by recruiting and developing a high-performing team, and by partnering ourselves with like-minded companies, top creatives and musicians.
We specialize in fresh, trending music for Film, TV, Radio, Interactive Media, Ads, Games, Jingles, or whatever your project needs. Do you have a need for customization? We have the in-house talent to uniquely produce exactly what you want to complete your project designs. Gifted composers and producers join EPIC not only to create and distribute relevant, hard-hitting tracks for our clients, but to be part of our company's efforts to support change though philanthropic missions. EPIC proudly partners with a variety of hand-picked charities that help the lives of those less fortunate. We are grateful to be part of a family that loves giving back.
EPIC adheres to the highest professional standards of customer service and expertise. Through our passion for music, musicians, and service to our clients, we strive to stand out from the competition by building a unique reputation. Here's why.
With a vigorous process, we carefully evaluate and select the best composers and know them by name!
We're proud of our boutique, hands-on service approach.
We respect your deadlines! Quick turn-times are a must.
Our low overhead allows us to streamline your music solution. We work within your budget.
We are a privately owned company and are not influenced by outside venture capitalists.
With our own proprietary software that streamlines how we find the perfect music solution for your projects as well as other forward thinking enhancements, EPIC continues to prove itself as a cutting-edge, high-tech company.
At EPIC, we understand the importance of exhibiting the behaviors required to achieve our plan. We work out our plan utilizing the following Core Values that serve as guiding principles for our highly selective and unified team.
Have a servant's heart by putting others first, delivering top notch service and acting with integrity.
Pursue uncompromising excellence by being innovative, taking initiative, and honoring commitments.
Develop a thorough understanding of the project, audience, and objectives to formulate the perfect music strategy within your budget.
Curate library music and/or partner with EPIC artists to ensure optimal connection between client and music.
Our hands-on service model means we work closely with our clients to ensure all aspects of project needs are met on-time and exceed expectations.
Whether music supervision support or working with EPIC artists for custom projects, we incorporate sound components into highly effective music solutions, ready for client review.
Review, refine, assess, and prepare final music solution for delivery. Your satisfaction is guaranteed!


Located in Gili Meno (Gili Islands), MAHAMAYA Boutique Resort is minutes from Meno Wall Dive Site and close to Gili Meno Harbor. This beach resort is within close proximity of Gili Turtle Sanctuary.
Make yourself at home in one of the 18 air-conditioned rooms featuring minibars. Rooms have private furnished patios. Complimentary wireless Internet access is available to keep you connected. Bathrooms have showers and hair dryers.
Spend the day on the private beach or dip into one of the 2 outdoor swimming pools. This resort also features complimentary wireless Internet access, wedding services, and tour/ticket assistance.
Grab a bite to eat at the resort's beachfront restaurant, where you can enjoy drinks at a bar and dine alfresco (weather permitting). Or stay in and take advantage of room service (during limited hours). Relax with a refreshing drink from a poolside bar or one of the 2 bars/lounges. A complimentary breakfast is included.
Featured amenities include dry cleaning/laundry services and laundry facilities. A ferry terminal shuttle is available for a surcharge.
Mahamaya Boutique Resort is an ideal Gili Meno lodging choice for your trip to Indonesia. With numerous amenities for guests such as fitness center, dry cleaning service, laundry, you will wake up at Mahamaya Boutique Resort feeling invigorated every day for your time in Gili Meno. Don't let this amazing reservation opportunity pass you by, book your stay at Mahamaya Boutique Resort today to make the most of your time in Gili Meno, Indonesia.


New TOM'S BRONCO PARTS Exclusive!!! These Vinyl Quarter Panel Inserts are designed to work properly with a Soft Top or when running without a top. This is a pair of high-quality vinyl quarter panel inserts in black. Inserts do not include mounting hardware. They will interference fit around the wheel well. We recommend purchasing velcro strips from your local fabric store or dollar store to secure the vertical sides to the body.


