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[The TT-Two Deluxe] delivers a more open, transparent and smooth sound in terms of its spaciousness, airiness and the texture of string instruments than its previous model. When it plays vocals, whether it is the breadth and depth in the voice, or the changes in phonetics, the sound is solid yet refined in its details. When the music explodes, the momentum and dynamics take over the room in a way that surpasses all that has been done before.
Audiophile – Listening chapter Audio Note M6 Phono. Although the 5687 line stage valve is not as widely used as other vacuum tubes made during the same era in the world of hi-fi, Audio Note managed to put a spotlight on it and make it shine. Not only did the 5687 become exclusively used by Audio Note, it also became a signature for the brand. From that, one can see Peter Qvortrip and Andy Grove are two mavericks with their own style.


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Review of Frontier Forts of Iowa: Indians, Traders, and Soldiers, 1682-1862, edited by William E. Whittaker University of Iowa Press
Posted on March 4, 2013 by Middle Ground Journal
Frontier Forts of Iowa: Indians, Traders, and Soldiers, 1682-1862. William E. Whittaker, ed. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2009. ISBN 1587298317
This essay is a part of our new series, Graduate Students and The Middle Ground Journal
Frontier Forts of Iowa demonstrates the importance of forts in the establishment of Iowa as a state in 1846. William E. Whittaker, the editor of this collection, defines forts as "all military installations" and "any compound that was historically called a fort…whether or not it was stockaded" (3). Moving through what the authors collectively portray as stages, this book traces forts from the seventeenth and eighteenth-century trading outposts of the French, who tried to use the forts to fortify relationships with Native allies and halt the westward expansion of the British, to the American forts that were part of the federal government's efforts in the surveillance of Native peoples.
While almost all of the chapters focus on forts built by Europeans and Americans, earlier Native forts are discussed in Lance M. Foster's "Native American Perspectives on Forts." Foster details American Indian fortifications and the increase in fortified settlements beginning in 1000 in what is now northwest Iowa. He argues that Native peoples were familiar with forts and the types of purposes they could serve. While Europeans wanted to use forts to establish claims to territory and create alliances with Native peoples, American Indians integrated forts into their social networks of trade and alliances.
The trading function of forts lasted through parts of the American period. The shift from trader's outpost to military fort was blurred and gradual. In 1808, Fort Madison was built to protect U.S. trade with Native peoples and to stop foreign (British) trade. After the War of 1812, the fort's purpose as part of a military strategy instead of trading center became more defined as treaties and American confiscation of Native peoples' land increased. In the 1840s, the military function of forts intensified and the forts in Iowa were used in the government's attempt to control the movement of Native peoples. The U.S. Army, for instance, occupied Fort Atkinson from 1840 to 1849 in order to help facilitate the removal of the Ho-Chunk from Wisconsin to Iowa. Foster argues the forts became a symbol of removal, reflected by population shifts after 1832 from a predominantly American Indian population to a majority white population in the 1850s. In the first chapter, Whittaker argues the importance of the forts to this demographic shift and thus to the history of Iowa and the United States. Many of the subsequent chapters illustrate his point.
This collection provides a wealth of archaeological detail with some historical context on forts that were in, or in view of, present-day Iowa. The book creates a landscape for the reader through descriptions that focus on the forts and land directly surrounding these structures. The first four chapters provide an introduction to Iowa history, the forts, and the surrounding Native peoples, military members, and settlers. The subsequent eleven chapters focus on specific forts, beginning with Fort Madison in 1808 and ending with the forts that were part of the Northern Border Brigade, a response to the hostilities between Euro-American settlers and the Dakota in the 1850s and 1860s. The authors of these essays are from a variety of positions and disciplines, such as history, anthropology, and archaeology. The archaeologists serve in a wide range of capacities including as part of private consulting firms, state-run organizations, historical societies, and universities. Multiple perspectives and this interdisciplinary approach make this collection appealing to a wide audience—it is useful in undergraduate classrooms, as a research reference for all levels of study, and for general readers interested in archaeology or Iowa's history.
Undergraduates can learn much about the state of Iowa, forts, military interaction with Native peoples, and the practice of archaeology and history. In particular, this book is an excellent resource to introduce students to archaeology through specific sites and artifacts that demonstrate the challenges archaeologists and historians face when reconstructing and interpreting the past. For example, Cynthia L. Peterson's "Historical Tribes and Early Forts" shows students the different types of sources necessary to piece together the history and significance of the forts. She weaves together evidence from primary sources, such as personal journals, with archaeological data. The majority of the essays in this collection focus on particular forts or types of forts and they illustrate the collaboration necessary to complete an archaeologist's detective work. For instance, archaeologists found Fort Correctionville through local interviews and stories of this ephemeral fort's location rather than depending on archival research (202).
While many of the chapters show the ways historians' work and primary sources direct archaeologists to sites, they also highlight the ways archaeological evidence changes historical interpretations and narratives, especially useful when historians contend with contradictory sources. Marshall B. McKusick, for instance, describes how archaeological work confirmed the exact location of Fort Madison and proved an 1808 drawing of the fort was inaccurate in comparison to an 1810 rendition. In addition, the archaeological work on fort sites demonstrates the need for collaboration between archaeologists, state and local governments, and private companies working on new construction in order to find and record the evidence from forts.
Not only for undergraduates, Frontier Forts of Iowa is also a good reference work for scholars at multiple levels. The essays detail the locations of forts; interpretations of artifacts found at different sites; and important events that affected the construction, modification, and abandonment of the forts. Taken as a whole, the essays systematically go through sites and possible sites of the forts, detailing findings while also pointing to missing pieces and the possibilities for future research. Most of these essays, however, are straightforward archaeological reports and many of them lack conclusions about the broader implications of the authors' findings. McKusick's "Fort Madison, 1808-1813" is an exception that provides an explicit explanation of the significance of his archaeological evidence. Other essays conclude with suggestions for research or a note on what buildings or artifacts have yet to be discovered. The first four chapters provide context for the archaeological findings on fort locations but the link between the findings in the various essays could be expanded. While the final essay in the collection provides information for visiting the forts and exploring their history further, an additional chapter—linking together the findings, describing the larger picture these individual sites illustrate, and giving further context—would have helped the reader gain a better understanding of nineteenth-century forts and the people associated with them.
