Yulia Tymoshenko talks with FP about engaging the West, placating Russia, and trying to keep her country in one piece.
As Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko rushes out of her Kiev office to greet me, her tight handshake and tense smile make it clear that she didn't get to be the most powerful woman east of Berlin by being a soft character.
This is a tough day for her and an important time for Ukraine. Later she will speak before parliament to defend controversial new budget measures demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in exchange for unblocking a badly needed financial rescue package. The amount at stake is relatively small, a $1.8 billion second installment of a $16.4 billion loan. But without the IMF, there is little hope Ukraine will regain enough market confidence to roll over the $40 billion in bank loans and bonds coming due this year. By mid-April, Tymoshenko needs to push pension reform and higher gas tariffs through the legislature – hardly a comfortable position for a leading candidate in the presidential elections expected on Oct. 25.
The 2005 Orange Revolution made Tymoshenko an international media icon. With her fiery rhetoric and political savvy – not to mention her stunning looks and famously distinctive braids – she seemed destined to be the face of the post-Soviet world's new wave of democratic revolution.
Four years later, it's not so easy to be Yulia Tymoshenko. The adoring crowds in Independence Square are a distant memory. She feels under fire from all corners, most of all from her former Orange Revolution ally, President Viktor Yushchenko. She was late for our coffee conversation because she first needed to focus on this morning's attacks from the president, who accused her in parliament of running the economy into the ground. She is careful to avoid any explicit reference to him, but notes I am not here to please everybody. In attempting to manage Ukraine out of a crisis while attending to both her country's desire to rejoin Europe and its fear of an increasingly expansionist Russia, it's becoming more and more difficult to please anybody.
The global recession is turning conventional wisdom upside-down as even the IMF now calls for large deficit-spending policies (for advanced economies, at least). One might think the conditions imposed on Ukraine, where unemployment is rising fast and salary delays are now widespread, are too strict and socially painful. The hardship in turn could encourage political radicals and the pro-Russia Party of Regions of former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.
But Tymoshenko isn't complaining. You are never popular when you ask a sick person to undergo surgery, she says. But what has to be done, has to be done. Cooperating with the IMF requires a serious budget policy for any country. It's never easy. But it's a guarantee of stability.
The political challenges Tymoshenko faces as she struggles with Ukraine's financial crisis might be treacherous, but the subject matter, at least, is familiar. She received a typical Soviet-era education as an economist-cyberneticist — Soviet-speak for management — in Dnepropetrovsk, the mostly Russian-speaking eastern Ukrainian town where she was born in 1960. She started her career as an economy engineer at a local machine-building plant during the Gorbachev years. With the demise of the Soviet Union and national independence, she was quick to seize the opportunities of the new era. During the 1990s, she was a top manager at Ukrainian Petrol and United Energy Systems of Ukraine and is understood to have made a fortune at that time.
It was a tough, unsparing environment to prosper in, to say the least. Tymoshenko has come a long way from then. It is especially ironic that this businesswoman turned anti-Russian revolutionary is now disparaged by Yushchenko as a thinly disguised Russian pawn.
Not that dealing with Russia has gotten any easier. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin did not like Tymoshenko's recent deal with the European Union on the modernization of Ukraine's gas infrastructure, and Moscow is holding up a $5 billion loan to Ukraine to mark its dissatisfaction.
All this crossfire shows what I really stand for is our own national interest, she says. Then she is quick to add: The Russians worry that we are trying to privatize our pipelines by stealth, but that's not the case and would be illegal. We have to reassure them on that.
Tymoshenko returns frequently to the challenges presented by Ukraine's position between Russia and the European Union. There is no doubt we want to join the EU. At least 60 percent of our public opinion favors this option, and we are now closer to this goal than, say, one year ago. This policy must be the essence of all our actions, she says. But, she warns, it cannot succeed by confronting Moscow or ignoring its concerns.
This is balance-of-power politics of the post-Soviet, post-Georgia-war variety. To her critics, it looks a bit like squaring the circle. To her, it's simply a matter of recognizing reality. I try to defend our interests so that we can find a balance in our relations both with the EU and Russia, Tymoshenko explains, meaning she wants her country to get into the EU without giving the impression of antagonizing Russia.
Could the same strategy apply to Ukraine's relations with NATO? Here the prime minister sighs for a split second: There, it's more complex. It's not so much that she is frightened by Georgia's experience, something she never mentions though it's clearly on her mind. While recognizing it would be uncomfortable for Ukraine to remain in a void, outside all existing security systems, she still sees several political barriers between Kiev and NATO.
Although famous for her sharp tongue, Tymoshenko is treading carefully these days. The first problem she sees is that barely 25 percent of Ukrainians favor joining NATO. Even the president accepts we need to hold a referendum on this, she acknowledges.
The second problem is rather a carefully managed swipe at those Europeans cozying up a bit too much to Russia — especially Germany and Italy, one suspects. In Tymoshenko's own words, There is no unanimity in the EU on Ukraine's joining NATO as we have not yet witnessed a favorable attitude in every country.
As Tymoshenko goes on, one cannot help but notice her trying to contain her anger when she feels misunderstood in her actions and purpose. She laughs softly at my attempts at humor, but when she finds my questions misjudge her intentions, she bursts out: It's not fair to say that!
In the same spirit, she reserves her harshest criticism for the G-20's grandstanding on protectionism: Everybody is pursuing some stronger or weaker form of protectionism. Some people create hurdles for foreign participation in tenders; others withdraw capital or create tariff and nontariff obstacles to goods. All this proves damaging to us all. But lofty declarations will not prevent it; we need effective rules, she says.
At the moment, Tymoshenko narrowly trails Yanukovych in opinion polls but remains far more popular than Yushchenko, whose support has fallen to the single digits. Nonetheless, she remains a controversial figure. In an identity-obsessed Ukraine that declared independence six times over the last 90 years, even her family origins fuel much debate. She grew up speaking Russian and perfected her Ukrainian only after she moved to politics in her 30s. Through a spokeswoman, she also doesn't comment on rumors that part of her family comes from Armenia. It's hard to imagine her receiving the kind of voter acceptance enjoyed by Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy with their foreign-born fathers.
Despite the sometimes harsh treatment from her constituents and the media, Tymoshenko's national pride and attention to the everyday lives of Ukraine's citizens remain intense. I experienced it myself when I mentioned in a story that Kiev stores were having a serious shortage of salt. Ukrainian TV had previously aired stories on locals hoarding salt in anticipation of inflation and salary cuts. I was called soon after by an angry Tymoshenko spokesperson: It's media speculation, nothing true. Did you try to buy salt in Kiev? I did last night: I found it. Immediately.
Why all this fuss over one anecdote in a foreign reporter's story? Tymoshenko has learned over the years that with countries — as with their leaders — image is everything.


text:
Tapestry, Inc. is an American multinational luxury fashion holding company. It is based in New York City and is the parent company of three major brands: Coach New York, Kate Spade New York and Stuart Weitzman. Originally named Coach, Inc., the business changed its name to Tapestry on October 31, 2017.