As a leading fashion retailer, Christian Louboutin understands that its customers need staff who can communicate clearly with them in English. To ensure that Christian Louboutin's Indonesian staff obtain and maintain the required level of English and possess the confidence to use it, the retailer hired us as their English Training provider.
For a total of 30 contact hours, Christian Louboutin staff take classes lead by our native English speaking head teacher – Mr Joe. His goal is not only to teach the staff to communicate using professional English, but also to educate and strengthen their knowledge of Western standard customer service skills.
differentiate between formal and informal English.
greet customers and quickly understand needs.
improve their writing for internal company communications.
handle customer complaints efficiently and professionally.
understand English speakers from a variety of countries.
communicate with customers via e-mail and telephone.
Providing a fun and immersive environment.
Providing only real-world English, instead of formulas and theories his students will never use.
Providing a confidence-building atmosphere based on conversation and real examples.
Instructive games that stimulate real learning, rather than dry text-book teaching.
What is your first impression of the Christian Louboutin staff?
Christian Louboutin are really at the top of the game when it comes to retail fashion. Not only do they stock some of the most progressive and famous designers but they run regular shows that boast special guests like Victoria Beckam. For me the most impressive thing about the company is the staff; what an amazing group of people. Very knowledgeable about the product they sell and very keen to learn.
How do you approach a company like this?
Ah that's where experience comes in. I have been teaching business English for about 10 years and the key to knowing how to approach a company is knowing how to interest the staff so that you bring out their best.
How do you know what you are going to teach them?
There's no point teaching formulas and grammatical functions they are never going to use and which will only confuse them. Confused students are unconfident students and unconfident students will never use what they have been taught. We further address this situation by giving them real-world English in an immersive environment that is both supportive and fun. With a company like Christian Louboutin it was obvious that their primary need was focused on staff-customer communications. What would be the point in teaching them academic essay writing?
Do you feel the Christian Dior staff enjoyed your course?
Oh absolutely! When you see the staff coming to class on their days off, not because they are being forced to but because they want to, you know you must be doing something right.
Why did Christian Dior choose English Today?
Vision and passion! They would be the first words that come to mind. You cannot really compare English Today to other training providers. I mean this company ensures all of its teachers eat and breathe English.
Is your company ready for the difference?
Are you satisfied learning from a desk bound English teacher who educates from the pages of out dated books or are you looking for a multi-skilled expert and motivator who can bring out the best in your staff? Let us show you our difference.
Custom designed materials made specifically for your company.
Real-world application, not just theories your staff will never use.
Hand picked, entertaining and passionate English teachers.
Immersive classroom environments where the students are the stars.
Progress you can see and hear.


PLEASE READ CAREFULLYPICTURES ARE PART OF THE DESCRIPTION. PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU BUY OR offer. PLEASE KEEP YOUR EMAILS CIVIL. HOPEFULLY YOU'RE AN ADULT AND CAN PLAY NICE. IF YOU CAN'T, PLEASE BUY ELSEWHERE.OUR ITEMS COME FROM ESTATE SALES, GARAGE SALES, PRIVATE COLLECTIONS, FLEA MARKETS AND sales. MOST OF WHAT WE SELL IS NOT NEW AND BUYERS SHOULD NOT EXPECT THE ITEM TO LOOK LIKE IT JUST CAME OFF A STORE SHELF. THIS ESPECIALLY APPLIES TO ANY VINTAGE OR ANTIQUE GLASS ITEM. WE EXAMINE EVERY ITEM UNDER A MAGNIFYING LIGHT AND TRY VERY HARD TO DESCRIBE ANYTHING WE KNOW TO BE A FLAW. STRAW MARKS AND BUBBLES IN ANTIQUE/VINTAGE GLASS ARE NOT FLAWS. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE CAN'T MAKE A MISTAKE. IF WE HAVE MISSED SOMETHING, IT IS JUST THAT, A MISTAKE. WE'RE ON TO MAKE A LITTLE MONEY, NOT RIP PEOPLE OFF.
RETURNS ARE LIMITED TO GROSS MISREPRESENTATION ONLY. WE SHIP USPS AND UPS. WE WILL CHOOSE THE CARRIER BASED ON THE ITEM AND DESTINATION. 99% OF OUR ITEMS SHIP USPS.
WE DO NOT INSURE ANY PACKAGE. IF YOU NEED INSURANCE, PLEASE CONTACT US BEFORE offerDING OR BUYING. IT WILL BE UP TO THE BUYER TO FILE ANY INSURANCE CLAIMS WITH THE CARRIER. OUR QUOTED SHIPPING INCLUDES A SMALL HANDLING FEE TO OFFSET PACKING MATERIALS. IF YOU FEEL THAT THE QUOTED SHIPPING IS TOO HIGH, PLEASE CONTACT US BEFORE YOU offer OR BUY AND WE WILL SEE IF WE CAN MAKE THE SHIPPING LOWER BASED ON YOUR LOCATION.
IF YOU'VE MADE IT THIS FAR, CONGRATULATIONS! MOST PEOPLE WON'T BOTHER. SINCE YOU SLOGGED THROUGH ALL THE STUFF ABOVE, WE WOULD LIKE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE THOROUGHLY ENJOY OUR CUSTOMERS THAT AREN'T HORSES REARS AND WE LOVE GETTING TO KNOW OUR BUYERS, THEIR HOME STATES OR COUNTRIES AND THE THINGS THEY COLLECT. ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO DROP US A LINE.


text:
Cover Story: Quick N Easy Clean & Green
published by Business Franchise on 3 December 2008 - 3:54am
This article appeared in Issue 3#1 (November/December 2008) of Business Franchise Australia & New Zealand
Quick n Easy Clean & Green Friendly to Both the Environment & Franchisees
The most environmentally-friendly car washing system available, Clean & Green has the ability to recycle more water than ever before, enabling them to operate up to one month between rains.
Anthony German admits the car washing industry is a significant commitment: "To actually own and facilitate a car wash is not a baby step – it's quite a substantial business venture, there's no question about that."
He should know. As co-founder and Managing Director of the Quick N Easy Carwash group, he and his team direct the construction and operations of the 30+ intelligent and economical car washes throughout Australia.
"With Quick N Easy sites now established in every State of Australia over the past four years, our goal now is to be the most dominant force in the Australian car washing industry."
With online data constantly available from which to monitor the business, Clean & Green is a truly remote business opportunity. Being self-service, customers operate the car wash themselves. Owners are able to hire staff, to provide a friendly face and to freshen up the sites.
There are currently three Quick N Easy Clean & Green car washes operating in Australia, says Anthony, "Macquarie Fields (NSW) is now the flagship of the Clean & Green image across Australia. That's an important part of the whole process – to be able to have a flagship from which we can benchmark ourselves."
Anthony explains the aim of Clean & Green: "From our perspective, we want to populate Australia with this product. There's a lot of growth left in the car washing industry. Basically Australia has around 20% take up of commercial washing but in the USA for example, it's something closer to 50%. So there's a huge amount of growth to even get to the US level.
"Having said that, we've recently signed a Master Franchise in the US - in the State of Texas. We're expecting to begin over there early next year to start the process of setting up a Clean & Green environmentally-friendly car wash system in the US. That's been a pretty big step for us and one we're very excited about."
Even though Australia has had some rain and water storage levels have moved a little, Anthony dreams of a nation where it is 100% accepted that consumers only wash their vehicles at a facility that is helping to protect the environment.
"We still have to conserve our water and look after our resources", stresses Anthony. "We have altered our model to accommodate this need and, if required, we'll be even more stringent. We're doing our best to make sure that, with the technology available to us, we've done everything humanly possible to care – and not exploit. We all need to accept this environmental responsibility and just get on and do the job."
There are still many more opportunities for Quick N Easy Clean & Green car washes in Australia. Anthony reveals a partnership with a national entity that has access to a massive demographic land bank, eliminating the need for new franchisees to locate their own sites: "It's basically given us options of parcels of land that co-exist with another business model - so that's pretty exciting."
Quick N Easy Clean & Green car washing systems do come at a bit of a cost says Anthony, "but the cost is offset because it becomes energy efficient and water efficient, so there are cost savings."
Anthony says that people with financial resources and entrepreneurial vision are ideal franchisees: "The type of investor we're after is someone who has some capital or equity behind them, who are business savvy and recognise this is truly a niche high growth profit business."
Anthony declares, "It's never a money grabbing exercise - it's about lining the ducks up and getting it right - all the way through. The biggest challenge we've had is incorporating all those typical business challenges into the flavour of our generation, which is our environment. It's been a really complicated matrix to pull it all together."
Anthony explains that success has not arrived overnight: "A lot of laborious hours have gone into getting the product to a point where it's really commercial. We've got the product, we've got the locations, we've got the demographics and we've got the growth opportunity within Australia. The model's correct and it just comes down to one question: Who's going to be sharing this opportunity with us?"
For more information visit www.qne.com.au
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Over 21,000 Homeland Security employees seek exemption from COVID-19 vaccine mandate
Jul 14, 2022 | News | 0 |
Government documents reveal exemption requests remain unprocessed as litigation against the Biden administration continues, leaving employees and their families in a state of uncertainty.
By Patrick Delaney
According to newly obtained government documents, almost 22,000 employees of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have sought religious or medical exemptions from the Biden administration's federal employee COVID-19 vaccine mandate, and all of these requests remain unprocessed.
After significant delays, the watchdog group Functional Government Initiative (FGI) obtained records after requesting documentation on numbers of applications, approvals, and denials for such exemptions.
A July 6 press release from FGI explains that "the documents that FGI received reveal that 22,000 DHS employees are at risk of termination for not bowing to the Administration's demand that they receive multiple injections of the COVID-19 vaccine. These employees submitted religious or medical exemption waivers as required by DHS but have yet to learn how the department will handle their waiver requests. As a result, DHS has left these employees and their families wondering from week-to-week whether they'll continue to have a job."
FGI warns that key agencies essential to U.S. national security could see an enormous loss of employees if the applications are not resolved.
According to The Epoch Times, the exemption requests come from more than 8,100 Customs and Border Protection employees, 5,800 Transportation Security Administration workers, and 2,800 Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel.
"This uncertainty not only affects DHS employees and their families but also affects national security and the untamed border crisis," FGI's statement reads. "DHS cannot afford to lose a single employee. Laying off 22,000 employees would be a huge step in the wrong direction and put America's national security at risk."
Last September, Joe Biden issued a flurry of mandates requiring millions of American workers to receive experimental COVID-19 gene therapy injections, including approximately 3.5 million federal employees.
These mandates provoked a litany of lawsuits that eventually brought them before the Supreme Court, which on January 13 opted to block the private employer mandate while allowing the health worker mandate to remain in effect pending final resolution of the case.
Making its own way through the courts, a group of about 6,000 federal employees calling themselves Feds for Medical Freedom (FMF) successfully sued the Biden administration in district court challenging the constitutionality of the mandates.
On January 21, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, ruled against the mandate for federal employees, citing the Supreme Court's judgment against the mandate for private workers issued a week earlier.
"The Supreme Court has expressly held that a COVID-19 vaccine mandate is not an employment regulation," Brown wrote at the time. "And that means the President was without statutory authority to issue the federal-worker mandate."
After an appeal by the Biden administration, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Brown's injunction in April before a three-judge panel, though the White House held off on enforcing the federal employee mandate until certain "procedural steps" were completed.
However, on June 27, the 5th Circuit agreed to reconsider its April ruling and reinstated the earlier injunction of the mandate until the case could be adjudicated before the court's full 17 judge panel. Initial oral arguments are tentatively scheduled for the week of September 12.
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