In line with consensus expectations from economists, the Bank of Canada left its key lending rate at 1.0%. Canada's central bank has maintained the overnight rate at this level since September 2010.
In his first interest rate announcement, Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz focused on the fact that modest global expansion is the result of contrasting prospects for economies in the developed and emerging worlds. The moderate recovery in the United States continues to rely on an appropriate balance between improving private demand and fiscal constraint. Drastic stimulus in Japan is having the expected impact, contributing to a rapid recovery in growth, whereas the euro area continues to lag. Economic expansion in China has been proceeding at a more rapid pace than in developed countries; nonetheless, growth there has slowed, putting downward pressure on commodity prices. Against this backdrop, the Bank of Canada has—like the International Monetary Fund—revised its forecast, reducing its outlook for global growth in each of the next three years.
Although the bank maintained its bias for tightening the currently accommodative monetary policy, the language it used could be seen as more dovish.
The forecast for Canada's economic growth in 2013 was increased slightly, from 1.5% to 1.8%. This was thanks to stronger than expected growth in the first quarter, plus projections for improved contributions from exports, continued expansion of business investment, and sustained growth in consumer spending.
Expansion during the second quarter of the year is expected to be weakened by the impact of the floods in southern Alberta and the construction workers' strike in Quebec. However, with the reconstruction requirements out west and the strike settled in Quebec, growth in the third quarter is expected to increase by a corresponding magnitude.
While acknowledging that recent inflation data has been weak—headline inflation was 0.7% in the 12 months to May—the bank reiterated its previous projection that as the economy returns to full capacity, core and headline inflation should both reach the 2.0% target by the middle of 2015.
The interest rate announcement had a negative impact on the Canadian dollar, which fell by slightly more than half of a cent from yesterday's closing price of $0.9644USD.
The next scheduled announcement of the overnight rate target is September 4, 2013.


text:
Q: Select from a table who is all available in other tables I'm currently working on some sql tables, Here is the tables below in an image.
Sailors

sid
sname
rating
age

22
Dustin
7
45.0

29
Brutus
1
33.0

31
Lubber
8
55.5

32
Andy
8
25.5

58
Rusty
10
35.0

64
Horatio
7
35.0

71
Zorba
10
16.0

74
Horatio
9
35.0

85
Art
3
25.5

95
Bob
3
63.5

Reserves

sid
bid
day

22
101
10/10/98

22
102
10/10/98

22
103
10/8/98

22
104
10/7/98

31
102
11/10/98

31
103
11/6/98

31
104
11/12/98

64
101
9/5/98

64
102
9/8/98

74
103
9/8/98

Boats

bid
bname
bcolor

101
Interlake
blue

102
Interlake
red

103
Clipper
green

104
Marine
red

So, I want to select a person in table Sailors who had reserved all boats from table boats, which is Dustin.
My first thought on the code is
SELECT s.sname
FROM Sailors s, Reserves r, Boats b
WHERE s.sid=r.sid AND r.bid=b.bid AND b.color='red' AND b.color='green' AND b.color='blue';

But, the function above will keep increasing if I add the new boats with a different colors.
My question is, are there any shorter way to call the person without stating the boat one by one? Is there any shorter version to do this?
Thank you!

A: The approach I'd take would be to select all sid values from table_reserves that have a distinct count of bid equal to the rowcount of the boats table. I don't have your schema prepared, but it'd be something like this:
with cte AS (

    SELECT
    sid,
    COUNT(DISTINCT bid) AS unique_boat_count

    FROM reserves r

    HAVING COUNT(DISTINCT bid) = (
        SELECT COUNT(*)
        FROM boats
        )
)
select

s.sname

FROM cte

INNER JOIN sailors s
    ON s.sid = cte.sid

A: Start with this:
SELECT r.sid
FROM Reserves r
GROUP BY r.sid
HAVING COUNT(DISTINCT r.bid) =
    (select count(distinct bid) from boats)

What we're doing is matching the count of total unique boats registered for each sailor with the count of total boats possible. If you need more than just the sid value you can JOIN back to the Sailors table again.
Do NOT use the old FROM A,B join syntax for this, as you did in the original question. That syntax has been obsolete for more than 25 years now. Today, you should pretty much always specify the JOIN keyword.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Sobering Up
Since we left you last month with "One More Saloon Please," it seems appropriate to focus on a more sobering subject like Grace Cathedral. However, before leaving the topic of saloons, please allow me to share this pic with important words from The Tonight Show host and philosopher Johnny Carson.
Grace Church, the ancestral parish of Grace Cathedral, was founded in 1849 and consumed by a fire caused by the 1906 earthquake. The family of William Crocker subsequently donated Grace Cathedral's present Nob Hill site for the rebuild. Construction began around 1910. The present structure was completed in 1964, with Hathaway Dinwiddie as the General Contractor. Hathaway was also the GC for the Transamerica building (completed in 1972).
In addition to being an impressive gothic structure in and of itself, the Cathedral has two labyrinths: one indoor (shown below) and one outdoor. The Grace Cathedral (indoor) labyrinth – which is based on a famous medieval labyrinth that was laid ca. 1220 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres in France – is an archetype, a divine imprint, found in all religions in various forms around the world. By walking a replica of the Chartres labyrinth, one may experience a relaxation response, i.e. reduced stress in the form of slower breathing/heart rate and lower blood pressure.
Although well known as a pillar of religious services, the Cathedral hosts music, dance, dining, and other events. Though I had passed the Cathedral hundreds of times, I had never been inside until being invited to a black-tie event honoring Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and actress Ashley Judd of Kentucky.
Of course, there was good food, music, and dancing, but what is imprinted on my mind forever is Ashley Judd towering over Bishop Tutu as they danced the night away, not to mention the spectacular glory of Grace Cathedral itself.
Very sobering indeed!
Ever daydream about what went into buildings you walk by every day (or walked by before Covid)? Check out LISA's game demo here and see what it's like to rebuild any building in the world!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Detect Facebook page fan on the website I want to show a Faceboo Fanbox on the website, but only if the current user is NOT a fan of our FB page. Is there a way to detect if the user is a fan of certain page or not and then display the fanbox?

A: No, I am pretty sure this is impossible. In order to be able to do this you would

*

*Need to be able to fetch somebody's FB user id from their cookie and that would only work if the are currently logged in on FB. They might not even store the user id in the cookie (don't know about this).

*Need to be able to access this person's liked pages

*All of the above without any consent from the user.

Imagine the outcry of some people if this was possible...

A: For a PHP based website, it can be done this way:
1- Create a new Facebook app here.
2 - Download Facebook PHP SDK from here. Extract the files and place it in the same folder with the file in which you will paste the code given below!
3 - Get your Facebook Page ID using this tool.
4 - Generate Facebook like box code for your page from here.
After 1, 2, 3 and 4 steps are complete, you can check if user has liked a page or not with the following code:
<?php
    require('facebook.php');
    $config = array(
         'appId' => 'your facebook app id',
         'secret' => 'your facebook app secret code',

        'allowSignedRequest' => false
    );
    $facebook = new Facebook($config);
    $user_id = $facebook->getUser();
    if (isset($user_id)) {
        try {
            $likes = $facebook->api('/me/likes/your_facebook_page_id_here', 'GET');

            if (!empty($likes['data'])) // if user has liked the page then $likes['data'] wont be empty otherwise it will be empty
            {
                echo 'Thank you for liking our fan page!';
            }
           else {
                echo 'You have not liked our fan page! Like it now:';
                ?>
                 //replace this with your own Facebook like box code
                <?php
            }
        } catch (FacebookApiException $e) {
            $login_url = $facebook->getLoginUrl();
            echo 'Please click here to login into your Facebook account.';
            error_log($e->getType());
            error_log($e->getMessage());
        }
    } else {
        $login_url = $facebook->getLoginUrl();
        echo 'Please lick here to login into your Facebook account';
    }
    ?>

The user will click on the "Please click here to login into your Facebook account." text which will redirect it to Facebook app permissions page, once user allows the permission to your app the code will fetch user's data and will display the likebox if user hasn't liked your fan page.