History

Coach New York
Coach was founded in 1941. Starting as a workshop, it grew into a company with over 17,000 employees. Seeking wider recognition and a larger market, the company acquired brands such as Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman. This broadened the appeal to consumers of all three brands. The company changed names, reducing the share price because investors felt that the name change was not well received by customers. The share price later recovered.

Kate Spade New York
American fashion designer Kate Spade founded Kate Spade New York in 1993. It was initially similar to the Coach company. The company was purchased by Coach in 2017 in a $2.4 billion deal.

Stuart Weitzman
Stuart Weitzman started out in the late 1950s as a luxury shoe company named after one of the brothers who started it. It grew into a large operation in Manhattan. The brand was purchased by Coach in 2015 for $574 million. It was made to broaden Coach's product line

Tapestry, Inc.
This business originally named Coach changed its name to Tapestry to become better match the fashion industry and  its customers. The company officially changed its name and ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange from COH to TPR on October 31, 2017. The company wanted to include more than just Coach-brand handbags, the company switched its name to represent a wider range of products. Most of these products are accessories, such as handbags, key-chains, shoes and other small fashion items. Most of these items are leather-goods and are produced by the individual subsidiaries.

In late July, 2020, the company named Joanne Crevoiserat, Tapestry's CFO since early 2019, the new CEO. She became the 36th female to lead a Fortune 500 company.

Leadership

 Victor Luis began working with the company as the CEO of the Japanese subsidiary. He then worked in China. He rose to serve as Tapestry's International CEO, and then CEO of Tapestry, Inc.
 In September 2019, Tapestry Inc. replaced Luis as CEO, announcing he would leave immediately and be succeeded by board Chairman Jide Zeitlin. Mr. Zeitlin is a former Goldman Sachs executive who has been on the board since 2006.
 Chief executive officer: Jide J. Zeitlin, former Goldman Sachs executive and chairman of the board, was appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of Tapestry in September 2019. In this role, Jide was responsible for the execution of the company's strategic agenda and financial performance. Mr. Zeitlin was elected to Tapestry's board of directors in June 2006 and served as the chairman of the board from November 2014 until his resignation in July 2020 after accusations of personal misconduct.
Tapestry announced in April 2021 that VF Corp. executive Scott Roe would be succeeding Andrea Shaw Resnick as CFO. He will receive an annual base salary of $925,000 and an annual bonus with a target of 125% of his base pay.

Controversy
In July 2020, Tapestry CEO Jide Zeitlin resigned from his positions as CEO and chairman amidst an investigation into his personal behavior. Previously, a woman had accused him of luring her into a romantic relationship in 2007 by pretending to be a photographer.