From a historian's standpoint, the contributors to this collection miss the opportunity to place their work in the context of the historiography surrounding the West, borderlands, and the frontier. For a collection published in 2009, it is surprising that the authors and editor do not define the term "frontier" yet use it frequently and highlight it in the title. Forts and the frontier have taken on mythical proportions, as Foster points out in the introduction to his chapter "Native American Perspectives on Forts." Historians still disagree about the use of the term "frontier" due to its racist and imperialist baggage and its association with Frederick Jackson Turner's frontier process. Turner's model of a frontier was based on social evolution, a process from savagery to civilization that took place in stages—from hunter to trader to settlers and farmers who pave the way for statehood. Many historians have worked to redefine "frontier" as a space of cultural interaction where peoples competed for land and other resources and where both Native peoples and Euro-Americans were changed by contact with the other. While discussions of frontier as a process or as a place continue, a definition of frontier, at least in the introduction, could have explained the authors' use of the term and acknowledged the dialogues surrounding it. Foster only begins to discuss the term's Turnerian connotations when he mentions how, to many people, forts represented "the approach of civilization, the first stage in the evolutionary process of manifest destiny that would conquer the West and transform a desolate land of savages into these United States" (42).
Overall, this collection provides an excellent introduction to nineteenth-century forts and the various functions they served. Forts were part of European and American strategies to claim a space and its resources for themselves. This book hints at the ways they were not always successful and how Natives peoples used forts and contested their purpose.
Reviewed by Michelle Cassidy, University of Michigan
Edited by Sarah R. Hamilton
(c) 2013 The Middle Ground Journal, Number 6, Spring, 2013. See Submission Guidelines page for the journal's not-for-profit educational open-access policy. [Originally published on the St. Scholastica website]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Post expects high market prices for beef and pork could persist in 2014, providing a competitive edge to relatively low-priced broiler meat in Japan's increasingly flexible animal protein market. Post projects Japan's 2014 total annual poultry consumption to remain near the 2013 record high level of 2.21 million metric tons (MT). In response to a major food safety incident, a modest number of Japan's traditional poultry end users are cutting back on imports from China. As raw products from Thailand began to arrive in February 2014, a partial shift within Thailand's export lineup away from prepared products towards highly portion-controlled raw broiler meat cuts has begun to emerge. Thailand and Brazil appear likely to compete for Japanese raw broiler meat market share in the years ahead, while Russia's increasing reliance on Brazilian and possibly Thai suppliers could have significant impacts on raw broiler meat price offers in Japan in 2014 and 2015.
Broilers comprise over 90 percent of Japan's domestic poultry production, with spent hens comprising most of the remainder. Very few other poultry species are produced commercially, with the exception of a limited production of quail for eggs.
Japan's April 1, 2014 consumption tax hike (from five percent to eight percent) appears to have stifled household consumption growth for relatively high-priced beef and pork and, to a lesser extent, for relatively low-priced chicken meat (broiler) for the first three months of Japan Fiscal Year (JFY) 2014. Although the overall impact of the consumption tax hike on meat and meat product consumption cannot yet be ascertained, Post expects high market prices for beef and pork may persist this year, providing a competitive edge to relatively low-priced broiler meat in Japan's increasingly flexible animal protein market. Accordingly, Post expects food service/processing demand to remain solid in 2014.
Post projects Japan's 2014 total annual poultry consumption to remain near the 2013 record high level 2.21 million metric tons (MT). This is particularly noteworthy in a year when a major food safety incident in China (which regularly provides 50 percent or more of Japan's prepared poultry products) affected two major Japanese poultry consumers and remained in Japanese headlines for weeks. In response to that incident, a modest number of Japan's traditional poultry end users are rebalancing their poultry imports away from China. However, Post sources indicate that there is limited additional production capacity in Thailand (Japan's other major supplier of imported prepared poultry products), which may create export opportunities for non-traditional poultry exporting countries. Other Japanese poultry end users have begun, albeit on a opt for domestically produced prepared poultry products, using some semi-processed imported raw broiler cuts from Thailand (Note 1 and 2).
Note 1: In late July 2014, there was a major food safety incident in China, involving alleged misconduct at a Shanghai poultry processing facility owned by a major U.S. corporation. The plant in question allegedly used raw broiler meat and beef, which had exceeded the products' use-by date, in the production of chicken nuggets, hamburger patties, and other products that were widely distributed to major fast food chains restaurants across China and, to a limited extent, in Japan. While several Japanese companies, including major fast retail, convenience, and fast food restaurant chains, had reportedly been sourcing limited volumes of cooked chicken products from the Chinese manufacturer (up to 6,000 MT from July 2013 – July 2014), all have dropped the company as a supplier.
Note 2: Japan lifted its Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) related import ban on raw poultry meat from Thailand in December 2013. Thailand resumed commercial shipments to Japan for the first time in the past ten years in February 2014.
On the supply side, Japan's 2014 total domestic broiler output is projected to increase slightly to 1.36 million MT (or total culling of 654 million broilers), which would exceed the record high established just the year before. In response to persistent solid market demand, relatively high market prices for domestic broiler meat may continue through 2014.
The national broiler output for the first half of 2014 reported was modestly higher than the same period of 2013. According to industry sources, large scale domestic integrators (157 of 2,242 total facilities in Japan accounted for 97 percent of total poultry culled in 2013) have been operating at or near maximum capacity this year.