When picturing your future swimming pool, you probably have some kind of image in your head and at Swim Sports, we do everything we can to get you that pool. There is a lot that goes into deciding the design of your pool; size, shape, liner colors, stairs and their color, ladder color, hand rails, coping and the list goes on. With so many options available, we can customize any pool you want. We are here to help you create a "natural" looking pool with all earth tones, or a completely Blue Granite pool with the Stairs to match. Whether you want a small pool with a 5' wading section, or a large pool with an 8" depth, not only will we work with you to create it, we are experienced at doing so. Putting a pool in your yard should be an investment, not a liability, so go with someone you know you can trust. No pool is exactly the same, let us customize your dream pool today.


text:
8 More Cases of Omicron Variant Found Taking UK Total to 22
by Ahmad El-Assasy
10:04 PM November 30, 2021
More cases of the Omicron variant have been detected in England
The UK Health Security Agency has already identified 13 cases in England, with all patients and their associated contacts being isolated. In Scotland, nine have already been discovered. The latest cases in England brought the overall number of cases in the United Kingdom to 22.
The East Midlands, the East of England, London, and the North West have all confirmed cases.
Individuals who have tested positive, as well as their connections, are being isolated, according to officials. According to the UKHSA, work is underway to identify any ties to travel to southern Africa.
There are now two cases in Barnet, one in Brentwood, two in Camden, one in Haringey, one in Liverpool, one in north Norfolk, one in Nottingham, one in Sutton, one in Wandsworth, and two in Westminster, according to the report.
"We are continuing our work to understand the influence of this mutation on transmissibility, severe disease, mortality, antibody response, and vaccination efficacy," said Dr Jenny Harries, UKHSA's chief executive.
"Vaccination is essential in helping us strengthen our defences against this new variation; please obtain your first, second, third, or booster shot as soon as possible."
"Following a change in JCVI recommendations yesterday, a booster dosage is now suggested for everyone over 18 years at least three months after your last primary course jab," she added.
"As soon as you are invited, please accept this offer to defend yourself, your families, and your communities."
Tags: Ahmad El-Assasy
Pakistani Taliban Kills 3 Police Officer in Separate Attacks
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Morocco Take on Gabon in AFCON 2021
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Since 2017, Bradley Brandt has been the Lead NDT Specialist at Roush Yates Engines, overseeing the scheduling, prioritizing and processing of non-destructive testing (NDT) in the Roush Yates Engineering NDT Lab.
NDT uses electromagnetic radiation, sound, penetrant and multiple forms of visual inspection to test parts in a non-destructive manner. It allows a component to retain its original integrity and strength, while allowing a full examination of the part for cracks, hairline fractures, porosity, and etc. that are not visible to the human eye. This is an imperative process for checking welded parts, components that carry various loads and temperature changes and/or made of dense material inherent at an engine manufacturer.
In the competitive sport of NASCAR racing, where it is imperative to always be looking for ways to gain a competitive advantage, Brandt did exactly that for himself personally. Working as a machinist for many years, Brandt decided it was time to further his own education and enrolled in the NDE program at Central Piedmont Community College. Brandt's skill and knowledge of the NDT process is invaluable. It saves both money and time in product evaluation, troubleshooting, and research when potential issues are caught applying these testing methods.
Brandt takes great pride in his job at Roush Yates Engines, knowing that his inspection and analysis of components can make the difference between winning on Sunday or not. One of his biggest career highlights was being the lead inspector on the 2017 Daytona 500 race winning engine. "Growing up in a NASCAR family and then being a part of winning the prestigious Daytona 500, it's pretty special," commented Brandt.
"Growth in technology has driven so much change in the industry," noted Brandt. "Computer technology especially has led to growth in thermography, ultrasound, radiography, and eddy current analysis." Since completing his degree Brandt has severed as mentor for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs and American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) in Charlotte, NC, looking to inspire new NDT technicians and professionals.
Submit your own story today!
You can send in your own favorite race memory, engine build or car build story and why you're a fan of Roush Yates Engines and Ford Performance motorsports.
All you need to do to get your story considered is to send it in to info@roushyates.com.
200-300 words or less, include 'Spotlight' in the email subject line and a few pictures.
Please include your full name, hometown and the word 'Spotlight' in the subject line of your email. Submissions will be selected every month.
Roush Yates Engines shared a post.
I say do away with throttle plate spacers, restricted plates, brake peddles, big spoilers and let 'um race !!!
Week 3 points update for #MustangMarathon is in! It's a three-way battle for the win between 🌧🐮 &🏎. The tie-breaker will be determined by steps accumulated. Who do you think has the most? 🤔 One week left!
Congratulations to Ronnie Simmons (@ronnie.simmons92 on Facebook)! Ronnie has won the Week Three giveaway prize pack for #MustangMarathon. Ronnie, please email your name and address to ACox@RoushYates.com to claim your prize!
Week Four's giveaway prize pack to be announced Wednesday AM, and the winner chosen the following Monday. Stay tuned! This is the final week of the Marathon!
We hope you're having a good day with your friends and family!


text:
May 21, 2014 by Gary Price
UK: New Research From Deloitte Shows Book Purchasing Has Reached Digital Tipping Point
From a summary of a new report published by Deloitte.
New research from Deloitte on attitudes to the consumption of media shows that the average UK household spends £900 on media a year, with one off purchases such as books, DVDs and newspapers representing 52% of their total media spend. The new report "The Digital Divide" paints a snapshot of a typical media consumer, their newspaper reading habits, attitudes to video gaming, social networking, and television viewing behaviours.
80% of respondents say they read newspapers online or in print, although only 51% pay for it themselves. Another 10% only read free newspapers and further 10% get their newspaper or online news access paid for by someone else.
Print newspapers remain more trusted than online sources, but only marginally 34% trust the news in print to be accurate, compared to 29% who say the same about online sources. Over 65s are the most sceptical, only 31% believe what they read in print and 18% believe what they read online.
[Clip]
For the first time a majority of respondents (51%) said they buy more digital books than physical copies.
The most popular way to find out about new books is Amazon (39%) compared to chain bookshops (22%) and only 7% in an independent bookstore. Friend's recommendations and word of mouth were the second most influential at 30%.
More than half of respondents (55%) said they saw Facebook as a source of entertainment and 64%[iii] said they use Facebook to communicate with others. A third of respondents (36%) said their main reason for using social networks was to discover new content.
Direct to Full Text Report (44 pages; PDF)
Read the Complete News Release/Summary/Methodology
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com. Gary is also the co-founder of infoDJ an innovation research consultancy supporting corporate product and business model teams with just-in-time fact and insight finding.
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When crafting the Concept 2O™ pure water window cleaning system, we were aiming to create more than just a premium quality Wfp product, but the foundation of your window cleaning business that would take you to wherever you wanted to be.
We knew we had something special when our own window cleaning rounds accelerated in growth by over 120% in 6 months.
We now use that 30 years of combined experience to assist our clients to make the very best of their investments and to achieve their business goals.


text:
High Pond Natural Area Visitors enjoying the trail at High Ponds © Bob Klein
High Pond Natural Area
Email: vermont@tnc.org
A laboratory for dozens of scientific papers on everything from acid rain to snowshoe hares.
Located in the northernmost corner of Vermont's Taconic Mountains, High Pond Preserve is a haven for wildlife like large-ranging mammals and birds. It also supports a number of plant communities that reflect both boreal and more southern affinities.
High Pond Preserve is owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy of Vermont. The preserve was originally established through the generosity of the late W. Douglas Burden, a conservationist and explorer who lived in Charlotte, Vermont.
With the help of a Vermont Youth Conservation Corps team, TNC recently made an addition to the one-mile visitor's trail to provide access to the North side of High Pond.
Hubbardton, VT
Located in the northernmost corner of Vermont's Taconic Mountains.

Supports a number of plant communities that reflect both boreal and more southern affinities.

Vermont Preserve Visitation Guidelines (.pdf)
What to See: Plants
Mixed northern hardwood is the most common forest type in the High Pond Preserve, composed of maples, birches, ash, oaks, cherry and hemlock, among other species. Another feature of the preserve is the community of old growth hemlock, one of fewer than ten of its size and age that can be found in Vermont, a nearly pure stand of chestnut oak, and a distinctive, fire-influenced red pine community high on the ridge beside High Pond.
What to See: Animals
A number of mammals such as bobcat, fisher and bear can be found at High Pond Preserve, as well as birds like the pileated woodpecker and the black-backed woodpecker. There is also an abundance of amphibians in the vernal pools and the ponds of the preserve.
With the help of a Vermont Youth Conservation Corps team, TNC recently made an addition to the one-mile visitor's trail to provide access to the North side of High Pond. The trail leads through the preserve to High Pond itself, passing through a number of different forest communities including a hemlock ravine and mature northern hardwood forest with abundant black birch.
Burnt Mountain Beauty
Explore Vermont's newest preserve and the state's largest carbon project.
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Highways, bridges and habitat destruction and fragmentation create obstacles to wildlife movement and compromise the health of species. Find out how we're working to help wildlife stay connected.
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Deadbeat dams and undersized culverts prevent fish from migrating up many streams in Vermont. TNC is working to remove dams and improve culverts to allow fish passage.


Following a meeting between patient and family members of those who suffer the ultra rare kidney condition aHUS with the All Party Parliamentary Kidney Group (APPKG) representations by members of the APPKG were immediately made resulting in yesterdays announcement ( 29.01.2015) that the expensive but life changing drug Eculizumab is to be prescribed to suitable patients on the NHS. This drug has life changing beneficial effect, however it can cost up to £10 million pounds per patient. The NKF is proud to have assisted this small group of patients in their struggle for a fair outcome.