References

External links

Clothing companies based in New York City
Clothing companies established in 2017
Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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The doctrinal statement is an extract of statements from the Belgic Confession and other Reformed Confessions that articulate Mid-America's doctrinal position. Mid-America believes in the following:
The Trinitarian Nature of God
"According to this truth and this Word of God, we believe in one only God, who is the one single essence, in which are three persons, really, truly, and eternally distinct according to their incommunicable properties; namely, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is the cause, origin, and beginning of all things visible and invisible; the Son is the word, wisdom and image of the Father; the Holy Spirit is the eternal power and might, proceeding from the Father and the Son. Nevertheless, God is not by this distinction divided into three, since the Holy Scriptures teach us that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit have each His personality, distinguished by Their properties; but in such wise that these three persons are but one only God" (Art. VIII).
The Full Deity and Humanity of Christ
"We confess therefore, that God has fulfilled the promise which He made to the fathers by the mouth of His holy prophets, when He sent into the world, at the time appointed by Him, His own only-begotten and eternal Son, who took upon Him the form of a servant and became like unto man, really assuming the true human nature with all its infirmities, sin excepted; being conceived in the womb of the blessed virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit without the means of man; and did not only assume human nature as to the body, but also a true human soul, that He might be a real man" (Art. XVIII). Or, that "God's eternal Son, who is and continues true and eternal God, took upon Himself the very nature of man of the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary, by the operation of the Holy Spirit, that He might also be the true seed of David, like his brethren in all things, sin excepted" (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day XIV).
The Inerrancy and Historicity of the Bible
The Bible is "His holy and divine Word" (Art. II), which "was not sent or delivered by the will of man, but that men spoke from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit, as the apostle Peter says" (Art. III). Furthermore, God "commanded His servants, the prophets and apostles to commit His revealed word to writing. . . . Therefore we call such writings holy and divine Scriptures" (Art. III). "We believe that the Holy Scriptures are contained in two books, namely, the Old and New Testament, which are canonical, against which nothing can be alleged" (Art. IV, which then goes on to name the sixty-six books of the Bible). "We receive all these books, and these only, as holy and canonical, for the regulation, foundation, and confirmation of our faith; believing without any doubt all things contained in them, not so much because the Church receives and approves them as such, but more especially because the Holy Spirit witnesses in our hearts that hey are from God, and also because they carry the evidence thereof in themselves" (Art. V). "We believe that those Holy Scriptures fully contain the will of God, and that whatsoever man ought to believe unto salvation is sufficiently taught therein . . . it is unlawful for any one, though an apostle, to teach otherwise than we are now taught in the Holy Scriptures . . . since it is forbidden to add unto or take away anything from the Word of God, it does thereby evidently appear that the doctrine thereof is most perfect and complete in all respects . . . we reject with all our hearts whatsoever does not agree with this infallible rule which the apostles have taught us" (Art. VII).
The Divine Work of Non-Evolutionary Creation Including Persons in God's Image
"We believe that the Father by the Word, that is, by His Son, has created of nothing the heaven, the earth, and all creatures, when it seemed good to Him, giving unto every creature its being, shape, form, and several offices to serve its Creator" (Art. XII). We also believe that it "pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for the manifestation of the glory of his eternal power, wisdom and goodness, in the beginning, to create, or make of nothing, the world, and all things therein whether visible or invisible, in the space of six days; and all very good" (Westminster Confession, Chapter IV, Art. I).
The Redemptive Work of Jesus through His Death and Resurrection
"We believe that God, who is perfectly merciful and just, sent His Son to assume that nature in which the disobedience was committed, to make satisfaction in the same, and to bear the punishment of sin by His most bitter passion and death. God therefore manifested His justice against His Son when He laid our iniquities upon Him, and poured forth His mercy and goodness on us, who were guilty and worthy of damnation, out of mere and perfect love, giving His Son unto death for us, and raising Him for our justification, that through Him we might obtain immortality and life eternal" (Art. XX). "That Christ, in the sight of His disciples, was taken up from earth into heaven, and there continues for our interest, until He comes again to judge the living and the dead" (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day XVIII).
Salvation by Grace through Faith
"We believe that, to attain the true knowledge of this great mystery, the Holy Spirit kindles in our hearts an upright faith, which embraces Jesus Christ with all His merits, appropriates Him, and seeks nothing more besides Him." Also, therefore "we justly say with Paul, that we are justified by faith alone, or by faith apart from works." And finally, "… faith is an instrument that keeps us in communion with Him in all His benefits, which, when they become ours, are more than sufficient to acquit us of our sins" (Art. XXII).
"Finally, we believe… that our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven, corporally and visibly, as He ascended, with great glory and majesty to declare Himself Judge of the living and the dead, burning this old world with fire and flame to cleanse it. Then all men will personally appear before this great Judge, both men and women and children, that have been from the beginning of the world to the end thereof… and the dead judged according to what they shall have done in this world, whether it be good or evil." The wicked "shall become immortal, but only to be tormented in the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels. But on the contrary, the faithful and elect shall be crowned with glory and honor; the Son of God will confess their names before God His Father and His elect angels; (and) all tears shall be wiped from their eyes…" (Art. XXXVII).
The Reality of Heaven and Hell
In connection with both the ascension into heaven of the Lord Jesus Christ and his final return to judge the living and the dead, we believe and confess the reality of heaven and hell. To the question, "What comfort is it to you that Christ shall come to judge the living and the dead?," the answer is given: "That in all my sorrows and persecutions, with uplifted head I look for the very same Person who before has offered Himself for my sake to the tribunal of God, and has removed all curse from me, to come as Judge from heaven; who shall cast all His and my enemies into everlasting condemnation, but shall take me with all His chosen ones to Himself into heavenly joy and glory" (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 19, Q/A 52).
Concerning the state of men after death, and of the resurrection of the dead, we believe and confess that "The bodies of men, after death, return to dust, and see corruption: but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them: the souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God, in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies. And the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day. Beside these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledgeth none" (Westminster Confession, Chapter 32).
The Existence of Satan
"He also created the angels good, to be His messengers and to serve His elect; some of who are fallen from that excellency in which God created them into everlasting perdition, and others have by the grace of God remained steadfast and continued in their first state. The devils and evil spirits are so depraved that they are enemies of God and every good thing… and are, therefore, by their own wickedness adjudged to eternal damnation" (Art. XII). But "man, through the instigation of the devil, by his own willful disobedience, deprived himself and all his posterity of these gifts" (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day IV).
Concerning the historical fall of man into sin, "We believe that God created man out of the dust of the earth, and made and formed him after His own image and likeness, good, righteous, and holy . . . but (man) willfully subjected himself to sin and consequently to death and the curse, giving ear to the words of the devil" (Art. XIV). "We believe that through the disobedience of Adam original sin is extended to all mankind. . ." (Art. XV).
Doctrinal Testimony Regarding Recent Errors - 2007
The current climate of theological discussion has revealed a number of errors that are having harmful effects within confessionally Reformed churches and are subverting the understanding of the gospel as articulated and affirmed in the Reformed confessions. The faculty has published a Doctrinal Testimony Regarding Recent Errors. The purpose of this document is to identify carefully, to explain clearly, and to evaluate pastorally those errors of teaching.
The faculty and Board of Trustees of Mid-America Reformed Seminary unwaveringly subscribe to the Three Forms of Unity (the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort) and the Westminster Confession of Faith. We also hold in high regard the numerous Reformed confessions produced in the wider body of Reformed churches in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In light of our vows of subscription and commitment to defend the teachings of Scripture, we are duty bound to address some of the theological errors threatening confessionally Reformed and Presbyterian churches today.
Doctrinal Testimony Regarding Recent Errors (May 2007)
What the Faculty of Mid-America Reformed Seminary Teaches Regarding the Days of Creation
We are aware that several Reformed churches or denominations have been discussing the issue of the length of the days of creation. Some, such as the Orthodox Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church in the United States, have adopted positions on this matter. Other churches have not adopted a formal statement or position, such as the United Reformed Churches in North America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
Within this ecclesiastical situation, it is important to keep in mind that Mid-America Reformed Seminary is not under any direct ecclesiastical control, although its Board and Faculty subscribe wholeheartedly to the Three Forms of Unity and the Westminster Confession, and the Seminary professors are under the supervision of church elders. Therefore, members of the Faculty of Mid-America Reformed Seminary do not and cannot serve in the capacity of official spokesmen for any ecclesiastical body, except insofar as they are authorized to do so by such a body.
With these observations in mind, we declare that in our public writings and in our classroom teaching, we hold that the six days of creation are to be understood as consecutive, real (i.e., literal) days of alternating evenings and mornings. In other words, the word "day" in Genesis 1 should not be understood as a "day-age" (i.e., some long age of an indefinite number of years). Both the Board and the Faculty of Mid-America Reformed Seminary fully agree that the WCF IV.i. accurately teaches what the Bible states in Exodus 20:11 concerning God's creation of the world in six days.
There is no one on the Faculty at Mid-America Reformed Seminary who teaches or subscribes to the framework hypothesis. Furthermore, the Seminary Board has not hired anyone to teach who does not hold to the above position on the creation days. We hold firmly to the special creation work of God, performed in the space of six consecutive, real days. In addition, we also declare and teach that the confessional (im)permissibility of any particular teaching about the creation days must be determined by the churches responsible for the doctrine and life of Faculty members.
(Adopted by the Board of Trustees, October 19-20, 2000)
Mid-America Faculty Members on Justification
The faculty of Mid-America wrote a series of articles on the doctrine of justification for an issue of the Mid-America Messenger (Journal 16 - 2005).
The Doctrinal Testimony Regrading Recent Errors
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Exquisite Corpse, Movement in Five Parts — 2018
16mm film, Color, Silent, 11 minutes.
Five synchronous projections and single piece of looping 16mm film.
Five projectors deconstructed and reassembled as a unified machine project synchronously a single piece 16mm film, creating a vertical collage of moving images. The images are constructed in a way that evoke the exquisite corpse game, revealing the body in five sections: the head, the torso, the waist, the legs, and the feet.Five dancers working in collaboration with choreographer Lydia Chrisman stand, walk, run, turn and bend. Each body occupies one of the five screens, together creating a new composite dancing body, a sum of the parts. The images interact and combine in surprising, playful and irrational ways, challenging the viewer's conception of what the body is and how it moves as a whole. Andre Breton wrote about the exquisite corpse as a way of breaking apart the expected notions of a structure and working together to create a new amalgam of images that could not be the result of any single participant, but rather of the combination of the group. While the syntax of the piece is dictated by the linear mechanics of the sculpture - the piece of film, like time, travels only forward - the resulting images are nonlinear, made up of disparate parts. The piece is an open system with the tactile whirling of film and the sound of the projectors turning, which spin in tandem with the bodies on the screen.
Featuring Stacy Grossfield, Paul Hamilton, Anaïs Maviel, Antonio Ramos and Sarah White-Ayón.