Several market developments may affect Japan's broiler trade outlook in 2014 and 2015. Japan's imports of raw broiler meat cuts rose five percent to 217,680 MT in the first half of 2014. As imports from Brazil remained flat (192,173 MT), the increase was mainly attributed to Japan's resumed imports of raw broiler cuts from Thailand (9,967 MT) as well as an increase from the United States (13,002 MT, up 27 percent) (see Note 2). Meanwhile, prepared product imports fell modestly first half of 2014 to 199,918 MT, with a 10 percent decline from Thailand (91,221 MT) more than offsetting a six percent increase from China (107,235 MT).
The above results seem to indicate that resumption of Thai raw broiler meat imports has triggered a partial shift within Thailand's export lineup away from prepared products towards highly portion-controlled raw broiler meat cuts. Included among those raw products are cuts marinated with sauces and flavored with seasonings for easy preparation by food service clients and ready-to-eat food businesses. Some Japanese end users prefer to use semi-processed raw broiler cuts to appeal to consumers' preference for freshness. Also, as Thailand resumes raw broiler meat exports to Japan, future competition with Brazil seems imminent and could intensify in 2014; a trade source notes that Brazil remains price competitive. According to trade sources, average monthly entries of Thai raw poultry meat cuts (including semi-processed raw meat) for the rest of 2014 are expected to range between 3,500 – 4,500 MT a month, which will boost Japan's 2014 annual imports from Thailand to around 35,000 MT from nil in the previous year. On the other hand, Brazil's lower export offer prices from the second half of 2013 through 2014 is expected to sustain Japan's 2014 imports from Brazil at nearly same level as the previous year. For prepared products, the same sources are predicting a substantial decline in imports from China associated with the food safety incident discussed earlier (see Note 1).
In light of the above, Japan's 2014 total broiler imports are projected to increase modestly to 880,000 MT. Raw broiler cut imports are projected up by 11 percent from the previous year to 460,000 MT, supported by solid demand from food service and ready-to-eat foods, partially replenishing stocks. Projected imports from Brazil are unchanged at 390,000 MT (85 percent share of the total raw broiler cuts market), imports from Thailand reaching 35,000 MT from nil (eight percent market share), and imports from the United States up by 10 percent to 25,000 MT (five percent market share). Prepared product imports are projected down by five percent to 420,000 MT, with imports from China, down by 10 percent to 200,000 MT (48 percent share of the total prepared products market) and imports from Thailand unchanged from the previous year at 215,000 MT (51 percent market share), partially supported by rebalancing of demand away from Chinese products.
Given the limited 2015 market growth outlook projected for beef and pork, Post projects Japan's 2015 demand and supply situation to be similar to that of 2014. A relatively high level of consumption, roughly unchanged from 2014 at 2.21 – 2.22 million MT, could be balanced by an even higher supply of domestic production (projected unchanged from 2014 at 1.36 million MT) and a relatively high level of total broiler imports (projected at 870,000 MT: raw broiler meat marginally lower at 455,000 MT; prepared products also marginally lower at 415,000 MT). Post anticipates raw broiler meat imports making up a larger share of total poultry imports as Japan's food service and ready-to-eat businesses expand use of semi-processed raw broiler meat from Thailand (see 2014 Market Situation and Outlook Section).
It is difficult for Post to anticipate how the one-year import bans on U.S., EU, and Oceania food products announced by Russia in August 2014 will impact trade flows in Japan. Russian increased dependence on alternate suppliers (including Brazil and Thailand) could place significant upward pressure on Brazil and Thai export contract offers for Japan in the remaining months of 2014 and into 2015. And as U.S. suppliers seek alternate buyers, especially for leg quarters (Russia's top poultry import from the United States), it is unclear to what extent Japan may be able to expand imports from the United States, given the U.S. industry's limited ability to supply highly portion-controlled deboned cuts (see Note 3).
Note 3: In August 2014, Japan announced a revision of its animal health protocol requirements related to Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI) for poultry meat, eggs and their products imported from the United States. Though announced on August 22, final details related to the implementation remain unresolved as of the writing of this report. The revision will narrow Japan's current state-based restrictions to a 10 kilometer radius around the location of the LPAI detection. Implementation of the revision is expected to greatly reduce trade disruptions caused by state-wide import bans.
Japan's 2013 total domestic broiler consumption was 2.209 million MT, roughly equal to the record level reached in 2012. Consumption was supported by relatively strong retail and food service demand for relatively low-priced broiler meat. Japan's 2013 total domestic broiler output eclipsed the 2012 record high, climbing up slightly to a new record level of 1.337 million MT (or total culling of 654 million broilers) in response to higher market prices (see Note 4).
With modestly reduced imports from 2012 (raw broiler meat was down three percent at 414,000 MT and prepared products was down two percent at 440,000 MT), and a draw-down of carryover stocks, the total demand and supply came roughly into balance compared to the 2012 situation (see Note 5). The stocks carried over into 2014 were smaller than the previous year, down 21 percent to 102,000 MT.
Brazil accounted for 93 percent of Japan's 2013 total broiler meat imports and remained the single largest supplier of raw broiler meat (portion-controlled boneless cuts, mainly legs), while China and Thailand held 50 percent and 49 percent share respectively in the supply of prepared products (highly portion-controlled cuts that are cooked). U.S. share in total raw broiler meat imports remained relatively low at six percent (or at 23,000 MT) constrained by its ability to supply portion-controlled deboned cuts for this market.
Note 4: According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), 2012 market share estimates for poultry consumption are: households at 39 percent (with a large portion of supplies being domestic raw broiler meat cuts, mainly legs , wings and some breast meat); processing at six percent (domestic breast meat/imported raw broiler cuts) and 57 percent for others (mostly for food service and ready-to-eat foods with the majority of supplies being imported raw broiler cuts/imported prepared products). Reflecting general consumer preference, the market price for domestic boneless leg meat is valued roughly two and half times higher than breast meat. By marketing its low price and health attributes (low fat protein source) retail sales of breast meat have reportedly been rising, creating buying competition between traditional food service and processing users. For example, the 2013 average wholesale price for domestic boneless legs was only four percent higher than the previous year at JP 596 yen/kg, while the price for breast meat was up 32 percent at JP 252 yen/kg.