Ryan Johnson has been selected the 2012 George Gross Trophy winner as most valuable player of the Amway Canadian Championship. The Toronto FC striker helped his club win its fourth-consecutive national title, qualifying once again as Canada's representative for the coming season of CONCACAF Champions League.
Johnson scored two goals in the 2012 Championship, one in the opening round against the Impact and a second in the final round against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Johnson scored in the final's opening leg on 16 May in Vancouver, an all-important away goal that gave Toronto an edge heading home for the return leg on 23 May in Toronto.
Toronto FC won the 2012 Amway Canadian Championship final 2-1 on aggregate over Vancouver Whitecaps FC.


You are here » Convicts transported to Australia » New South Wales. » Parmelia » 23 July 1832. » Howarth, William.
William Howarth, one of 200 convicts transported on the Parmelia, 23 July 1832.
Convicted at Norfolk Quarter Sessions for a term of 14 years on 13 January 1832.
Convicted at Glamorgan Assizes for a term of 14 years on 7 July 1832.
Convicted at Worcester City Quarter Session for a term of 7 years on 02 July 1832.
Convicted at Middlesex Quarter Sessions for a term of 7 years on 16 October 1832.
Convicted at Cornwall Assizes for a term of 14 years on 24 March 1832.
Convicted at Lancaster Quarter Sessions for a term of 7 years on 09 April 1832.


text:
Italy's president set to swap palace for Rome apartment
Mattarella reportedly signs lease on Roman apartment, reigniting a hot political topic.
Italy's president Sergio Mattarella is set to move into an apartment in Rome after his seven-year-term of office comes to an end on 3 February 2022.
The 80-year-old head of state has signed a lease to rent an apartment in a residential area not far from the city centre, between the Parioli and Salario Trieste neighbourhoods, according to Italian news magazine L'Espresso.
This is the same apartment that Mattarella viewed a few weeks ago, with his daughter Laura, leaving the home-owner speechless as she opened her front door to the president of Italy.
Italy's president seeks house in Rome
To say that Mattarella would be "downsizing" is a major understatement.
His current place of residence is the vast Palazzo Quirinale, the sixth largest palace in the world, which extends for an area of 110,500 sqm and has been Mattarella's home since he became president in 2015.
Mattarella's alleged future home measures 120 sqm, a far cry from the Quirinale which is 20 times larger than the White House and one third again the size of Buckingham Palace.
Italy's next president
Mattarella's reported signing of the apartment lease brings to the fore a hot political topic in Rome - who will be the next president of Italy?
On Thursday evening Mattarella said he agreed with his predecessors Giovanni Leone and Antonio Segni who believed the Italian presidency should be a one-mandate-only role.
Italy's current premier Mario Draghi has long been tipped as the frontrunner to move into the Quirinale when Mattarella moves out.
Mario Draghi is the only Italian on TIME 100 list
But there is a strong desire among the establishment and general Italian public for both Draghi and Mattarella to stay on in their current roles.
The much-touted theory is that Mattarella could seek a second term to let former ECB boss Draghi remain as premier to oversee Italy's spending of more than €200 billion of EU post-pandemic recovery funds.
The life of Sergio Mattarella, Italy's 12th president
Draghi commands respect on the international stage and is also credited with driving through much-needed reforms and unifying - however temporarily - Italy's normally fractious political parties.
However the non-political prime minister is seen as unlikely to put himself through the rigours of an election campaign, just as Mattarella is now all the more unlikely to remain in the Quirinale after January.
Address Piazza del Quirinale, 00187 Roma RM, Italy
Piazza del Quirinale, 00187 Roma RM, Italy
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text:
import os
import MySQLdb
import subprocess
from time import sleep
from celery.task import task
from MySQLdb import escape_string

from config import COMPILE_DIR
from config import TESTDATA_DIR
from config import CARETAKER_PATH

from config import MYSQL_DB
from config import MYSQL_HOST
from config import MYSQL_PORT
from config import MYSQL_USER
from config import MYSQL_PASS

STATUS_DICT = {
    "A" : 1,
    "W" : 2,
    "T" : 3,
    "M" : 4,
    "R" : 5,
    "C" : 6,
    "N" : 7,
}
_e = lambda a: escape_string(str(a))

def _clean(dir_path):
    for root, dirs, files in os.walk(dir_path):
        for name in files:
            os.remove(os.path.join(root, name))

def _compile_cmd(lang, filename):
    lang = int(lang)
    if lang == 1:
        return "fpc %s -So -XS -v0 -O1 -o\"a.out\"" % filename
    elif lang == 2:
        return "gcc %s -lm -w -static -o a.out" % filename
    elif lang == 3:
        return "g++ %s -lm -static -o a.out" % filename

def _compile(result, query):
    _clean(COMPILE_DIR)
    os.chdir(COMPILE_DIR)
    with open(COMPILE_DIR + query['filename'], "w+") as code:
        code.write(query['code'].encode("utf-8"))
    cmd = " ".join(["timeout 30", _compile_cmd(query['lang'], query['filename'])])
    proc = subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE, shell=True)
    (stdoutput,erroutput) = proc.communicate()
    result['msg'] = "".join(["STDOUT:\n--------\n", stdoutput, "\n--------\nSTDERR\n--------\n", erroutput])
    result['cmd'] = cmd
    if proc.returncode != 0:
        result["compilesucc"] = 0
    else:
        result["compilesucc"] = 1
    return result

def _get_input_file(tp, shortname):
    with open(os.path.join(TESTDATA_DIR, shortname, shortname + str(tp+1) + ".in")) as input_data_p:
        input_data = input_data_p.read()
    with open(os.path.join(COMPILE_DIR, shortname + ".in"), "w") as input_data_p:
        input_data_p.write(input_data)

def _run(result, query, tp):
    shortname = query["shortname"]
    os.chdir(COMPILE_DIR)
    cmd = " ".join([CARETAKER_PATH, "--input=%s.in" % query["shortname"], \
                                    "--output=%s.out" % query["shortname"], \
                                    "--time=%s" % str(query["timelimit"]), \
                                    "--memory=%s" % str(query["memlimit"] * 1024), \
                                    "a.out"])
    proc = subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE, shell=True)
    (stdoutput,erroutput) = proc.communicate()
    testresult = ""
    wexit = 0
    time = 0
    memory = 0
    if proc.returncode:
        if proc.returncode == 251:
            testresult = "T"
        elif proc.returncode == 252:
            testresult = "M"
        elif proc.returncode == 253:
            testresult = "R"
    else:
        wexit, time, memory = stdoutput.split("\n")[-2].split(" ")
        wexit = int(wexit)
        time = int(time)
        memory = int(memory)
        if wexit != 0:
            testresult = "W"
        else:
            # cmp output
            with open(os.path.join(TESTDATA_DIR, shortname, shortname + str(tp+1) + ".ans")) as answer_fp:
                answer = answer_fp.read()
            try:
                with open(os.path.join(COMPILE_DIR, shortname + ".out")) as prg_answer_fp:
                    prg_answer = prg_answer_fp.read()
            except IOError:
                testresult = "N"
            else:
                if _compare(answer, prg_answer):
                    testresult = "A"
                    result["score"] = result["score"] + 10
                else:
                    testresult = "W"
    result["testpoint"].append((testresult, time, memory))

def _compare(fout, fans):
    out = [line.strip() for line in fout if line.strip()]
    ans = [line.strip() for line in fans if line.strip()]
    return ans == out

def _get_status(testpoint):
    for tp in testpoint:
        if tp != "A":
            return STATUS_DICT[tp]
    return STATUS_DICT["A"]

def _return_result(result, query):
    # connect to server
    conn = MySQLdb.connect(host = MYSQL_HOST, user = MYSQL_USER, passwd = MYSQL_PASS, db = MYSQL_DB)
    cur = conn.cursor()
    testpoint = ""
    timecost = ""
    memorycost = ""
    totaltime = 0
    totalmemory = 0
    if result["compilesucc"] == 0:
        status = 6
    else:
        # update
        testpoint = []
        timecost = []
        memorycost = []
        totaltime = 0
        totalmemory = 0
        for tp in result["testpoint"]:
            testpoint.append(tp[0])
            timecost.append(str(tp[1]))
            memorycost.append(str(tp[2]))
            totaltime = totaltime + tp[1]
            totalmemory = totalmemory + tp[2]
        testpoint = "".join(testpoint)
        timecost = ",".join(timecost)
        memorycost = ",".join(memorycost)
        status = _get_status(testpoint)
    cur.execute("""UPDATE `submit` SET `status` = %s,
                                       `testpoint` = %s,
                                       `testpoint_time` = %s,
                                       `testpoint_memory` = %s,
                                       `score` = %s,
                                       `costtime` = %s,
                                       `costmemory` = %s,
                                       `msg` = %s
                                   WHERE `id` = %s """, (_e(status), _e(testpoint), _e(timecost), _e(memorycost), \
                                                        _e(result["score"]), _e(totaltime), _e(totalmemory), \
                                                        _e(result["msg"]), _e(query["id"])))
    conn.commit()
    cur.close()

'''

Query String Format:

id - Required. Submit id.
code - Required. Code file content.
lang - Required. Code language. ( 1 - Pascal, 2 - C, 3 - C++ )
filename - Required. Code file filename.
shortname - Required. Problem shortname.
timelimit - Required. Problem time limit. (MB)
memlimit - Required. Problem memory limit.(ms)
testpoint - Required. Problem testpoint number.
sign - Signature.
time - For signature.