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Three ways brands can breach the attention barrier in 2017
By Jeff Rajeck	 February 6th 2017 16:01
Consumers these days are so overwhelmed with emails, posts, white papers, and articles that many have now erected a personal 'attention barrier'.
This is a mental state which protects consumers' mental resources from all of the irrelevant messages and advertisements flashed at them online.
While useful for consumers, the attention barrier is not a good thing for brands. When people are hiding behind it, they may see brand content but will typically ignore anything commercial straight away.
Some brands have been successful regardless. They produce vast quantities of high-quality content and establish a deep relationship with their audience over time. Brands such as Red Bull, Adobe, and ANZ have all succeeded in this way.
But what about a marketing team of more modest means? What can brands do, in 2017, to reach their customers using content?
To find out, we asked Aoife McIlraith, Global Director of Search and Marketing Services at Lionbridge, the world's largest marketing localization firm to comment on the topic.
She offered three things brands can do to capture their customers' attention in 2017, summarized in the video and comments below.
1. Use automation to personalise content
The amount of global digital information has doubled since 2014 and there are now an estimated 45bn web pages indexed by Google.
As the volume of information increases, it is only natural that consumers put up barriers to new information so that only the most relevant content will get through.
Brands can try to get around these barriers, according to Ms McIlraith, by using automation to achieve personalisation. That is, they can redo their sites and apps so that content changes dynamically to make the digital property more relevant to them.
This could be something as simple as showing different content to each targeted segment or as sophisticated as dynamically altering information based on the actual reader.
To some extent, this is what many ecommerce sites do now. The Amazon 'homepage' is always personalised according to which products you have viewed previously, and there is little reason why brand sites couldn't do the same with content.
No matter how it is done, offering a personalised experience will almost certainly put a brand's content ahead of all the other, less personal brand messaging.
2. Adapt to new ways of searching
To navigate the overwhelming amount of information, consumers have relied on text-based search engines for many years. To remain relevant, brands have had to tag content to make it easy for searchers to find (SEO) and buy ads against relevant keywords (SEM) to get to the top of the search page.
According to Ms McIlraith, this is due to change in 2017 in two ways and the new search paradigms offer opportunities for brands.
First off, voice-based search has become available through a variety of products from Apple, Amazon, and Google which has resulted in a 7x increase in voice search queries since 2010. Both Google and Microsoft report that nearly one in four mobile searches are now voice-based.
To capitalize on this change, brands need to have a look at how their information is indexed and ensure that it is organised according to how people look for things naturally, as opposed to what they type into search engines.
Apple, Google and Microsoft all offer guides on how people use their respective products and Amazon has a self-service API for developers to add new voice-based services ('skills') to its Alexa product.
Just like with SEO a decade ago, brands that adapt to the new voice search medium will have a distinct advantage over those who don't in capturing the scarce attention of consumers.
The other way search will change is the proliferation of text-based, AI chat interfaces or 'bots'. Bots allow brands to develop a customer service interface with its own brand-based personality so that potential customers can have unique, personalised experience even though they are receiving their information from a computer server.
While the only major platform in the West which supports brand-based is bots Facebook Messenger presently, it is likely that other messaging apps and social media platforms will follow.
For brands that operate in Japan or China, both LINE and WeChat have had chat interfaces available for some time, and there are numerous tools available to help you build bots for them. LINE is even offering awards for the best bots on its network.
Again, like with voice, brands who do bots well will be able to provide a superior customer experience and breach the attention barrier.
3. Use micro-influencers
While it was mentioned recently on the Econsultancy blog that 'influencer marketing' is not a new phenomena, Ms McIlraith notes that brands seeking to reach consumers should take another look at influencers.
She specifically notes that 'micro-influencers', or someone whose audience is measured in the thousands, could be the way to attract attention in 2017. The case for micro-influencers is based on the finding that as the numbers of followers rise, the level of engagement per follower dips dramatically after 10,000 and then again after 1m.
Influencers, micro or otherwise, allow brands to move beyond interruptive advertising and become a more natural part of what people are interested in online.
For more on the topic, subscribers should refer to the recent Econsultancy report 'The Rise of the Influencers', which offers definitions, trends, and best practices about influencers for brand marketers.
In short, though, for a brand looking for engagement over reach, using micro-influencers will likely result in more comments, shares, and likes – and earn more attention.
Overall, 2017 will be a difficult year for brands to engage consumers. Available information is going to keep on growing this year and so competition for consumers' attention will only become more fierce.
Brands can, however, continue to look for new ways to reach consumers and breach the seemingly impenetrable attention barrier – and personalisation, voice search, and micro-influencers are all great starting points to do so.
Blog automation Content marketing Influencer marketing influencers Personalisation voice search
Blog Content marketing
What makes an effective brand slogan?
Rimmel is known for its famous tagline, "get the London look".
However, as part of a recent re-positioning, it is now encouraging consumers to "live the London look" instead.
Blog Twitter
Becoming an influencer: Notes from a fledgling travel blogger
Marion Payen is the founder and editor-in-chief of Hibiscus and Nomada, a popular online travel blog.
With over 29,000 Instagram followers and 1,500 blog visits per month, she knows a thing or two about influencer marketing.
February 15th 2017 15:52
Blog Messaging
Five examples of brands using emojis in marketing campaigns
Emojis seem to be part and parcel of social media marketing these days.
Whether it's a customer service reply or big announcement, brands often feel that a tweet is incomplete without an emoji to punctuate it.