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Salman wants to work on his weaknesses
Jan 24, 2014 IANS
Mumbai, Jan 24 (IANS) Superstar Salman Khan has scored several blockbuster. Yet, the "Dabangg" star believes that he needs to work on his weaknesses and improve his acting and dancing skills.
"I will work towards my dancing, acting and myself. Everything else is going on fine, my films are being appreciated...I just want to take my weaknesses to another level," Salman told reporters here.
He spoke at the unveiling of the trailer of his brother-in-law Atul Agnihotri's "O Teri" Thursday.
Salman-starrer "Jai Ho" hits the screens Friday.
Salman Khan Pictures


The government shutdown continues, Elizabeth negotiates an agreement,Madam Secretary Seasons 1-5 DVD while picking a replacement for Nadine. Henry disagrees with Elizabeth about not paying for ransoms for an agent kept prisoner by the Taliban. Stevie has split from Jareth and has a hard time. The President is negotiating with Congress to avoid a government shutdown. Elizabeth works with her team to bring electric power to a refugee camp in Lebanon. Henry tracks down Dimitri,Madam Secretary Seasons 1-5 who was trying to wean himself off of pain drug addiction, and drives him to a rehab clinic. Nadine decides to take a leave and not come back to be close to her son and a future grandchild.


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Bonds For Indianapolis Water Company Downgraded
Here's some more bad news for Indianapolis' crumbling financial picture. Fitch today downgraded $842.5 million in bonds issued by the Indianapolis Bond Bank for the water company from AA- to A+. Here's what the rating agency had to say about its decision to downgrade the bonds' rating:
The bonds are limited obligations of the bond bank payable solely from revenues and funds pledged under the indenture. Pledged revenues are derived from net revenues of the Indianapolis Department of Waterworks (the department) waterworks system (the system). The bond bank anticipates selling two series of fixed-rate bonds within the next couple of months that will be used to refund its series 2005G and 2005H bonds, which are currently in auction-rate mode and variable-rate mode, respectively.
The downgrade to 'A+' from 'AA-' reflects the system's weakened financial performance for 2008 (the fiscal year is concurrent with the calendar year) and limitation on restoring fiscal results through timely rate relief. The department is projecting annual debt service (ADS) coverage for 2008 at 0.99 times (x) as a result of rising debt service costs on its variable-rate debt from the current market dislocation. In response, the department is taking steps to ensure a return to historical financial performance by reducing its variable-rate exposure through the refunding of the 2005G and 2005H bonds with fixed-rate bonds in the near future. The department also is proposing to implement heightened fiscal policies and is petitioning for rate relief from the Indianapolis Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC); an expedited rate hike is forecasted to take effect in June. While Fitch believes these measures ultimately will lead to fiscal improvement for the system, the timeframe to fully implement these measures and react to a changing operating environment, particularly with regard to raising rates, poses credit concerns that are more suitable at the 'A+' rating level.
The 'A+' rating reflects the system's adequate financial cushion; moderate capital requirements and above-average leverage ratios; diverse service area; and rate-setting limitation, which is subject to oversight by the IURC. While ADS coverage for 2008 was below 1.0x, other financial metrics have been favorable. Capital needs are moderate but likely will increase debt levels over the medium term, keeping leverage ratios somewhat elevated. Ongoing rate increases will be required. Consequently, it will be important for the department to achieve timely rate relief from the IURC to fund ongoing capital costs as well as restore ADS coverage.
Financial performance for audited 2007 was good overall. For the year, days cash and days working capital were around 490 and 780 days, respectively. In addition, free cash was a strong 210% of depreciation. While ADS coverage of 1.4x was relatively weak, it was consistent with historical results. For 2008 though, ADS coverage fell to just under 1.0x on an unaudited basis as deteriorating market conditions relating to MBIA and DEPFA downgrades precipitated a rise in interest costs of around $15 million more than budgeted estimates on the series 2005G and 2005H bonds.
In an effort to restore coverage margins to historical levels, the department filed a rate petition with the IURC in February for a 17.56% expedited rate adjustment. The department anticipates that the rate increase will take effect in June. With the rate hike, ADS coverage is forecasted to improve to 1.3x by 2010. However, anticipated coverage of 1.2x for 2009, with only one-half year of collections from the rate proposal, will be below the department's internal policy. While the department sets rates independent from the city/county government, rates are subject to approval by the IURC. Nevertheless, it is unlawful for the IURC to approve rates that are too low to provide sufficient revenues to maintain the utility in sound physical condition and produce financial levels adequate to meet system obligations. For typical rate adjustments (i.e. permanent rate increases), the rate recovery process generally takes around 11 months, although the department may petition for an expedited rate request for recovery of unexpected costs, as in the case of the currently pending rate request.
Additional rate hikes will be necessary to fund the department's ongoing capital expenditures. For the 2009-2011 period, the department anticipates capital outlays of around $203 million. Currently, the department has not identified funding sources for these costs, but Fitch anticipates that a combination of additional debt, along with surplus system revenues, will be used. With the February rate petition, the department also is seeking a permanent rate increase (forecasted to be effective first-quarter 2010), which is expected to boost system revenues available for identified capital expenditures.
Debt levels for the system presently are moderate at $2,600 per customer and $878 per capita. In addition, principal amortization of system debt is slow, with just 52% of debt maturing in 10 years. As additional borrowing is used to fund capital projects, debt levels are expected to rise incrementally. However, as a result of the system's extended amortization schedule, cost of service remains affordable at around 0.7% of median household income. In addition, the system should maintain adequate rate flexibility over at least the next several years even with the approval and implementation of the proposed expedited rate hike and the anticipated permanent rate adjustment.
The department is a city department created by ordinance in 2001 to facilitate the purchase of substantially all assets of the Indianapolis Water Company and five smaller subsidiaries of IWC Resources, Inc. By enabling legislation, it owns and operates the system, which serves over 960,000 people within the Indianapolis metropolitan statistical area (MSA). The department contracts for operations of the system with Veolia Water Indianapolis, LLC (formerly USFilter Indianapolis Water, LLC) through a 20-year management agreement executed in 2002 and amended in 2007.
Given the city's location as the state capital, the MSA has a sizeable government sector. The MSA also has a large retail sector as well as a large manufacturing presence, which includes pharmaceuticals and automotives. Typical of the current national recession, unemployment in the MSA spiked in recent months from historically low levels experienced over the decade. However, the area continues to post unemployment rates that are lower than the state and nation. For December 2008, the MSA unemployment rate was 6.7%, compared to 8.1% and 7.1% for the state and U.S., respectively.
Former Mayor Bart Peterson, former CCC President Beurt SerVaas, former City Controller Robert Clifford and former water company CEO Jim Morris all should be holding their heads in shame at the white elephant with which they've stuck Indianapolis' residents. These decision-makers coaxed the Indianapolis City-County Council into approving a purchase of the Indianapolis Water Company in 2002 for$525 million from NiSource, or at least double what the utility was actually worth after NiSource sold off close to $100 million worth of assets after purchasing the utility for $288 million, including Miller Pipeline and SM&P. The City then borrowed heavily to pay for needed capital improvements, entered into a costly privatization agreement with Veolia and prohibited the water company from seeking a rate increase for five years after the purchase to ensure Peterson could make it through his 2007 re-election race without having to raise water rates. The City also assumed an obligation of NiSource's to pay healthy golden parachutes to the water company's executives of a little more than $20 million, $6 million of which was to be paid to Morris.
Here's what is particularly shocking in Fitch's analysis. "For the 2009-2011 period, the department anticipates capital outlays of around $203 million," the report says. "Currently, the department has not identified funding sources for these costs, but Fitch anticipates that a combination of additional debt, along with surplus system revenues, will be used." "With the February rate petition, the department also is seeking a permanent rate increase (forecasted to be effective first-quarter 2010), which is expected to boost system revenues available for identified capital expenditures." We were told we needed an emergency water rate increase of almost 20% on top of the scheduled rate increase to pay for higher interest costs on the current bonds. That resulted in interest rates on the bonds soaring from the 3% range to over 9%. Originally, the City pledged to issue long-term, fixed rate bonds in the range of 5%. The City opted for the adjustable rate bond route in an effort to save money up front. Fitch says the water company plans another $203 million in capital improvements over the next three years. This ensures our water rates will have to double over the next several years. The currently-planned rate increase, if approved, won't come close to covering those additional obligations in the long run, particularly with a down-graded rating for our bonds.
guy77money said...
The sad part of the story was the water company was a very profitable enterprise under NIPSCO. Thanks to Gary Neal's great idea to buy Columbia Gas (which has been one of the worst acquisitions in Indiana business history) NIPSCO would still own the water company. Beurt SerVaas had immense conflict of interests in the sale of the water company and if he wouldn't have been involved it would have gone under the trust with the gas company. Instead the city is stuck with a overpriced utility to go along with two tax draining sports facilities.
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And They Thought Bush Was Bad
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Democratic Politicians At Their Best
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Our First Muslim President
Township Trustees: It's A Family Affair


On a recent trip to Tijuana, a friend bought me a Cuban cigar and I paid him back over PayPal. Shortly thereafter I received an email from PayPal saying that my account had been flagged for my possible promotion of transactions of goods prohibited by the U.S. government.
Find out more by following the Via link below.
Photo credit to Dado Galdieri/Bloomberg.