'''

@task
def judge(query):
    result = {}
    _compile(result, query)
    if result["compilesucc"] == 0:
        result["score"] = 0
        _return_result(result, query)
    result["testpoint"] = []
    result["score"] = 0
    if result["compilesucc"]:
        for tp in range(query["testpoint"]):
            _get_input_file(tp, query["shortname"])
            _run(result, query, tp)
    _return_result(result, query)
    return 0

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
An open letter to Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the new International Development Secretary
Monday, 24 February, 2020 in International aid
Dear Anne-Marie
Congratulations on your elevation to the Cabinet. I was delighted to see your appointment to the post of international development secretary given your unstinting efforts to stand up for British interests as an energetic Brexiteer. I must confess to slight bias, however, given that you retweeted an article of mine from 2013 calling for an end to ring fencing of the foreign aid budget. This gives me renewed hope that we might finally see reform of this money pit.
It was kind of you to say my article was 'interesting' on 'the value (or otherwise) of the overseas aid budget.' As I argued, it defies all logic to commit Britain to an arbitrary spending target that means we must dole out 0.7 per cent of national income. 'In what other areas of government do we start not by asking what we want to achieve, but how much of our national income we want to dispense?' I asked. That was true then and it is even truer today (more…)
If Trump's opponents don't learn from Corbyn's catastrophe, The Donald's guaranteed four more years
Sunday, 16 February, 2020 in Labour Party, US politics
This article first appeared in the Mail on Sunday
"They take our votes for granted and think we were born yesterday." So said a former Labour voter last month in the North East of England, reflecting on what had become of the party he once regarded as his own. While Labour had once been for "normal working people, who pay for their house, pay for their car," it was now mostly for "young people and students, and the unemployed" – that or "middle-class radicals," and "people in London who go on marches to get rid of Brexit."
Such views, which emerged in the research for Diagnosis of Defeat, my new report on where Labour stands with the voters following its worst defeat since 1935, tell us even more about the party's predicament than the election result itself. While senior Labour figures and the party's own official inquiry claim the outcome was all about Brexit, the truth is that their problems go much deeper. While many did vote to get Brexit done, more serious still was the principle that when it came to the referendum result – but not just that – Labour no longer listened to them. The party had become too left-wing, could not be trusted with the money, and seemed to have adopted values far removed from their own sensible, practical outlook on life. Many described Labour's manifesto, with its wild spending promises and expensive irrelevancies like free broadband, as "pie in the sky."
It is Labour members, now pondering the choice of leadership candidates, who will decide which direction to take their party. Meanwhile, in America, a similar drama is being played out. Labour's recent history should serve as a cautionary tale for their allies in the US Democratic Party as they shape up for their battle with Donald Trump in November's presidential election. The parallels are not exact, but close enough for the Democrats to beware of enacting a transatlantic sequel to the Corbyn story (more…)
Labour are in a pickle, but the Tories must keep their heads down: lessons from my new polling report
Wednesday, 12 February, 2020 in Labour Party
Many Conservatives reading Diagnosis of Defeat, my polling report on the Labour Party's predicament, will probably have felt a flicker of schadenfreude. It is certainly true that Labour have very deep-rooted problems that go well beyond Brexit and Jeremy Corbyn, the proximate causes of their disastrous defeat. The belief among former Labour supporters that the party had ceased to represent them while taking their votes for granted had been growing for many years, as they explained in devastating detail in my post-election focus groups.
Worse still, the voters who deserted Labour see the party's problems in a completely different light from that of many of the members who will decide its future. While Labour "defectors" said they did not want Corbyn to be Prime Minister, distrusted Labour's policies and felt the party did not listen to them – not least because it had tried to stand in the way of Brexit – members were more likely to blame the media, Conservative lies, and the voters, as well as Brexit for dominating an election in which they felt they would otherwise have been on stronger ground (more…)
Diagnosis of Defeat: Labour's Turn to Smell the Coffee
Monday, 10 February, 2020 in Elections, Labour Party
After the Conservatives lost their third consecutive election in 2005, I published Smell the Coffee: A Wake-Up Call for the Conservative Party. I felt that the Tories had failed to grasp the reasons for their unpopularity and needed a serious reality check if they were ever to find their way back into government. With Labour now having been rejected by the voters four times in a row, I thought it was time to do the same for them.
No doubt some will be suspicious of my motives. I'm a Tory, after all – indeed, a former Deputy Chairman of the party. There are two answers to that. The first is that the country needs a strong opposition. Britain will be better governed if those doing the governing are kept on their toes. Moreover, at its best, the Labour Party has been a great force for decency, speaking up for people throughout the country and ensuring nobody is forgotten. We need it to reclaim that role.
The second answer is that you don't have to trust me – just listen to what real voters have to say in the research that follows. Last month I polled over 10,000 people, paying particular attention to those who voted Labour in 2017 but not in 2019. We have also conducted 18 focus groups in seats Labour lost, with people who have moved away from the party (often feeling that the party had moved away from them). The report includes extensive quotes from these discussions, since they explain Labour's predicament better than any analyst could. They are all the more powerful when you consider they come from people who were voting Labour until very recently and probably never expected to do otherwise.
We also polled over 1,000 Labour Party members, and conducted focus groups with members of the party and of Labour-supporting trade unions, to see how the Labour movement's understanding of the election differs from that of the electorate at large and whether – and how far – they think the party needs to change (more…)