Can you believe that the Oscars are just around the corner? That's right, on February 26th, the red carpet will once again be rolled out. Naturally, this means that you're also getting ready for your annual Oscars' party. Of course, like any party that is centered around film, you are going to need to ensure that you are well stocked with popcorn.
However, since the Oscars are the fanciest thing about film, you can't expect to get away with everyday bagged popcorn. No way! This is the one night of the year when that popped corn needs to be as fancy, if not fancier, than those film starts you like to enjoy it with.
So, to give you some inspiration and help you with your party planning, here are 12 ways to give your guests the best popcorn they've sampled all year long.
We've said it before and we'll say it again: Bacon makes everything better. Especially when it's dressed up with bourbon and caramel.
With a bag of this you're sure to feel like you're holding your very own Oscar. Get the recipe here.
There is no better time to splurge on this indulgent topping than for the Oscars.
After all, everything and everyone needs to be dressed like they're about to make an appearance on the red carpet. Get the recipe here.
Who's to say you need to eat popcorn out of a bag? No one. After all, rules are meant to be broken.
So tonight, let them eat cake. Get the recipe here.
Have you ever had the corn from one of those little trucks that drive by construction sites and serve up the buttery-est, herby-est, most perfectly salted corn in creation? Well, if you haven't you need to ASAP because this stuff should win its own Oscar.
In the meantime, here is the popcorn version of that experience to give you a taste of what you've been missing. Get the recipe here.
If you went to high school in America you probably know what muddy buddy popcorn is. If you don't, now is the time to introduce yourself to every high school's MVP.
This popcorn may be the ultimate indulgence. Loaded with chocolate and marshmallow, you may as well call this dessert rather than a movie snack.
Is it black with white stripes or white with black stripes? It is a mystery few have solved, but one that is nevertheless as delicious as it is mysterious.
If you don't like the idea of eating zebras so much, why don't you try some moose munch? Loaded with nuts, chocolate chips, and caramel, it is filling as well as satisfying.
You know why it's called a s'more? Because after your first bite you're going to already be asking for some more. Try it. You'll see.
When you really want to break from convention and do something wild, try substituting the corn in popcorn entirely. Try chickpeas instead.
Crunchy, spicy, and satisfying, they may even win you an award for most innovative adaptation.
Spice things up and add some red accents to your Oscar fest with this thai curry popcorn. Loaded with chili, lemongrass, and other spices, your mouth will be tingling in anticipation for the next bite.
Matcha is always a good idea. In the case of popcorn, it's earthy, energizing flavors will pair superbly with the smooth sweetness of white chocolate to utterly captivate your senses. Just don't forget to pay attention to the awards ceremony.


text:
Assessment of the value of thymic scan in myasthenia gravis
G. F. Testa, C. Angelini
Istituto di Neuroriabilitazione Motoria San Camillo
Fifty-three patients were investigated by 75Se methionine scan in order to evaluate the role of the thymus gland in myasthenia gravis. The thymus of 28 of the above patients was examined histologically. Five out of six thymomas were detected with this technique and eight out of twelve hyperplasias were revealed. The above data suggests that 75Se methionine scan is a useful, innocuous tool for diagnosing neoplasms and abnormal germinal centers in thymus glands.
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00313145
Thymic scan
Thymus hyperplasia
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Assessment of the value of thymic scan in myasthenia gravis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Thymus Gland Medicine & Life Sciences
Methionine Medicine & Life Sciences
Thymoma Medicine & Life Sciences
Germinal Center Medicine & Life Sciences
Hyperplasia Medicine & Life Sciences
Testa, G. F., & Angelini, C. (1979). Assessment of the value of thymic scan in myasthenia gravis. Journal of Neurology, 220(1), 21-29. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00313145
Assessment of the value of thymic scan in myasthenia gravis. / Testa, G. F.; Angelini, C.
In: Journal of Neurology, Vol. 220, No. 1, 03.1979, p. 21-29.
Testa, GF & Angelini, C 1979, 'Assessment of the value of thymic scan in myasthenia gravis', Journal of Neurology, vol. 220, no. 1, pp. 21-29. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00313145
Testa GF, Angelini C. Assessment of the value of thymic scan in myasthenia gravis. Journal of Neurology. 1979 Mar;220(1):21-29. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00313145
Testa, G. F. ; Angelini, C. / Assessment of the value of thymic scan in myasthenia gravis. In: Journal of Neurology. 1979 ; Vol. 220, No. 1. pp. 21-29.
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AB - Fifty-three patients were investigated by 75Se methionine scan in order to evaluate the role of the thymus gland in myasthenia gravis. The thymus of 28 of the above patients was examined histologically. Five out of six thymomas were detected with this technique and eight out of twelve hyperplasias were revealed. The above data suggests that 75Se methionine scan is a useful, innocuous tool for diagnosing neoplasms and abnormal germinal centers in thymus glands.
KW - Thymic scan
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U2 - 10.1007/BF00313145
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C2 - 84064


News of the arrest of the so-called "Claremont serial killer" is making headlines Down Under. But have police, with their secular forensic science and DNA technology, caught the right man? Let's put on our True Christian™ detective caps and do some Biblical sleuthing.
Between January 1996 and March 1997, three women – Sarah Spiers, 18, Jane Rimmer, 23, and Ciara Glennon, 27 – were abducted from the seedy streets of Claremont after a night of clubbing. The resulting police investigation into their deaths is the largest and most expensive enquiry ever conducted in Australia.
As Spiers was never found, we need not concern ourselves with treating her disappearance as a murder. However, Rimmer and Glennon's bodies were later found in bushland. To solve these crimes, we must turn to Deuteronomy 21.
3 And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man . . .
So according to God's Word, what should we do when a body is found?
Seal off the area to prevent contamination? No.
Determine cause and time of death? No.
Determine whether there may be a connection with other deaths or disappearances? No.
As we can see, Kwinana is the city nearest to where Rimmer's body was found. Let's do the same for the second victim.
Here we see that Yanchep is the closest city.
But is this what investigators did? No.
The Macro Task-Force that was set up initially focussed its investigation on the city where the young women were last seen rather than on the cities nearest to where the bodies were found. Among the early suspects were the then Mayor of Claremont and a Claremont public servant. The most recent suspect, Bradley Robert Edwards, 48, who was arrested on Thursday 22nd December and charged with the murders of Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon, is a resident of the City of Belmont. If we look at a map, we can put all this into perspective.
So what should happen now that we have established which cities were closest to where the bodies were found? To find that out, we need to return to Deuteronomy 21.
8 Be merciful, O Lord, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them.
While the Old Testament sacrificial system no longer applies, we can still apply the general principles of this passage. Investigators ought to seek the mediation of a pastor, elder, deacon or other wise True Christian™ man (v 5) – not easy to find in that part of the world. The councillors of the cities of Kwinana and Yanchep then ought to be made to swear that they had no part in the murders and no knowledge of who committed them (v 7-8a). Case closed. God would be satisfied with that (v 8b-9).
But since that's not what happened, guilt for the murders still lies with the cities of Kwinana and Yanchep, not with the man who has just been arrested – unless witnesses against him can be found (Deut 17:6).
When Can I Expect my Reward?
I believe there is a $250,000 reward for any information that would help solve this case. Does anyone know how I can make a claim?