LG Display will invest nearly half a billion euros in an OLED production line that will begin mass-production in the first half of 2014.
The South Korean electronics giant revealed it would invest 706 billion won (€490 million) in statement on February 18.
According to reports in the Wall Street Journal the line - at an existing plant in Paju, South Korea – would be capable of producing 26,000 motherglass sheets a month. Six 55" panels can be made from each sheet.


text:
Without A Net | Pop culture from Southern California and beyond.
'Mad Men' had a secret crossover with '30 Rock' on Sunday
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Ted Chaough (Kevin Rahm) and Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) in "Mad Men," season 6, episode 4.
Jordin Althaus/AMC
Mike Roe | April 23, 2013
"Mad Men" and "30 Rock" have deep ties. The most notable is "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm also having a recurring role on "30 Rock" as one of Liz Lemon's love interests, but there's more — and this past Sunday was the most subtle one yet.
Ted Chaough, a rival to Hamm's Don Draper, placed an order on Sunday's "Mad Men" for an Old Spanish. That's not a real drink — or at least it wasn't until "30 Rock" character Cooter Burger, played by Matthew Broderick, placed an order for the ridiculous drink that consists of red wine with tonic water and olives in it.
"30 Rock" writer Tracey Wigfield caught the apparent shoutout:
Best thing ever: on MadMen last night Ted ordered an Old Spanish, a made-up drink from 30 Rock. Red wine, tonic water & olives for everyone!
— Tracey Wigfield (@TraceyWigfield) April 22, 2013
The relevant episodes aren't available to watch for free online, but Uproxx provides a nice summary in graphic form of how Burger learns that an Old Spanish is not, in fact, a thing.
I guess Burger wasn't the original creator of the drink — it was apparently available to order by the swinging '60s.
It's long been a one-way love affair, with "30 Rock" referencing "Mad Men," but now the love seems to be going both ways.
Another "Mad Men" star, John Slattery, dropped in on "30 Rock" in the past as a crazed wannabe political candidate. Tina Fey's Liz Lemon's mom also mentioned working at "Mad Men" ad firm Sterling-Cooper, telling her daughter in one episode, "It wasn't that simple, Liz. I had just graduated from secretarial school and I got a job at Sterling-Cooper."
You can watch the series finale of "30 Rock" below, which includes another "Mad Men" reference — Liz Lemon asks Jack Donaghy, "Don't you want to know how 'Mad Men' ends?"
(Hat Tip: Huffington Post)
Tina Fey and Ellie Kemper team up for new NBC show
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Why should you care about employee wellbeing? And even if you do, how do you actually do something about it? Let us help you to figure it out.
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HR / OD / L&D professionals, communications professionals, anyone with line management responsibility, senior leaders.
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text:
package org.oep.core.ssomgt.action;

public class ApplicationKeys {
	public class SearchAttributes extends BaseApplicationAttributes {
	}

	public class AddEditAttributes extends BaseApplicationAttributes {
		public static final String APP_CODE = "addEditAppCode";
		public static final String APP_NAME = "addEditAppName";
		public static final String APP_PIN = "addEditAppPin";
		public static final String APP_URL = "addEditAppUrl";
		public static final String APP_BIGICON = "addEditAppBigIcon";
		public static final String APP_SMALLICON = "addEditAppSmallIcon";
		public static final String PINGTIME = "addEditPingTime";
		public static final String SEQUENCENO = "addEditSequenceNo";
	}

	public class BaseApplicationAttributes {
		public static final String DELETE_ID = "deleteId";
		public static final String EDIT_ID = "editId";
	}

	public class ErrorMessageKeys {
	}

	public class SuccessMessageKeys {
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: How to properly configure TilesViewResolver in Spring MVC? I have Spring MVC project and I would like to build views in my application using Apache Tiles. I have added some dependencies to my pom.xml file. I am wondering I have too many but I have had some exceptions about missing classes so I found them in some packages and have added them to classpath.
<!-- Tiles -->
    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.apache.tiles</groupId>
        <artifactId>tiles-extras</artifactId>
        <version>2.2.2</version>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.apache.tiles</groupId>
        <artifactId>tiles-jsp</artifactId>
        <version>2.2.2</version>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.apache.tiles</groupId>
        <artifactId>tiles-core</artifactId>
        <version>2.2.2</version>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.apache.tiles</groupId>
        <artifactId>tiles-servlet</artifactId>
        <version>2.1.4</version>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>org.apache.commons</groupId>
      <artifactId>commons-digester3</artifactId>
      <version>3.2</version>
      <classifier>with-deps</classifier>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>commons-beanutils</groupId>
        <artifactId>commons-beanutils</artifactId>
        <version>1.8.3</version>
    </dependency>

This is my ViewResolvers configuration in Dispatcher Servlet Context. I am wondering how to properly configure them together.
<beans:bean id="tilesConfigurer" class="org.springframework.web.servlet.view.tiles2.TilesConfigurer">
    <beans:property name="definitions">
        <beans:list>
            <beans:value>/WEB-INF/tiles-definitions.xml</beans:value>
        </beans:list>
    </beans:property>
</beans:bean>

<beans:bean id="tilesViewResolver" class="org.springframework.web.servlet.view.UrlBasedViewResolver">
    <beans:property name="viewClass" value="org.springframework.web.servlet.view.tiles2.TilesView" />
    <beans:property name="order" value="0" />
</beans:bean>

<beans:bean id="viewResolver" class="org.springframework.web.servlet.view.InternalResourceViewResolver">
    <beans:property name="prefix" value="/WEB-INF/views/" />
    <beans:property name="suffix" value=".jsp" />
    <beans:property name="order" value="1" />
</beans:bean>

I have read this question and answer: How to use multiple ViewResolvers in Spring? but it haven't been helpful for me. At this moment with above configurations jsp views works properly but for tiles addresses I am getting HTTP Status 404.
EDIT
This is my controller. The view connected with "home" is working but others - tiles aren't working.
 @RequestMapping(value = "/", method = RequestMethod.GET)
public String home(Locale locale, Model model) {
    return "home";
}

@RequestMapping(value = "/pets", method = RequestMethod.GET)
public String pets(Locale locale, Model model) {
    return "pets-tiles";
}

@RequestMapping(value = "/dogs", method = RequestMethod.GET)
public String dogs(Locale locale, Model model) {
    return "dogs-tiles";
}