text:
activism art election elections facebook fake news hacking interview Memes Mez Breeze Nancy Mauro-Flude new media news participatory culture petitions politics social media social networks twitter web 2.0
Censorship creates discourse: the implications of banning political advertising
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Too young to vote, but not to like: is Matteo Salvini attempting to reach under-age youngsters on Tik Tok?
Introduction Matteo Salvini, leader of the major Italian political party La Lega, with his 4,3 million likes on Facebook is one of most followed politicians in Italy. Last November he was the first (and so far the only) major...
Fighting Fake News: A closer look at Sleeping Giants Brazil
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Vote yay or vote nay, but you just can't ignore micro-targeting.
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Verifying Facts in a Post-Truth World
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By Ryan Tristram-Walmsley	on 09/25/17	0
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HelpOut: Real Help for Real People
The Crisis at Hand Political upheaval in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia have forced about 464,000 migrants to cross into Europe in 2015, a phenomenon referred to as the "Refugee Crisis" (Park). Numerous tragic events, like the...
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Social media – the new watchdog?
September 5th the former leader of the Norwegian far right party (Progress Party), Carl I. Hagen, wrote a status update on his Facebook-profile. Here he blamed the current government for the murder of a 21-year old girl, Anja Weløy...
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text:
Best Of Coke Studio-9 : Round-Up + Playlist
Posted: September 28, 2016 by moifightclub in music, Music Recco, Music review
Tags: Coke Studio 9, strings
Coke Studio 9 has come to an end. The experiment of bringing six music directors (while Strings remained Producers) was presented a bit differently than the Indian version. Here, we bombard a music director's entire set at one go. Pakistan version composed an episode with a single song from every composer. In the order in which the songs appeared, here goes the list of my favourite tracks from this season.
Scroll down to the end of the post for the youtube playlist. So this is the way we do it – start the playlist, listen to the songs and then start reading the post.
Jaanay na tu – To me, this remains one of the best songs I came across this year and not just in Coke Studio. There is not a single fault a nit picker like me could find. The sincerity of Ali Khan is matched by a tune that changes towards the end and with such subtlety that you would probably not notice it at all. It infects you nevertheless. I loved the texture of Ali's voice and the range that he explored. Not every song needs to bring the house down, some can lull you to sleep with a smile on your lips. This one, does just that.
Aafreen aafreen – Re-imagining classics is something that CS-Pakistan does rather well. So when they picked up this song and turned the tune by its head, it didn't please a lot of people.I have a theory that if you cannot play and manipulate 'classics', then they would never be explored by the current generation who is rightfully bent on better acoustics and 'clear' sound. So when Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Momina sat down with a soothing guitar by the side and an ethereal tune for company, it sounded good. The ganpati pandal right next to my apartment was playing this non-stop. Now, ask yourself, would they have played the original (which remains a classic and my absolute favorite) with such fervour? Oh, and too much respect for Javed Akhtar sahab. You listen to this alone and you blush, what a feat to achieve, sir. Thank you, for the song!
Maula-e-kull – The powerful voice of Abida Parveen is best left with minimal arrangement so that we can all connect with ourselves in her characteristic long taans and powerful rendition. That is exactly what Shani Arshad cleverly did here. With a running time of approx. 10 minutes, you are guaranteed to be transported in the space where only the supreme devotion exists, i swear I was in that space. I strongly urge you to explore this and wait till the song changes its pace, it will sit in you 'run' playlist, I bet. My pick of the season.
Khaki Banda – This power packed song by Umair and Ahmed Jehanzeb pretty much did its job well. The lyrics were sharp, piercing and a commentary on the state of us humans that hasn't changed since ages. Just listen to Ahmed towards the end (karda phirey part) and then quietly go and listen to this song which he sang long time back that pretty much besotted all of us. The man has got range and sur.
Dilruba na razi – What's a Coke Studio season without a good Pashtu fused song? While I did have issues with the arrangement, Zeb's beautiful singing and Faakhir's energy ensured I start swaying even though I was frowning. What can you do when Ustad Tanweer is hell bent on getting us all dance-y? Super effort!
Ala baali – Fantastic percussions are a given with CS-Pakistan. This season, however, it was a task to keep the sound from overpowering the vocals. Nirmal Roy and Jabar Abbas were clearly audible and were amazing to say the least. Doesn't Jabbar sound like a soothing Sukhwinder? That 'habibi' vibe was tantalising and the Bulleh shah part grows on you as well, a pretty pretty song!
Aaya lariye – Granted that this song is quite distracting with lighting all over the place. Still, I picked this one up because it touches an oft ignored genre. Rufi was superlative and Meesha was naughty, and God those 'jijja' calls were infectious! The brass band (from M-Audio keyboard) played a key part in lending a celebratory character to the song.
Shamaan pai gaiyaan/kee dam da bharosa – Kashif, who is the runner up of Pakistani Idol 2013, has a voice that is soothing, and thankfully the song he was given exploits this trait very well. When he goes 'haar ke baye gaiyyan', he means it because it pinches your heart as well. That said, Rachel enters like a diva with a call that is measured, painful and malicious. Don't miss the way Rachel swoops in at 5:24 in the song along with the electrical guitar and changes the mood of the song. Pain, Malice and Melody…perfectly mixed.
Main rasta – The only song of Noori in the list and the one that wasn't trying too hard to be everything to everyone. I absolutely loved the funk of the song and the way entire house came around was a treat to see and hear. Junaid has a natural 'chest' voice and he uses it well and Momina, well she was quite good here as well.
Lagi bina/Chal mele nu chaliye – There are artists that made us Indians sit up and take notice of Coke Studio Pakistan. Saein Zahoor and Sanam Marvi top that list. This soulful song saw both of them collaborate and boy did it work! We hear songs where they say Bulleh Shah danced, I think Bulleh Shah danced because he heard Zahoor sing. Do check this one out!
Nawazishein/Tera wo pyar – When Shuja Haider fused his two songs (which you can hear here and here) asking Asim and Momina to do the honors, we got a soulful romantic song that might be accused of being too mushy, but hey! If we can hear a 'typical one sided lover song from Bhatts' filmed on Ranbir Kapoor and go all weak in the knees, this one deserves a listen and a repeat one at that. The string section of this song is where magic happens in addition to pretty much everything that contributed to the song.
Tu Kuja mann kuja – In this remarkable song, we saw Rafaqat Ali Khan sahab with Shiraz Uppal and lovely humnawas sway us the way only pure devotion can. I think this was Shiraz's best composition of the season.
Nimma nimma – Sabir Zafar's words are matched by the vulnerable vocals of Shani Arshad, who has also composed this song. With Coke Studio-Pakistan, touching varied genres are a given and this one is a call to mother and a very melodious one at that.
Rang – Amjad Sabri's last outing that was complimented exquisitely by Rahat Fateh ali khan and humnawas. The highlight would always remain the 'allah' call by Sabri that used to be a Sabri signature in their days.
Observations – Somehow, I got a feeling that everyone was trying too hard to give it all. Hire an exotic instrument, get a good singer, and let us all do this together. The cohesive sound was totally missing from this season and after a stellar season 8, it hurt a lot. That and those distracting lights. If you hire a group of chimpanzees and give them laser pointers, they would do a better job than what studio did this time round. It *is* important because Coke Studio is as much a video property as audio. So spare me 'focus-on-music' argument. Look at how the studio evolved from season 1 (where one could see cameraman running all over) and you would understand how the visual theatrics were never a part of the studio's presentation. Subtlety has been forcefully evicted. Noori was probably overwhelmed by the opportunity and wanted to reinforce their presence in almost every song that was given to them. It was quite distracting and put me off. I loved paar channa de but the way Noori made a mess of the song towards the end put me off and it remained a song that you would love humming, but would just like to see it getting over when you hear the Coke Studio Version. Ali Sethi was given just one song, that is wrong on so many levels!
Applause – The biggest plus was the new backup vocalists and we saw them being put to good use. In fact, one of the reasons of picking nimma nimma was the way Shahab Hussain participated in the song, enveloping the feel so well. Hussain was one of the backup vocalists of the season. Also, I absolutely loved the house-band and guest musicians. It was so nice to see Amir Azhar make a return after we saw him in this song, years ago in the studio. Javed Iqbal sahib was the 'head' of string section, and boy, did he make his presence felt! We also liked the varied genres the studio touched, ranging from a call to the mother, a lover taunting her innocent better half, to a marriage dance song done just right. All the singers were top class, to say the least.
Looking ahead – We don't know what Rohail Hyatt is doing these days but he really needs to be engaged again because the overall vibe of the season wasn't promising at all. Granted that Strings were splendid in season 8 but they have managed 3 seasons so far and all we remember is just one out of that. The cohesive sound, subtlety and experiments Rohail did are sorely missing.
Let us know your favourites!
– Rohwit
(ps- you can find individual episode reviews on my blog – Almostareview.wordpress.com)
Suanshu Khurana says:
The piece misses the finest piece — Aaqa. It stood out and was better than any of the pieces mentioned here or in Coke Studio 9. Also Naseebo Lal's piece. In fact the most ordinary and lacklusture piece has got to be Jaaney na tu
@Rohwit says:
Hey suanshu – I found that hurried and even thiugh it stood out in the episode it was a part of, I just didn't feel like hearing it again. I love jaaney na tu. 🙂 loved your comment 🙂
AA says:
You missed the most purest and the most original of all, "Udi Jaa". Even if you think it was not original, the lyrics made it as such.
umang says:
Hey Roh wit,
I really like reading your comments on Youtube for each song.
Can you list down top 10 songs of yours from all 9 seasons of coke studio? May be on your blog.
Mili says:
I missed most of the CS season 9, but it is interesting to go back after reading your review. So far I have only heard Jaaney Na Tu, and I agree with you. There is definitely a lull to that song. It felt to me like he is wanting to take you somewhere but it is not a big reveal, it is a slow realization of what it is.
I also think Ali should do an unplugged version of this, I would like to hear it again without the music in between.
Oh! thank you for your reviews, I am still as much in love over Mirzya as I was the very first day. Looking forward to the next one 🙂
REWIND 2016 : Non-Bolly Songs We Played In Loop This Year + Dinchak List | F.i.g.h.t C.l.u.b says:
[…] that went haywire on their own will. It was a weak season but left us with some gems, like always. We have reviewed the season here and have included 4 best songs of the season in the playlist. Hear the soothing lullaby vocals of […]
Coke Studio, Season 10 – Our Top Picks + Video Playlist | F.i.g.h.t C.l.u.b says:
[…] You can read our Coke Studio Season 8 round up here and Season 9 roundup here. […]
CokeStudio Explorer – 2018 – Almost a review per post…Almost! says:
[…] become too camera aware. There were off and on good songs which we have reviewed on this blog here here and here. Still, the anticipation was gradually waning and I almost stopped rushing to conference […]
Vetrimaaran's Visaranai Is India's Official Entry For Oscars
Whistling Woods International's Celebrate Cinema Fest : Sept 30-Oct 1, 2016