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Future Bethesda games may still release on Steam, even though Fallout 76 won't
Pulasthi Ariyasinghe Neowin @LoneWolfSL · Aug 12, 2018 15:08 EDT · Hot! with 18 comments
Bethesda has already confirmed that its upcoming multiplayer RPG Fallout 76 will be exclusive to its Bethesda.net Launcher on PC, skipping a Steam release entirely. However, this may not mean that all upcoming games by the publisher will go the same route.
During QuakeCon 2018, Bethesda's Pete Hines said to IGN that "We did not announce 'all future Bethesda games will not be on Steam.' That is not what we said. We said 'this game will be available exclusively on Bethesda.net.'"
As to why the company decided to go exclusive, he said it was to "to provide the best experience and service to our customers" without having to go through third-party solutions like Steam. He added:
"There are some different things that have happened or have come up where having everyone work directly with you does make things a little easier in terms of talking to your player base, having them talk to you. I am 100% sure I know whose fault it is and whose problem it is when you're having an issue with the game: it's ours."
When asked whether there is a chance that Fallout 76 could arrive on Steam at a later date, Hines said "Is it possible? I guess, but I honestly couldn't give you any guarantee one way or the other on whether it will or won't." In regards to Doom Eternal's fate on the PC platform, Hines reiterated that this has not been decided yet.
Bethesda has a hefty line-up of games on the horizon. As announced at E3 in June, the company has Doom Eternal, Rage 2, and Wolfenstein: Youngblood slated for launch before 2020, with Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI arriving later on. It will be interesting to see how Fallout 76 fares without a Steam launch, and if the company will stick to its own platform for future titles even in the event that 76 doesn't perform as expected via the Bethesda.net Launcher.
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Arkane's Prey is free to claim on the Epic Games Store today


Merry Christmas from WWE Mayhem!
hahaha. prax you are so corny.
Merry Christmas everyone, have a great day.
Merry Xmas to all, And merry hannukah to you all too.
damn did i miss christmas again?
One of my favorite things to do each year on christmas eve is watch cartoon network and boomerang and watch all the old christmas cartoons.
so merry christmas cartoon network and merry christmas mayhem.
Time for the yearly bump - Merry Christmas!
I got Fable 3, Red Dead Redemption, Gun, Resident Evil 5, Rockban 3 with the keyboards. and the MCMG/Beer money DVD. oh and a good bit of MS Points thats im currently spending on these great deals, i already got all the red dead DLC, Comic Jumper the new Borderlands DLC, Laura croft and the Gardian Light, and i caved and got the Alan wake DLC just because it was so cheap, now i need to buy the game.lol. still got over $10 hoping to get the fable 3 DLC and Limbo...might wait and get the dead rising 2 case west game or maybe shank will go on sale?


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New & Noteworthy, April 1st – No Foolin'
Posted by Chris Colgan on April 1, 2016
I know that this particular day often features jokes from this site and our sister sites. But the lead album for today's release list is not a joke, I promise you. Nor is it an album to be taken lightly, as the band releasing it has turned into a worldwide force that cannot be stopped. Some may write them off as not serious or worthy of consideration, but to do so would be to deny the fact that they've already made an enormous impact. So read on, and don't expect any misdirection.
Babymetal, Metal Resistance (RAL)
One has to wonder if the decision to release Metal Resistance today was a marketing ploy, intended as a jab at metal fans that label Babymetal as a "false metal" group. Regardless of whether it was or not, though, this is sure to be a huge hit. Given the massive critical response that the trio received with their self-titled debut, I won't be surprised if this album debuts in the Top 20. This is one case where the spectacle of a band is all that is needed to make people pay attention.
Moonsorrow, Jumalten Aika (Century Media)
In Finnish, "Jumalten aika" means "Age of gods", and one might say that's an appropriate description for this stage of Moonsorrow's career. With 21 years of experience under their belts, Moonsorrow is one of the premier pagan metal bands on the planet, and every one of their releases is a huge deal. Jumalten Aika is the first new material released by Moonsorrow in five years, and fans of the band are rabid to get their hands on it.
Tombs, All Empires Fall (Relapse)
Brooklyn used to be the nucleus of the hardcore scene in New York, but in recent years, it has become a breeding ground for progressive and experimental metal bands. Tombs is one such band, combining black metal, hardcore, sludge, and doom into one incredible sonic engine of destruction. Tombs already has three albums under their belt, and this new five-song EP will give fans an intense preview of what their next full-length will sound like.
Almanac, Tsar (Nuclear Blast)
After 15-plus years with German power metal veterans Rage, Victor Smolski left the band to pursue new ventures. His first was a symphonic metal project entitled Almanac. Smolski collaborated with the Lingua Mortis Orchestra and vocalists Jeanette Marchewka, David Readman and Andy B. Franck to bring Almanac to life. Tsar is the debut album for the group, which is rounded out by bassist Armin Alic, drummer Michael Kolar and keyboardist Enric Garcia.
Graves at Sea, The Curse That Is (Relapse)
Graves at Sea is a sludge band that first originated in Phoenix in 2002. The band worked the underground scene in the Southwest for six years before disbanding, but came back again in 2012 and got noticed quickly for the intensity of their new music. After releasing an EP and a split with Sourvein in 2014, Graves at Sea entered the studio and recorded their full-length debut, which is being released today.
Entheos, The Infinite Nothing (Artery)
Entheos is the collaborative effort of three musicians already well-versed in the arts of technical, forward-thinking metal: ex-Animals as Leaders drummer Navene Koperweis, ex-The Faceless bassist Evan Brewer, and former Animosity guitarist Frank Costa. These three, along with vocalist Chaney Crabb, put together an EP last year called Primal, and now they are back with their debut full-length, and it is every bit the technical masterwork that you'd expect from a group of this caliber.
Bossk, Audio Noir (Deathwish)
Bossk gets their name from the bounty hunter in the Star Wars universe of the same name, already making them a pretty cool band. Getting their start in 2005, the UK-based group put out a series of demos and EPs before disbanding in 2008. Coming back together in 2012, Bossk released a single immediately after reforming, but focused mostly on live shows until they entered the studio recently. Audio Noir is the debut album for the sludge/post-metal group.
Tags: Almanac, Babymetal, Bossk, Entheos, Graves at Sea, Moonsorrow, Tombs
Categorised in: New & Noteworthy, New Music, News
Rotting Christ's Sakis Tolis' favorite albums of the Decade (2010-2019)
Metal by Numbers: Hey Baby… metal
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It's official: Guns N' Roses to play show in Hollywood tonight →


The year was 2010 and I was in the process of planning my long service leave. It's predictable that we may tend to have a mid life crisis at some point, so here was my time to fulfil a dream I had 30 years ago. I was about to purchase a rust bucket on wheels. My very own FX Holden ute.
I found the prime project car. A January 1953 original FX ute with matching tags and engine. The engine was running but the rest of the car was a rolling shell. There had been an attempt to patch and repair the well weathered ute by the previous owner but there was a lot of work yet to be done.
The ute was moved to my sister's home where the initial project planning and early tinkering began.
So the journey has begun, I will now let the pictures tell the story so far.