@RequestMapping(value = "/cats", method = RequestMethod.GET)
public String cats(Locale locale, Model model) {
    return "cats-tiles";
}

And this is my tiles-definitions.xml file:
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 <!DOCTYPE tiles-definitions PUBLIC
   "-//Apache Software Foundation//DTD Tiles Configuration 2.0//EN"
   "http://tiles.apache.org/dtds/tiles-config_2_0.dtd">
 <tiles-definitions>

  <definition name="template-main" template="/WEB-INF/views/layouts/main.jsp">
   <put-attribute name="banner-content" value="/WEB-INF/views/sections/banner.jsp" />
   <put-attribute name="title-content" value="Pet Type" />
   <put-attribute name="primary-content" value="" />
   <put-attribute name="footer-content" value="/WEB-INF/views/sections/footer.jsp" />
  </definition>

  <definition name="template-detail" template="/WEB-INF/views/layouts/detail.jsp">
   <put-attribute name="banner-content" value="/WEB-INF/views/sections/banner.jsp" />
   <put-attribute name="title-content" value="Pet Type" />
   <put-attribute name="subtitle-content" value="" />
   <put-attribute name="primary-content" value="" />
   <put-attribute name="footer-content" value="/WEB-INF/views/sections/footer.jsp" />
  </definition>

  <definition name="pet-tiles" extends="template-main">
   <put-attribute name="primary-content" value="/WEB-INF/views/contents/pets.jsp" />
  </definition>

  <definition name="dog-tiles" extends="template-detail">
   <put-attribute name="subtitle-content" value="Canines" />
   <put-attribute name="primary-content" value="/WEB-INF/views/contents/dogs.jsp" />
  </definition>

  <definition name="cat-tiles" extends="template-detail">
   <put-attribute name="subtitle-content" value="Felines" />
   <put-attribute name="primary-content" value="/WEB-INF/views/contents/cats.jsp" />
  </definition>

 </tiles-definitions>

They come from this tutorial: http://krams915.blogspot.com/2010/12/spring-mvc-3-tiles-2-integration.html But not working for me.

A: I have resolved my problem. I don't know why it wasn't working but at this moment everything seems to be OK.
I have found and implemented AutoTilesView class from this url: http://forum.springsource.org/showthread.php?78312-Spring-MVC-Noob-help-with-site-templates
Why the default TilesView wasn't working? AutoTilesView class looks like:
public class AutoTilesView extends TilesView {

private static final String PREFIX = "/WEB-INF/views/";
private static final String SUFFIX = ".jsp";

@Override
protected void renderMergedOutputModel(Map<String, Object> model,
        HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
        throws Exception {

    ServletContext servletContext = getServletContext();
    TilesContainer container = ServletUtil.getContainer(servletContext);

    if (container == null) {
        throw new ServletException("Tiles container is not initialized. " +
                "Have you added a TilesConfigurer to your web application context?");
    }

    AttributeContext attributeContext = container.getAttributeContext(request, response);

    StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
    builder.append(PREFIX);
    builder.append(this.getUrl());
    builder.append(SUFFIX);

    attributeContext.putAttribute("body", Attribute.createTemplateAttribute(builder.toString()));

    super.renderMergedOutputModel(model, request, response);
}
}

And this is code from my Serlvet Dispatcher Context:
<beans:bean id="tilesConfigurer" class="org.springframework.web.servlet.view.tiles2.TilesConfigurer">
    <beans:property name="definitions">
        <beans:list>
            <beans:value>/WEB-INF/tiles-definitions.xml</beans:value>
        </beans:list>
    </beans:property>
</beans:bean>

<beans:bean id="viewResolver" class="org.springframework.web.servlet.view.UrlBasedViewResolver">
    <beans:property name="viewClass" value="cos.tam.AutoTilesView" />
</beans:bean>

I have removed org.springframework.web.servlet.view.InternalResourceViewResolver.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
package org.apache.hadoop.hbase.coprocessor;

import static org.apache.hadoop.hbase.coprocessor.CoprocessorHost.COPROCESSORS_ENABLED_CONF_KEY;
import static org.apache.hadoop.hbase.coprocessor.CoprocessorHost.REGION_COPROCESSOR_CONF_KEY;
import static org.apache.hadoop.hbase.coprocessor.CoprocessorHost.SKIP_LOAD_DUPLICATE_TABLE_COPROCESSOR;
import static org.apache.hadoop.hbase.coprocessor.CoprocessorHost.USER_COPROCESSORS_ENABLED_CONF_KEY;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Optional;
import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.CellComparator;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HBaseClassTestRule;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HBaseConfiguration;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HConstants;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.KeepDeletedCells;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.TableName;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.RegionInfo;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.RegionInfoBuilder;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.Scan;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.TableDescriptor;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client.TableDescriptorBuilder;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.io.TimeRange;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.regionserver.FlushLifeCycleTracker;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.regionserver.HRegion;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.regionserver.HStore;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.regionserver.RegionCoprocessorHost;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.regionserver.RegionServerServices;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.regionserver.ScanInfo;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.regionserver.ScanType;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.regionserver.compactions.CompactionLifeCycleTracker;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.regionserver.compactions.CompactionRequest;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.security.User;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.testclassification.SmallTests;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.util.Bytes;
import org.junit.Before;
import org.junit.ClassRule;
import org.junit.Rule;
import org.junit.Test;
import org.junit.experimental.categories.Category;
import org.junit.rules.TestName;

@Category({ SmallTests.class })
public class TestRegionCoprocessorHost {
  private Configuration conf;

  @ClassRule
  public static final HBaseClassTestRule CLASS_RULE =
    HBaseClassTestRule.forClass(TestRegionCoprocessorHost.class);

  @Rule
  public final TestName name = new TestName();
  private RegionInfo regionInfo;
  private HRegion region;
  private RegionServerServices rsServices;
  public static final int MAX_VERSIONS = 3;
  public static final int MIN_VERSIONS = 2;
  public static final int TTL = 1000;
  public static final int TIME_TO_PURGE_DELETES = 2000;

  @Before
  public void setup() throws IOException {
    init(null);
  }

  private void init(Boolean flag) throws IOException {
    conf = HBaseConfiguration.create();
    conf.setBoolean(COPROCESSORS_ENABLED_CONF_KEY, true);
    conf.setBoolean(USER_COPROCESSORS_ENABLED_CONF_KEY, true);
    TableName tableName = TableName.valueOf(name.getMethodName());
    regionInfo = RegionInfoBuilder.newBuilder(tableName).build();
    TableDescriptor tableDesc = null;
    if (flag == null) {
      // configure a coprocessor which override postScannerFilterRow
      tableDesc = TableDescriptorBuilder.newBuilder(tableName)
        .setCoprocessor(SimpleRegionObserver.class.getName()).build();
    } else if (flag) {
      // configure a coprocessor which don't override postScannerFilterRow
      tableDesc = TableDescriptorBuilder.newBuilder(tableName)
        .setCoprocessor(TempRegionObserver.class.getName()).build();
    } else {
      // configure two coprocessors, one don't override postScannerFilterRow but another one does
      conf.set(REGION_COPROCESSOR_CONF_KEY, TempRegionObserver.class.getName());
      tableDesc = TableDescriptorBuilder.newBuilder(tableName)
        .setCoprocessor(SimpleRegionObserver.class.getName()).build();
    }
    region = mock(HRegion.class);
    when(region.getRegionInfo()).thenReturn(regionInfo);
    when(region.getTableDescriptor()).thenReturn(tableDesc);
    rsServices = mock(RegionServerServices.class);
  }

  @Test
  public void testLoadDuplicateCoprocessor() throws Exception {
    conf.setBoolean(SKIP_LOAD_DUPLICATE_TABLE_COPROCESSOR, true);
    conf.set(REGION_COPROCESSOR_CONF_KEY, SimpleRegionObserver.class.getName());
    RegionCoprocessorHost host = new RegionCoprocessorHost(region, rsServices, conf);
    // Only one coprocessor SimpleRegionObserver loaded
    assertEquals(1, host.coprocEnvironments.size());

    // Allow to load duplicate coprocessor
    conf.setBoolean(SKIP_LOAD_DUPLICATE_TABLE_COPROCESSOR, false);
    host = new RegionCoprocessorHost(region, rsServices, conf);
    // Two duplicate coprocessors loaded
    assertEquals(2, host.coprocEnvironments.size());
  }

  @Test
  public void testPreStoreScannerOpen() throws IOException {

    RegionCoprocessorHost host = new RegionCoprocessorHost(region, rsServices, conf);
    Scan scan = new Scan();
    scan.setTimeRange(TimeRange.INITIAL_MIN_TIMESTAMP, TimeRange.INITIAL_MAX_TIMESTAMP);
    assertTrue("Scan is not for all time", scan.getTimeRange().isAllTime());
    // SimpleRegionObserver is set to update the ScanInfo parameters if the passed-in scan
    // is for all time. this lets us exercise both that the Scan is wired up properly in the coproc
    // and that we can customize the metadata

    ScanInfo oldScanInfo = getScanInfo();

    HStore store = mock(HStore.class);
    when(store.getScanInfo()).thenReturn(oldScanInfo);
    ScanInfo newScanInfo = host.preStoreScannerOpen(store, scan);

    verifyScanInfo(newScanInfo);
  }

  @Test
  public void testPreCompactScannerOpen() throws IOException {
    RegionCoprocessorHost host = new RegionCoprocessorHost(region, rsServices, conf);
    ScanInfo oldScanInfo = getScanInfo();
    HStore store = mock(HStore.class);
    when(store.getScanInfo()).thenReturn(oldScanInfo);
    ScanInfo newScanInfo = host.preCompactScannerOpen(store, ScanType.COMPACT_DROP_DELETES,
      mock(CompactionLifeCycleTracker.class), mock(CompactionRequest.class), mock(User.class));
    verifyScanInfo(newScanInfo);
  }

  @Test
  public void testPreFlushScannerOpen() throws IOException {
    RegionCoprocessorHost host = new RegionCoprocessorHost(region, rsServices, conf);
    ScanInfo oldScanInfo = getScanInfo();
    HStore store = mock(HStore.class);
    when(store.getScanInfo()).thenReturn(oldScanInfo);
    ScanInfo newScanInfo = host.preFlushScannerOpen(store, mock(FlushLifeCycleTracker.class));
    verifyScanInfo(newScanInfo);
  }

  @Test
  public void testPreMemStoreCompactionCompactScannerOpen() throws IOException {
    RegionCoprocessorHost host = new RegionCoprocessorHost(region, rsServices, conf);
    ScanInfo oldScanInfo = getScanInfo();
    HStore store = mock(HStore.class);
    when(store.getScanInfo()).thenReturn(oldScanInfo);
    ScanInfo newScanInfo = host.preMemStoreCompactionCompactScannerOpen(store);
    verifyScanInfo(newScanInfo);
  }

  @Test
  public void testPostScannerFilterRow() throws IOException {
    // By default SimpleRegionObserver is set as region coprocessor which implements
    // postScannerFilterRow
    RegionCoprocessorHost host = new RegionCoprocessorHost(region, rsServices, conf);
    assertTrue("Region coprocessor implement postScannerFilterRow",
      host.hasCustomPostScannerFilterRow());

    // Set a region CP which doesn't implement postScannerFilterRow
    init(true);
    host = new RegionCoprocessorHost(region, rsServices, conf);
    assertFalse("Region coprocessor implement postScannerFilterRow",
      host.hasCustomPostScannerFilterRow());

    // Set multiple region CPs, in which one implements postScannerFilterRow
    init(false);
    host = new RegionCoprocessorHost(region, rsServices, conf);
    assertTrue("Region coprocessor doesn't implement postScannerFilterRow",
      host.hasCustomPostScannerFilterRow());
  }

  private void verifyScanInfo(ScanInfo newScanInfo) {
    assertEquals(KeepDeletedCells.TRUE, newScanInfo.getKeepDeletedCells());
    assertEquals(MAX_VERSIONS, newScanInfo.getMaxVersions());
    assertEquals(MIN_VERSIONS, newScanInfo.getMinVersions());
    assertEquals(TTL, newScanInfo.getTtl());
    assertEquals(TIME_TO_PURGE_DELETES, newScanInfo.getTimeToPurgeDeletes());
  }

  private ScanInfo getScanInfo() {
    int oldMaxVersions = 1;
    int oldMinVersions = 0;
    long oldTTL = 10000;

    return new ScanInfo(conf, Bytes.toBytes("cf"), oldMinVersions, oldMaxVersions, oldTTL,
      KeepDeletedCells.FALSE, HConstants.FOREVER, 1000, CellComparator.getInstance(), true);
  }

  /*
   * Simple region coprocessor which doesn't override postScannerFilterRow
   */
  public static class TempRegionObserver implements RegionCoprocessor, RegionObserver {
    @Override
    public Optional<RegionObserver> getRegionObserver() {
      return Optional.of(this);
    }
  }
}


A fabulous 3-dimensional 'Canyon' play table. Complete with a moulded-in track which saves on constant re-assembly.
This excellent road and rail table transforms the traditional play mat into a 3-dimensional 'Canyon' play table. Complete with a moulded-in track which keeps kids playing without the need for constant re-assembly and makes cleaning easy being perfect for areas with high infection control. When you've finished playing, pack the cars and trains away inside the canyon and put the lid on - creating a play table for jigsaws, artwork and colouring activities. Size: H43 x W110 x D100cm.


text:
Михаи́л Леви́тин:
 Левитин, Михаил Евелевич (1913—1953) — советский государственный деятель.
 Левитин, Михаил Ефремович (1905—1991) — ленинградский сатирик и драматург.
 Левитин, Михаил Захарович (род. 1945) — российский театральный режиссёр, писатель, художественный руководитель московского театра «Эрмитаж».
 Левитин, Михаил Феликсович (1953—1989) — советский кинокритик и киновед, ответственный секретарь журнала «Советский экран».

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Everything around us has mass and volume and they occupy space, and we called them as matter.
Mass is the quantity of the matter in a substance. We show mass with m, and unit of it can be gram (g) or kilogram (kg).
Inertia is one of the properties of matter. It is the resistance of the matter to change its state of motion. An unbalanced force can only change the state of motion of the matter.
Volume is the space occupied by the matter. It is also common property of matter and does not help us in distinguishing them. We show it with V and unit used in SI system is m ³.
Density is the quantity of mass in a unit of volume. It is the distinguishing property of matter. Each matter has its own density. Representation of density is d; unit of it is g/cm³.
Mixtures include at least two different matters. If the matters are homogenously mixed than we called them homogenous mixtures, on the contrary if they do not mixed homogenously we called them heterogeneous mixtures.
If an external force is applied to a material, it causes deformation in molecular structure of that material. By removing this force, material turns its original shapes; we call this process as elasticity of material.


On Friday, September 14th, 51 students were awarded their diplomas and certificates at KIITEC to recognize their academic successes. Under a tent constructed just for the occasion, KIITEC staff and students welcomed family, extended family and friends to celebrate together in KIITEC's courtyard.
The event was a day to be remembered with a special song and dance performance by the current students, speeches by staff and students and a special address by guest of honour Mr. Kusirie Senkondo, the Technical Operation Manager at Habari Node Ltd. Located in nearby Moshi, Tanzania, Habari Node Ltd. has taken on KIITEC students as interns over the past few years and consistently provide positive feedback to the quality of the student's training. In his speech, he encouraged KIITEC graduates to continue to work hard in order to reach their goals.
Following the ceremony, students, faculty and guests took a guided tour of the campus where the second year students prepared special demonstrations in each classroom showcasing their current projects. These included a circuit irrigation system, car alarm and a simulated traffic light system to use at a train crossing.
With only 16 graduates in 2011, Onesmo Matei, KIITEC's principal noted that this year's 51 graduates (6 of them girls) demonstrated both progress and a solid commitment toward their studies.
Our heartfelt congratulations to all graduates!


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Mick Fleetwood recalls how a trip to France saved Fleetwood Mac's classic track 'Tusk'
Mick Fleetwood recalled in a recent interview how a visit to a village in France gave him an idea that brought the classic Fleetwood Mac song 'Tusk' to life at a time when it had little chance of becoming a completed track.
The 1979 track gave Fleetwood Mac's 12th album its name, going on to become a Top 10 hit, and the 94th bestselling single of the year in 1980 - but it almost didn't make it to the recording studio according to Fleetwood.
"The song 'Tusk' came together from a previous tour," the drummer said, noting that the original rough concept came from guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. "My recollection would be that every single soundcheck, we used to jam on that riff. He would start playing that riff and we all picked up on it. It was put on the back burner, probably, in Lindsey's world, and he brought it out as the prospective beginnings of a song during the Tusk sessions."
"I started getting this fantasy of adding a marching band that I got when I was in northern France. I came home with the idea of finding a great marching band. It was something I'd heard in this village, the local band playing stuff."
Fleetwood Mac eventually hired a portable studio to record the Spirit of Troy – also known as the University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band – performing the track. The trip was filmed for use in the song's promotional video.
"I took it out to Dr. [Arthur] Bartner," Fleetwood said, referring to the marching band's director, who still holds that position. "They did the arrangement around the riff, and that song was resurrected, sort of out of the dustbin – and became somewhat of a classic."


Sometime last week, the paper "Massive MIMO in the UL/DL of Cellular Networks: How Many Antennas Do We Need?" that I have co-authored reached 1000 citations (according to Google Scholar). I feel that this is a good moment to share some reflections on this work and discuss some conclusions we too hastily drew. The paper is an extension of a conference paper that appeared at the 2011 Allerton Conference. At that time, we could by no means anticipate the impact Massive MIMO would have and many people were quite doubtful about the technology (including myself). I still remember very well a heated discussion with an esteemed Bell Lab's colleague trying to convince me that there were never ever going to be more than two active RF inputs into a base station!
Looking back, I am always wondering where the term "Massive MIMO" actually comes from. When we wrote our paper, the terms "large-scale antenna systems (LSAS)" or simply "large-scale MIMO" were commonly used to refer to base stations with very large antenna arrays, and I do not recall what made us choose our title.
The Google Trends Chart for "Massive MIMO" above clearly shows that interest in this topic started roughly at the time Tom Marzetta's seminal paper was published, although the term itself does not appear in it at all. If anyone has an idea or reference where the term "Massive MIMO" was first used, please feel free to write this in the comment field.
In case you have not read our paper, let me first explain the key question it tries to answer. Marzetta showed in his paper that the simplest form of linear receive combining and transmit precoding, namely maximum ratio combining (MRC) and transmission (MRT), respectively, achieve an asymptotic spectral efficiency (when the number of antennas goes to infinity) that is only limited by coherent interference caused by user equipments (UEs) using the same pilot sequences for channel training (see the previous blog post on pilot contamination). All non-coherent interference such as noise, channel gain uncertainty due to estimation errors, and interference magically vanishes thanks to the strong law of large numbers and favorable propagation. Intrigued by this beautiful result, we wanted to know what happens for a large but finite number of antennas . Clearly, MRC/MRT are not optimal in this regime, and we wanted to quantify how much can be gained by using more advanced combining/precoding schemes. In other words, our goal was to figure out how many antennas could be "saved" by computing a matrix inverse, which is the key ingredient of the more sophisticated schemes, such as MMSE combining or regularized zero-forcing (RZF) precoding. Moreover, we wanted to compute how much of the asymptotic spectral efficiency can be achieved with antennas. Please read our paper if you are interested in our findings.
We could not have been more wrong about it!
In summary, although we did not understand the importance of M-MMSE combining in 2011, I believe that we were asking the right questions. In particular, the consideration of individual channel covariance matrices for each UE has been an important step for the analysis of Massive MIMO systems. A key lesson that I have learned from this story for my own research is that one should always question fundamental assumptions and wisdom.