text:
The Walking Dead Season 9 Episode 7 Review: Stradivarius
Steve Ford at November 18, 2018 10:05 pm .
And just like that, the wind has been effectively taken out of The Walking Dead's sails.
That's not to say that The Walking Dead Season 9 Episode 7 was a bad installment, but given the quality this season has churned out, I expected much better. "Stradavarius" just wasn't what you would have expected going into the midseason finale. And as a result, it often felt sluggish and unfocused.
Simply put, it just didn't feel up to par with the rest of the season.
The Walking Dead has run into this rut in the past when it's tried to focus on multiple storylines simultaneously, and unfortunately, the pacing of hours like these always take a hit.
While it's safe to say that most of us have lowered our expectations of The Walking Dead over the last few seasons, I believe that's part of the reason why The Walking Dead Season 9 has been so impressive.
So, in what was otherwise an exhilarating first half of the season, one sub-par installment is easily forgivable.
One bright spot during the hour is the fact that Michael Cudlitz made his return to the series by directing. While this marks the first time a former castmember has returned to direct, Andrew Lincoln himself has expressed his desire to return to direct next season.
Overall, Cudlitz did a decent job behind the camera and made the most of working with what he was given.
That doesn't necessarily mean "Stradavarius" was throwaway or filler, as it did set a few things in motion and provided some insight into some interesting developments that have taken place since the time jump.
Although it was a bit surprising to learn that The Walking Dead Season 9 episode 5 was not only Rick's last but Maggies as well. With all of the focus placed on Andrew Lincoln leaving the series, it made Lauren Cohen's departure feel irrelevant.
Related: AMC launches ad-free streaming service
I'm glad somewhat of an explanation was given for Maggie's departure. While it's good to know that she merely joined up with Georgie, I wish we could have seen more of what directly influenced Maggie to leave the community.
Was Maggie forced out? Did being a leader become too much for her to handle? Did she have another attempt on her life? While there are certainly many questions lingering over her exit, at least the manner in which Maggie left leaves her story open-ended should Lauren Cohan decide to return to the series.
Perhaps in time, these questions will get answered, but there's also the possibility that they never will.
Hilltop has been thriving just as much, if not more so, as what we've seen from Alexandria. Jesus has supposedly been doing a good enough job of leading Hilltop in Maggie's absence -- even though he doesn't feel completely comfortable in that position.
While Jesus just won reelection, he hasn't fully embraced being the community's leader. The only thing that seems to keep Jesus level has been his midday karate rendezvous with Aaron.
Jesus says that he's been trying to teach Aaron how to fight, but there's obviously more to it than that.
If I didn't know any better I'd say there is definitely more of a romance than bromance developing between these two. I called Jesus and Aaron potentially getting involved during The Walking Dead Season 7, and based on what we've seen things appear to be heading in that direction.
Hell, if the love doctor, Father Gabriel, can get it on with Anne and Rosita, no relationship is out of the question.
In other news, Daryl finally got a haircut! Well, it was more of a trim, but we're making progress.
Carol probably could have taken a little bit more off the top there, but I guess Daryl needs to retain his signature dirty, rugged look.
Daryl's basically separated himself from rest of the group since Rick's "death" and hoping that he somehow survived. however, there's a fine line between holding out hope and being in denial.
Daryl: Look, I know you still think I'm lookin' for him.
Carol: Are you?
Daryl: Never found a body. Ever. After a while it just got easier to stay out.
Carol: You have to let that go.
Permalink: You have to let that go.
How awesome is it that Daryl has a dog? Living out in the wilderness is can be lonely, so I'm glad he has a companion out there. While Daryl doesn't have his best friend, Rick, anymore, at least he now has man's best friend.
Considering that Daryl has stepped into the leading man role, it's difficult to take any danger the character is placed in seriously.
With Rick gone, we know Daryl will be sticking around for a while, but with that comes the fact that there's no sense of danger for the character. Case in point: Daryl trying to rescue his dog from the walkers. We know Daryl was never in any real danger, and it was a scene to cause tension where there wasn't any.
While we knew there was no chance Daryl was going to get bit, the one character that I was most concerned for of becoming walker chow was Daryl's dog. Don't you dare pull a stunt like that again, writers!
With Daryl more than likely safe for the foreseeable future, I'm officially changing the fan cry to "If Daryl's dog dies we riot!"
Michonne accompanying the newbies to Hilltop didn't really serve much purpose other than learning about Luke's apparent fetish with musical instruments. Although, I did enjoy Luke's spiel about how music has always brought people together, and if civilization is trying to rebuild, surely having a few violins and recorders won't hurt.
Another fun moment was getting a chance to see Magna, Connie, and Lee in action once they got their weapons back to fend off the herd. And how badass was Yumiko with that bow?
The Walking Dead Season 9 Episode 6 Review: Who Are You Now?
It's a shame that Luke doesn't have a signature weapon of choice. What I would give to see Luke drive a clarinet right through a walker's skull.
All joking aside, I've taken a strong liking to this new group. Although Magna will take some more poking and prodding in order for her to open up and grow on me, that will come with time.
Yumiko: Look, I'm sorry about Magna. She can be a bit hot headed.
Michonne: That's one word for it.
Permalink: That's one word for it.
While Rosita was initially by herself, I wish we could have followed up more on her struggle with Eugene to lose the herd.
After the insane cliffhanger ending of hearing the walkers speak on The Walking Dead Season 9 Episode 6, the only followup we were given was a dehydrated Rosita and some exposition as to how she hid Eugene in a barn.
And nothing good has ever happened when a barn is involved on The Walking Dead.
It's a minor gripe, but somehow seeing more of Eugene and Rosita's escape from the herd would have made for a far more entertaining situation than most of what transpired. Hopefully, the search for Eugene doesn't get dragged out and Daryl, Jesus, and Aaron are able to find him quickly.
That is if the Whisperers don't find him first.
While there were a few interesting developments, "Stradavarius" was ultimately so underwhelming. It wasn't what you would typically expect heading into the midseason finale, but it did partially set up the coming conflict with the Whisperers.
Hopefully, The Walking Dead Season 9 can finish its first half as strong as it began.
Not it's time to hear from you, TV Fanatics.
What did you think of "Stradavarius"? What are your thoughts on the new survivors so far? Are you satisfied with the explanation of Maggie's exit? Will Eugene be found before the Whisperers do?
Hit the comments below and let me know.
Remember, you can watch The Walking Dead online right here at TV Fanatic.
Stradivarius Review
Steven Ford is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
Tags: The Walking Dead, Reviews
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What is the shelf life of Natpro?
I plan to order some as soon as you have some available, but I am thinking I may order several since it has been temporarily out of stock for several days now. I read in one post that it is 18 months and it could be frozen. Is this correct?
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Comparative Study Negative Campaigning and its Consequences
Negative campaigning consists of criticizing one's political opponent in an attempt to 'win' voters by diminishing the attractiveness of the opponent. The opposite is positive campaigning which consists of acclamation and self-praise aimed at raising one's own attractiveness to voters. Although these forms of political discourse can be traced back to ancient Greek times, scholarly investigation is relatively recent, and more explicitly directed to negative campaigning than to its positive counterpart. The reasons for this are practical as well as normative. On the practical side, the increasing professionalization of politics and campaigning generated an increased demand for evidence-based recommendations about how to wage campaigns in order to 'win' elections. On the normative side are apprehensions about undesirable side-effects of negative campaigning for the quality of representative democracy: citizens exposed to negative campaigning are often said to become more cynical about the responsiveness of public officials and about the electoral process, and that they would, as a result, be less likely to take part in elections. Yet, our knowledge of negative campaigning and its effects is still quite limited. This study has the following four research objectives (a) generate new knowledge about the systemic conditions in which negative campaigning is more or less prevalent, by explicit comparison between multiple countries and political contexts; (b) produce new insights into the effects of negative campaigning; (c) contribute to the further conceptualization and theorizing of negative campaigning by specifying it as a specific case of the more general phenomenon of political attack rhetoric; and (d) contribute to further theorizing by integrating insights from different disciplinary traditions in the study of negative campaigning and attack rhetoric, such as electoral studies, comparative politics, political theory, communication theory and media effect studies.
FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)
FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF - Marie-Curie Action: "Intra-European fellowships for career development"
FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF
MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)
Ng7 2rd Nottingham
Paul Cartledge (Mr.)
CSNCC
FP7-PEOPLE
Consequences of negative campaigning
Researchers have looked at negative campaigning as political attack rhetoric and obtained further insights from different disciplinary traditions in this area.
© eelnosiva, Shutterstock
There is both positive and negative campaigning. Negative campaigning involves criticizing one's political opponent in order to appeal to voters by lessening the appeal of the opponent. Positive campaigning, on the other hand, consists of self-praise in an attempt to increase one's own appeal to voters. Over the years, scholarly investigation into this area has mainly focused on negative campaigning. An EU-funded study, CSNCC (Comparative study negative campaigning and its consequences), generated new knowledge about the conditions in which negative campaigning is more common. The team also gathered new insights on the effects of negative campaigning. Researchers compared negative campaigning between countries and between British constituents as well as the attack rhetoric in politics. Main findings show that those who employ negative campaigning become less electorally attractive to voters and can even cause voters to prefer a third party. In studying the 2015 United Kingdom general elections, negative campaigning did not affect voter turnout but instead had a negative impact on the voter's trust in politics. The way in which negative campaigning is measured has an impact on the findings. Ways that voters regard the tone of the campaign is connected with the content of the campaign messages they receive. CSNCC also found that voters who were less extroverted and more conscientious viewed campaign messages as more negative. Negative campaigning is not beneficial with multiparty systems as it makes them more unstable. Since it diminishes political trust, it can impact the quality of representative democracy. Perception of negative campaigning is connected with the forms of attacks as well as the personality traits of voters.
Negative campaigning, political attack rhetoric, CSNCC, voters, multiparty systems
Results in Brief
How can we grasp what children understand?
Fresh vision of the Second Cold War
Final Report Summary - CSNCC (Comparative Study Negative Campaigning and its Consequences)
Negative campaigning consists of criticizing one's political opponent in an attempt to 'win' voters by diminishing the attractiveness of the opponent (Geer 2006; Lau et al. 2007). The opposite is positive campaigning, which consists of acclamation and self-praise aimed at raising one's own attractiveness to voters. Although use of each of these forms of political discourse can be traced back for millennia (in any case to ancient Greek times), scholarly investigation is relatively recent, and more explicitly directed to negative campaigning than to its positive counterpart. The reasons for this are practical as well as normative. On the practical side, the increasing professionalization of politics and campaigning have generated an increased demand for evidence-based recommendations about how to wage campaigns in order to 'win' elections. On the normative side are apprehensions about undesirable side-effects of negative campaigning for the quality of representative democracy: citizens exposed to negative campaigning are often said to become more cynical about the responsiveness of public officials and about the electoral process, and that they would, as a result, be less likely to take part in elections (Ansolabehere et al. 1994). Yet our knowledge of negative campaigning and its effects is still quite limited.
This study has the following four research objectives:
(1) generate new knowledge about the systemic conditions in which negative campaigning is more or less prevalent, by explicit comparison between multiple countries and multiple sub-national political contexts;
(2) produce new insights into the effects of negative campaigning, in particular on actual electoral behaviour;
(3) contribute to the further conceptualization and theorizing of negative campaigning by identifying it as a specific case of the more general phenomenon of political attack rhetoric; and
(4) contribute to further theorizing by integrating and building upon insights from different disciplinary traditions in the study of negative campaigning and attack rhetoric, such as electoral studies, comparative politics, political theory, communication theory and media effect studies.
The study consists of three parts:
(1) comparison of negative campaigning between countries
(2) comparison of negative campaigning between British constituencies and
(3) attack rhetoric in politics.
The main findings are that in a multiparty context parties who make use of negative campaigning tend not only to become less electorally attractive to voters, but by making use of negative campaigning they can even boost voters' preferences for a third party (not the attacking or targeted party). When voters' first preferred party runs a more negative campaign than voters' second preferred party, the second preferred party becomes more electorally attractive. At the aggregate level we find that making use of negative campaigning diminishes the vote share of the parties that go negative and that most votes are gained by their main electoral competitors. In the context of the 2015 UK General Election we did not find any effect of negative campaigning on voters' turnout and satisfaction with democracy. We did find that negative campaigning negatively affected voters' political trust; this effect was especially found among voters without a party identification or a strong national identity. Results also showed heterogeneous effects for parties: when anti-system parties go negative this tends to strengthen political trust. Most results are found on the basis of survey analysis in the 2015 UK General Election context. We are in the process of replicating the studies in experimental settings and in other countries.
Findings in studies on negative campaigning tend to differ depending on how negative campaigning is measured. We established that voters' perceptions of negative campaigning are to a large extent congruent with those of professional experts (i.e. campaign managers) once corrected for partisan bias; however, they do differ distinctly from measures based on content analyses of newspaper reporting of party campaign behaviour and proclamations. How voters perceive the tone of the campaign is related to the content of the campaign messages that they are exposed to. In particular incivil, integrity and ideology attacks make voters evaluate the tone of a campaign as more negative, while competence attacks do not seem to have an effect. In addition, we find an impact of personality traits on voters' perceptions of campaign tone. Voters who score low on extraversion and high on conscientiousness and openness to experience tend to evaluate campaign messages as more negative, regardless of their content.
These results question the common notion among practitioners that negative campaigning is an effective strategy to win voters. Existing work already suggests that negative campaigning is not beneficial at the elite level in multiparty systems, as it diminishes the chances of participating in coalition governments and tends to make them more unstable (Walter 2012). Our research adds to this that negative campaigning is not beneficial at mass level either. Our research also shows that US-based insights about negative campaigning cannot be easily extrapolated to non-U.S. settings. Negative campaigning does not seem to hurt electoral participation as often found in the U.S. context, but it does diminish political trust and therefore might affect the quality of representative democracy. How voters perceive the use of negative campaigning is related to not only the type of attacks they are exposed to, but also to their personality traits. Research findings in this field are highly susceptible to the measures used and therefore work should be cross validated if possible.
Last update: 6 February 2017