Allex Michael's first animated adventure Search Dog's Raven™ is in Pre Production.
A spinoff of the new action thriller 'Search Dog's Raven ', the upcoming animated adventure tells the real life adventures of a wilderness Search Dog Team'. Each exciting episode can also prevent you from becoming lost in the wilderness.
Tag Line: Anyone Can Become Lost.
Starring Mikella and Ebbey, the Wilderness Search Dog Team encounters all kinds of lost people, wildlife and Rocky Mountain weather. There's even an episode where they search for a missing search dog.
Unlike most animated adventures, 'Search Dog's Raven' is filmed like a live action series, then every frame is individually painted, modified and shaded.
Though not yet rated, the animated adventure Search Dog's Raven is aiming for a family audience.


text:
PENNIPAKISTSRUBE GOLDBERG
SingSaver Taps 4 Bil Insurance Market via Digital
Fintech start-up SingSaver secures MAS brokerage license in Singapore to offer instant insurance comparisons across travel, home, and maid categories; tapping into Millennials and Gen Z's appetite for shopping via digital channels.
SingSaver, a Singapore-based startup backed by global, institutional investment firms, launches an instant digital insurance comparisons platform after securing a brokerage license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) this month.
Founded in 2015, SingSaver provides financial comparison tools that allow users to compare credit cards, personal loans, and insurance for free. The platform also provides resources to help consumers make decisions on personal finance products in Singapore.
The platform claims to offer a comprehensive range of insurance products across travel, home, and maid categories spanning over 100 policies by 12 leading providers. According to a 2018 Report by General Insurance Association of Singapore, the country's insurance market is expected to hit SGD 4 billion in 2020.
Insurance partners at launch include AXA, Allianz, FWD, HL Assurance, Ergo, MSIG, NTUC Income, Tokio Marine, Ergo, Sompo, Allied World, and Etiqa TIQ.
According to SingSaver Founder Rohith Murthy, the platform's new license as an insurance broker is a key milestone for the business as it diversifies beyond credit cards and personal loans. SingSaver's new brokerage team are able to advise consumers applying for a range of insurance products.
"We're seeing more demand from consumers in Singapore of all ages for online shopping when it comes to financial products. It used to be the case that banks and insurers sold you a product; now that model has been flipped upside down. As we become more digital savvy and less loyal to brands, a new generation of shoppers spearheaded by the Millennials and Gen Z's want to instantly compare and apply for financial products like insurance online — and increasingly on mobile," says Murthy.
In 2019, SingSaver parent CompareAsiaGroup (CAG) celebrated reaching over 80 million uses across the region. CAG secured USD 20 million in Series B1 funding from Experian in August, the leading global provider of data and analytical tools. The group is backed by institutional investors including Goldman Sachs, IFC World Bank and Alibaba too.
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Bird Migration Milestone: One Million Records Show Change Over Time
Posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2014 by aadmin | Comments Off on Bird Migration Milestone: One Million Records Show Change Over Time
Over a million records telling the tale of nearly a century of North American bird migrations have been rescued from obscurity and transcribed by an international network of more than 2,000 volunteers, making the records available for the first time online for use by researchers and the public.
The records, which span from 1880 to 1970, provide information on what areas of the country birds were spotted in and when they have arrived or departed from areas during spring and fall. The information is of use identifying how birds' ranges and migration patterns have changed over time.
The one-millionth transcription was that of a house wren seen in Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico, on September 1, 1904 and is now part of the USGS North American Bird Phenology Program database.
Phenology is the study of the seasonal timing of natural biological phenomena, such as leafing and flowering of plants, maturation of agricultural crops, emergence of insects, and migration of birds. Many of these events are sensitive to climatic variation and change, and are simple to observe and record.
This 90-year span of archival data provides baseline information about the first arrivals and last departures of North American migratory birds, according to Jessica Zelt, the USGS North American Bird Phenology Program Coordinator. When combined with contemporary data, researchers have the unique opportunity to look at changes in seasonal timing in relation to climate and climate change over a 130-year period, unprecedented in its length of time for recorded migratory data.
Now part of the USA National Phenology Network, also funded and primarily operated by USGS, the Bird Phenology Program of the past was a network of volunteer observers who recorded information on first arrival dates, maximum abundance, and departure dates of migratory birds across North America.
Active between 1880 and 1970, the program was coordinated by the Federal government and was the first program to be sponsored by the American Ornithologists' Union. It exists now as a historic collection of millions of records, illuminating almost a century of migration, distribution and population status of birds. The records contain many stories from the emergence of introduced European species like the European starling and House sparrow to the decimation of species like the Carolina parakeet and Passenger pigeon. Even historical events such as the dust bowlare mentioned in the records.
Today, in an innovative "big data" project to organize, manage and make the data publically available, the records are being scanned and placed on a website, where volunteers worldwide transcribe the records and add them to database for analysis. This citizen science program welcomes participants of all backgrounds from around the world. Volunteers are from locations as varied as Gunma, Japan; Istanbul, Turkey; and Brussels, Belgium; although the majority reside throughout North America.
"Just last month, a participant wrote me to say she had transcribed a card by Tracy Irwin Storer, a name she recognized because he had authored her college biology textbook," said Zelt. "One of the aspects that is so exciting about this program is that it provides participants with a link to ornithological history."
Original records were created by many famous ornithologists, biologists, botanists and naturalists, such as Aldo Leopold, author of "A Sand County Almanac;" Roger Tory Peterson, who wrote "A Field Guide to the Birds;" and Clarence Birdseye, the creator of frozen foods.
"We feel that the world is changing and these bird records are providing us with the measuring tape to document that change," said Sam Droege, a USGS wildlife biologist. "This is something anyone can get involved in exploring since we are making all the records open to the public on our website."
Records, like this Ruby-throated Hummingbird card, have already been used in research studies to show the change in arrival dates over time.
Jason Courter, Assistant Professor at Malone University, published a paper on Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, documenting the advancement of arrival dates by 11-18 days in North America when comparing the historic data to the more recent data collected by Journey North and other hummingbird observing programs.
Anyone interested in participating in this innovative project can volunteer by registering online to transcribe these records for the database.
Article produced by the U.S. Geological Survey.
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*The Age of Coursework for Surgical Technology (SUR) courses and science courses is 6 years - chair approval required for courses beyond that. Please refer to College Policy, Chapter 2 - Academic, 3358:11-2-22 Age of Coursework Policy.
**All students entering or enrolled in the Surgical Technology Program must achieve a "C" or better in all courses within the plan of study to progress through the program.