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Sungkyunkwan University
© Christian140
Approx. number of students: 33,000
Period of study: Early March-Mid June; Early September-Mid December
MCI partner since:
Seoul is the capital and largest city of South Korea. With a population of over 10 million, it is one of the world's largest cities. Almost half of South Korea's population live in the Seoul National Capital Area, and nearly a quarter in Seoul itself, making it the country's foremost economic, political, and cultural center.
Seoul is located on the Han River in the center of the Korean Peninsula.
Sungkyungkwan University is based on the traditional Confucian education and follows its precedessor the Sungkyungwan institution, which was already established in the 14th century. Now it is a private research university and highly funded by Samsung.
Today, the university has two campuses: the Humanities and Social Sciences campus in Seoul, and the Natural Sciences Campus in Suwon. Eighteen schools and three colleges offer degrees at the bachelor's level, and twelve graduate schools confer various degrees at both the masters and doctoral levels. The SKKU has advanced as one of the world's leading business school.
http://www.skku.edu/eng/


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Gothic Remake is happening; coming to PC and next-gen consoles
Gothic Remake
Gothic Remake is officially confirmed by THQ Nordic and it will be developed by a newly-formed studio named Alkimia Interactive in Barcelona, Spain. THQ promise more details in the coming months.
Today, THQ Nordic have officially announced the incorporation of their brand new studio in Barcelona, Spain - Alkimia Interactive. The studio's first project will be Gothic Remake, a game that THQ Nordic are brining to PC and next-gen consoles PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
The publisher states that the development of Gothic Remake is now well underway and the first results of this project will be officially showcased in the next couple of months, so sit tight Gothic fans.
Alkimia Interactive will be THQ Nordic's studio for high-quality RPG projects and their first one is almost certain to show us all their talents when it comes to game development.
"We strive to build Alkimia Interactive as a top-notch RPG studio", said Reinhard Pollice, Studio Head at Alkimia Interactive. "Our ambition is to become one of the best addresses for PC/Console core game development in the South of Europe."
THQ also explain that after the Gothic Remake project was greenlit, the next step for them was to fully set up a subsidiary studio that would work on the game. They have managed to do that in Summer 2020 but the team is still looking for developers to join the family.
THQ Gothic Remake
For more details about Gothic Remake, check Alkimia's official website for some sweet screenshots and other info.


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Do not let a pandemic stop your celebrations…connect virtually
Lieutenant-Colonel Jean-Sébastien Morin, RCAF Command Chaplain, reminds us that, during this Holiday season, which will be different from any other we have known, we need to stay connected and never hesitate to reach out for help or support.
Move over Maverick! Canadian Pilot graduates TOPGUN program
On Tuesday, November 24, 2020, Captain Chris 'LIME' Swartz graduated from the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School - Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, more commonly known as TOPGUN.
Vandenberg's multinational CSpOC team supports NASA's multinational space missions
RCAF's Major Michael Lang talks about his participation in two historic NASA missions over the past year, during which the United States launched astronauts into space from its own soil for the first time since 2011.
Track and field for Masters Athletes 8: Cross-training
This is the eighth in a series of articles covering all aspects of Masters athletes' training and nutrition for track and field events. In this article, we examine cross-training, which is a very important tool for all Masters athletes.
Track and field for Masters Athletes 7: 400m Training Program
This is the seventh in a series of articles covering all aspects of Masters Athletes' training and nutrition for track and field events. Here, we will take a look at how properly planned training will greatly impact your success.


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Sun Selects
Sun Savers
Sun Jobs
Eight ways to solve Universal Credit and job centre problems
Helen Knapman, Digital Deputy Consumer Editor
Updated: 11:38, 18 Sep 2020
UNIVERSAL Credit can be a minefield for claimants to navigate - we explain how to avoid any issues when applying for the benefit.
This includes setting up an online account and attending a job centre appointment with seven days of making an application.
We've rounded-up some top tips to help Universal Credit claims go more smoothlyCredit: Alamy
It comes as latest figures from the Office of National Statistics showed the number of people claiming work-related benefits reached 2.7million in August.
This figure is up by 121% since the start of the coronavirus crisis in March.
If you need to make a claim for Universal Credit, we've rounded-up some top tips below to help the application process.
Here's what you need to know:
The Sun wants to Make Universal Credit Work
UNIVERSAL Credit replaces six benefits with a single monthly payment.
One million people are already receiving it and by the time the system is fully rolled out in 2023, nearly 7 million will be on it.
But there are big problems with the flagship new system - it takes 5 weeks to get the first payment and it could leave some families worse off by thousands of pounds a year.
And while working families can claim back up to 85 per cent of their childcare costs, they must find the money to pay for childcare upfront - we've heard of families waiting up to 6 months for the money.
Working parents across the country told us they've been unable to take on more hours - or have even turned down better paid jobs or more hours because of the amount they get their benefits cut.
It's time to Make Universal Credit work. We want the government to:
Get paid faster: The Government must slash the time Brits wait for their first Universal Credit payments from five to two weeks, helping stop 7 million from being pushed into debt.
Keep more of what you earn: The work allowance should be increased and the taper rate should be slashed from from 63p to 50p, helping at least 4 million families.
Don't get punished for having a family: Parents should get the 85 per cent of the money they can claim for childcare upfront instead of being paid in arrears.
Together, these changes will help Make Universal Credit Work.
Join our Universal Credit Facebook group or email UniversalCredit@the-sun.co.uk to share your story.
1. Have ALL of your details to hand before you claim
Before making your first Universal Credit claim, you'll need to have all of the following details to hand.
There's a lot of information so make sure you gather it up in advance:
your national insurance number
proof of your nationality
your housing details
details about people who live with you – such as your partner, children you are responsible for, or lodgers
Child benefit reference numbers, if you receive child benefit
employer details, if you or your partner are working
details about any earnings or other income you or your partner have
details of any savings, investments or other capital you or your partner have
details of any other benefits you receive
information about your health
details of the account your payments will go into, such as a bank, building society or credit union account. This will need to be a current account, not a savings account
You can watch the government's videos for help setting up a Universal Credit online account, and then completing a claim.
If you can't claim online, for example, because you have a disability, contact the Universal Credit helpline on: 0800 328 5644.
2. Struggling? Use Citizens Advice's FREE help to claim service
Charity Citizens Advice has set-up a completely free "Help to Claim" service that's dedicated to sort through any issues you're having.
In England, you can reach it on: 0800 144 8 444. In Wales it's: 08000 241 220. And in Scotland it's: 0800 023 2581.
There's no helpline for Northern Ireland.
You can also request to speak to an adviser online.
A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesperson said: "If you need help with your application, ask straight away – the sooner you apply for Universal Credit, the sooner you could get your first payment."
3. Don't forget to book your job centre appointment if you need to
You might need to book and attend an interview at your local job centre after submitting your application.
You'll be told if you need to after you apply. Not everyone will need to attend an appointment.
But if you do need to, failing to make an appointment at your job centre might result in you having to re-submit your claim.
This could mean you wait even longer than the standard five weeks for your first payment.
To book an appointment, you'll be given a number in your online Universal Credit account.
If you don't see one, call the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644, which will then make the appointment with your local job centre.
You'll need your national insurance number when you call.
Details of your appointment will be shown in your Universal Credit account.
4. Don't forget your ID when you have your first meeting
If you do need to attend a job centre appointment, make sure you bring photo ID, as well as evidence of your situation.
This could include a UK passport or UK driving licence, plus wages slips, bank statements, proof of savings, and a tenancy or rental agreement.
You need this even if you've verified your identity online
Citizens Advice says check the "to-do list" section of your Universal Credit account.
There will be an item on there called "prepare for your appointment".
You'll then need to choose which documents you'll bring to your interview.
Select "I do not have any of these" if you don't have anything - here, you'll need to answer some more questions at your interview.
A DWP spokesperson added: "Remember, when meeting with your work coach for the first time bring all of the information that was requested when you submitted your application, you can get a reminder of this at www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk."
What to do if you have problems claiming Universal Credit
IF you're experiencing trouble applying for your Universal Credit, or the payments just don't cover costs, here are your options:
Apply for an advance - Claimants are able to get some cash within five days rather than waiting weeks for their first payment. But it's a loan which means the repayments will be automatically deducted from your future Universal Credit pay out.
Alternative Payment Arrangements- If you're falling behind on rent, you or your landlord may be able to apply for an APA which will get your payment sent directly to your landlord. You might also be able to change your payments to get them more frequently, or you can split the payments if you're part of a couple.
Budgeting Advance - You may be able to get help from the government to help with emergency household costs of up to £348 if you're single, £464 if you're part of a couple or £812 if you have children. These are only in cases like your cooker breaking down or for help getting a job. You'll have to repay the advance through your regular Universal Credit payments. You'll still have to repay the loan, even if you stop claiming for Universal Credit.
Cut your Council Tax - You might be able to get a discount on your Council Tax or be entitled to Discretionary Housing Payments if your payments aren't enough to cover your rent.
Foodbanks - If you're really hard up and struggling to buy food and toiletries, you can find your local foodbank who will provide you with help for free. You can find your nearest one on the Trussel Trust website.
5. Don't send personal details via text or email
If the DWP need to update you about your claim, or an upcoming appointment, they'll do this via your Universal Credit journal or over the phone.
An adviser will usually write in your journal first to tell you they'll be calling.
The DWP will never text or email asking for personal information or bank details.
6. Understand your "claimant commitment"
You'll be assigned a work coach after applying, and between the two of you you'll have to come up with a "claimant commitment".
This will set out what's expected of you, for example how many hours you need to spend applying for jobs.
It's important you understand this so make sure you ask questions if something doesn't make sense.
7. Tell the job centre if you're a carer, have disabilities or a health condition, or have kids
Call the Universal Credit helpline number listed above if you can't attend a meeting because you're ill or disabled.
If you can make your meeting, make your life easier by being upfront with the job centre about any disabilities or health conditions, or if you're a carer for others, or have kids.
While you're expected to search for work in order to get Universal Credit some exceptions can be made based on your situation.
If you have a current "Fit Note" from your GP, for example, you will not be asked to take up or be available for work.
Meanwhile, if you are the lead carer for a child, what is expected of you will be based on the age of the youngest child in your household.
Charity Turn2Us has a handy guide of situations and claimant commitment rules.
You'll have to continue updating the job centre on your progress finding a job throughout your claim.
8. Appeal incorrect decisions and complain about jobcentre staff
If you're unhappy about how you've been treated by jobcentre staff, you can complain for free online via the jobcentre website.
You can also complain about jobcentre staff to DWP.
For complaints about Universal Credit decisions, for example you've been turned down or given less than you thought, you'll need to submit an appeal.
More on Universal Credit
How to get free cash if you're struggling with bills on Universal Credit
BENEFIT BOOST
Are PIP benefit rates going up in 2022 and how much can I get?
Universal Credit and benefit claimants can get up to £800 help with bills
GOOD OPTICS
Martin Lewis explains how to get free internet if you're on Universal Credit
From council tax bills to maternity grants, we round-up six Universal Credit perks you could be missing out on.
If you don't qualify for benefits, you should consider turning to a free help organisation such as Citizens Advice or StepChange.
The Sun has a guide on how to apply for free grants of up to £10,000 if you've recently lost your job.
Universal Credit rollout delayed AGAIN, BBC documentary reveals
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I'm a mortgage expert and this is how to save thousands and beat inflation
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O2 & Sky Mobile 'DOWN for 1000s of Brits' with fuming customers raging online


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Home/Bobby Di Cicco
Bobby Di Cicco
Buena Vista Distribution released Splash on March 9, 1984. Ron Howard directed the film starring Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, and Eugene Levy.
Night Shift (1982)
Warner Bros. released Night Shift on July 30, 1982. Ron Howard directed the film starring Henry Winkler, Michael Keaton, and Shelley Long.
Night Shift (1982) Opens Up a Brothel on DVD
Warner Home Entertainment released Night Shift to DVD on July 11, 2006.
What do you do in the 1980s when you're bored? Well if you live in New York City, you head down to the local morgue to get laid.
Splash (1984) Doesn't Let DVD Get Away
Touchstone Home Entertainment released Splash to DVD on March 22, 2004. Ron Howard directed the film starring Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, and Eugene Levy.
Film and Plot Synopsis A young eight-year-old Alan Bauer nearly drowns as a child until he is saved by a mysterious mermaid girl. Years later, as an adult, Allen believes his childhood incident was a hallucination, but the incident has affected all his romantic relationships since. When Allen has a second encounter with same mermaid, who eventually goes by the name of Madison, his life is turned upside down. Allen and Madison are soulmates who are meant for each other, but can their love survive Madison's revelation of her mermaid heritage let alone the pursuit of the scientists who wish to capture and study Madison, even if it kills her? Buy the Film *As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. 'Splash' Movie Summary In 1964, young Allen Bauer (David Kreps) is vacationing with his family near Cape Cod. The family takes a sight-seeing tour on a tourist boat, and while Allen's parents are busy wrangling Allen's brother Freddie, Allen jumps into the ocean after seeing something below the surface. Allen cannot swim, but a young mermaid girl (Shayla Mackarvich) saves him and assists him with breathing underwater. However, Allen is yanked back to the surface by people on …