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Green Party Candidates Talk About Issues
By Antonio Olivero Published on July 28, 2016 www.poststar.com
Green Party congressional candidate Matt Funiciello took his message and his bread to BluSeed Studios Wednesday night.
In front of more than 20 people, he preached that he is the only transparent, progressive candidate in a three-person race.
"This is political theater: 'Don't step out too far,'" Funiciello said of his Democratic and Republican opposition. "This isn't political theater for me. I have 36 workers; we do not get paid what we should be paid to make our bread. I sound like a union worker, but I'm the owner."
To represent New York's 21st Congressional District, which spans the North Country, the Hudson Falls resident is running against first-term Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik and Democratic challenger Mike Derrick.
In recent weeks, the race included a back-and-forth between Funiciello and Derrick regarding the Democratic candidate's history as a registered Republican and independent.
At BluSeed Wednesday, Funiciello said he thinks more people will vote for him than the 11 percent who did in 2014, in part because he doesn't see Derrick as a true Democrat or progressive candidate.
"The Democratic Party is not putting up an opposition to her (Stefanik)," Funiciello said. "They are helping her to get re-elected. That's not a conspiracy theory; it's the truth.
"They ran Aaron Woolf in 2014, a tourist from New York City who was a nice guy and I liked quite a bit, but he was a terrible candidate.
"In a Bernie (Sanders) year, in a year when every independent, every progressive, everybody who understands what independence from those two parties means — every single county in this congressional district went for Bernie or Trump. Nobody was interested in the establishment candidates. The whole point is, who should you be running? You should be running a woman, from the district, who is a progressive that people actually know. Instead they pick a guy who's been gone for 35 years, who was born and raised here, and who is also a very nice guy. I like Mike. I'll wear a little badge, 'I like Mike.' But just like with Aaron Woolf, I have no idea why this guy is running for office at all."
Funiciello and Derrick have traded barbs in recent weeks. It started with a report in the Elizabethtown-based Sun Community News in which Funiciello criticized Derrick for changing his voter registration from Republican to Democratic last March, just in time to run for Congress. In a recent interview, Derrick said as a young man in the military, he identified with Ronald Reagan and the Republican Party. He added that, as a candidate, he appeals to Republicans and Democrats.
"We have problems which are no longer partisan; they are existential," Derrick said at the Enterprise office Thursday afternoon. "And I am the kind of guy who can approach it in that light."
Funiciello disagrees, seeing himself as the only candidate in the race representing the working class, with the longest track record of principled policy beliefs of the three candidates.
"I am not a spoiler," he said. "I represent the working class. We outnumber you 10 to 1, ruling-class people running for office. Do not dare say that. We want our democracy back. I'm the vehicle by which we can begin the process."
Funiciello said Derrick stopped into his Glens Falls store in the spring, and the meeting was cordial. But he said he told Derrick he wouldn't bring up his Republican history if Derrick didn't call him a spoiler.
"The spoiler argument to me is absolutely ridiculous," Funiciello said. "It's very childish. And it's not because I don't understand that if you are worried about the presidential race and you live in a swing state and you really want to vote for a lesser evil — knock yourself out. But this is Congress. And if you're worried about control of Congress, elect a Green, 'cause I'm gonna actually be voting for and saying the things you would like to have said in Congress.
"If Mike does that, it's going to be a happy accident of his corporate sponsorship that there is a coalescence of (his) view and theirs. And it's not going to be very frequently."
As of June 31, Funiciello has raised $6,371 for his campaign, compared with $674,714 for Derrick and $2,193,410 for Stefanik, according to the Federal Election Commission.
When someone in attendance asked if he is in favor of having no political parties, Funiciello said he is. He described the two-party system as unrelatable and touted his Green Party candidacy as the answer.
"It's too Orwellian. It's too Monty Python. How can we relate?" he asked the audience. "The thing is, we can. We can relate to it in this race, right now in 2016, because you can elect a person who actually gets up every day, works for a living and actually grew up here, who stayed here, who knows what it's like to live the life that all of you've lived.
"Republicans and Democrats look at each other as a cartoon, and I don't," he added. "I am in the district in the cafe, meeting all of these people, being friends with them, coaching their children in hockey, baseball and lacrosse, and understanding full well that they are human beings, too. 'Oh, there's a Republican who plays the guitar. He wrote his own song. Maybe he does have a soul after all.' We have to kill this thought process that every voter in this country can be divided between Republican or Democrat, and that they are all going to fit that label, and that's it. It's not true.
"There are so many things to say, and you are not going to get to know me right here. I'm not going to get to know all of you but a little bit. And a little bit's good. It's growth. It's a seed. It's the beginnings of a plant. The growth is what I'm looking for; the growth is what I think we are all hungry for."
Ruzbacki challenges Little
The only challenger to longtime Republican state Sen. Betty Little was also in attendance Wednesday — Steve Ruzbacki, a first-time candidate who came to the area to work as a processing engineer for Barton Mines and joined the Green Party in 2002.
Ruzbacki spoke before Funiciello and said he's been touring the district and plans to meet with the Saranac Lake progressive group, Voters for Change, on Aug. 5 at Saranac Lake's Left Bank Cafe. Asked why voters should consider him versus Little, Ruzbacki echoed much of what Funiciello said.
"Sure, she's bringing grant money to your community. A lot of that money is doing really wonderful stuff for the community. Listen, I want to support libraries; the land trust sounds like a good idea to me. But I'm certainly not against everything Betty Little does.
"But what I am against is taking corporate money and then representing those interests. To me, that's not representing the people. You can't represent two masters like that. And I think I would appeal a lot to Republicans, too, because of my stance against corporate welfare. And frankly, the SAFE Act is completely unconstitutional. I'd like to see that repealed."
Source: http://poststar.com/news/local/green-party-candidates-talk-about-issues/article_6107f2eb-86e9-58f2-a6e0-24eda008e6fd.html


text:
package org.coursera.metrics.datadog.transport;

import org.coursera.metrics.datadog.model.DatadogCounter;
import org.coursera.metrics.datadog.model.DatadogGauge;

import java.io.Closeable;
import java.io.IOException;

/**
 * The transport layer for pushing metrics to datadog
 */
public interface Transport extends Closeable {

  /**
   * Build a request context.
   */
  public Request prepare() throws IOException;

  /**
   * A request for batching of metrics to be pushed to datadog.
   * The call order is expected to be:
   *    one or more of addGauge, addCounter -> send()
   */
  public interface Request {

    /**
     * Add a gauge
     */
    void addGauge(DatadogGauge gauge) throws IOException;

    /**
     * Add a counter to the request
     */
    void addCounter(DatadogCounter counter) throws IOException;

    /**
     * Send the request to datadog
     */
    void send() throws Exception;
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub