text:
Pressure on PLDT to solve PH's slow Internet
Sep 16, 2014 6:55 PM PHT
Carmela Fonbuena
At a Senate hearing on the cause of slow Internet connection in the Philippines, discussions focus on mandatory IP peering, a policy that government can't implement because of protests from the telco player
MANILA, Philippipines – The Senate hearing on the country's slow and expensive Internet connection held on Tuesday, September 16, focused on a long-running policy that the government has failed to implement because of protests coming from dominant telco player PLDT – mandatory IP peering.
"Kailangan pag-usapan na natin 'yan (We need to discuss it). Most countries have that already but I think at this point National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) wants to bring in the players. I support that but at the end of the day, if it's a commercial transaction and it's not regulated by government, wala ka ring kapangyarihan to sabihin mo sa isang grupo, o libre na yan a (we don't have the power to impose on them to offer it for free)," said Senator Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV, co-chairman of the Senate joint committee seeking to improve the country's internet connection.
IP peering is when two networks exchange traffic with each other freely, providing access to their caches, bringing about a faster connection for the end users.
It is another factor that could improve Internet connectivity in the Philippines on top of telcos improving their infrastructure and experiments like the White Space Project, which utilizes unused TV frequency to deliver Internet services to far flung areas.
"The problem with a lack of IP peering is that foreign companies don't have a centralized place to post caches that will affect everyone, forcing them to either host multiple caches at a larger overall expense, choose one company over another to give uneven caching coverage, or ignore the Philippines entirely as a destination for caches," an earlier Rappler report noted.
Internet a basic service?
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has been pushing for IP peering among local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) but does not have the powers to impose IP peering on ISPs.
The Department of Science and Technology's Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) also set up the Philippine Open Internet Exchange (PHOpenIX), a neutral Internet Exchange, hoping that local players will peer with them.
Globe recently challenged PLDT to peer with the neutral internet exchange.
PLDT is an important player because it hosts a number of local content providers and a number of foreign content providers, such as Facebook, Google, and Yahoo.
PLDT claims it supports IP peering but its spokersperson enumerated a number of arguments against peering with the DOST's PHOpenIX and against the proposed mandatory IP peering.
In the Senate hearing, stakeholders continued to discuss suggested amendments to existing laws to declare Internet connection a "basic service" to give the NTC wider powers to regulate the service providers and impose, among others, mandatory IP peering.
Aquino supports IP peering but prefers that the telco industry can agree among themselves how to implement it.
Philippine laws currently consider the Internet as a "value-added" service, leaving the industry to the industry players. As a result, IP peering is voluntary and has become a commercial transaction, with service providers charging other providers that want to connect to them.
Profit appears to be at the heart of the debate. In limiting IP peering, PLDT is also protecting its market from other players who stand to benefit more if they get access to PLDT's content.
"What the telcos are saying is: 'We're okay with IP peering but we will charge. To be frank, I'm fine with that. But charge the right rates because what the smaller ISPs are saying, 'Ang taas naman ng charge niyo. Hindi naman ma-justify,'" Aquino said. (Your charge is so high. You can't justify it.)
Aquino said government regulation is "extreme" but it may be needed if the telcos cannot come up with a plan to improve the Internet connection
"Regulating industries is very difficult because we're already at the era of deregulation. But this wouldn't come to the forefront if people were satisfied with the services. If the complaints regarding the speed and price were actually not there, then talks about government intevention will be lessened," Aquino added.
The Senate hearing was launched in May 2014 following reports showing the Philippines having the slowest Internet connection among members of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
PLDT arguments
PLDT said it will support IP peering for a limited set of content. "We are for peering but it cannot just simply be physical interconnection of two networks. There has to be peering in relation to a specific set of content," said PLDT and Smart spokesman Ray Espinosa.
The way it is: PH Internet and making it better
Globe urges PLDT to peer with neutral Internet exchange
Average PH Internet speed 155th in the world
'Make Internet a basic service in PH'
Budget department chief information officer Richard Moya argued that service providers should not charge the governmetn when it is providing climate information or disaster information because it is a "public good."
"It is clear to me that there is a necessity to provide peering – government to government for free at the very minimum on government provided information. That can be done very quickly," Moya said.
DOST is doing this. "What we are trying to do is aggregate government content to incentivize ISPs to connect to us principally through peering because it benefits their subscribers," said Denis Villorente of the DOST-ASTI.
But PLDT also runs its own internet exchange, providing the IP peering to other ISPs for a fee. "When you speak of peering, we are not against peering. We just need to understand exactly what will be peered because we do have our internet exchange…. We want to grow that to a huge and leading internet exchange," said Espinosa.
Espinosa also suggested that IP peering may not be the solution to improve Internet connection in the country. He said 80% of the content that Filipino users access online is supposedly foreign content. The IP peering that NTC is trying to implement is limited to local service providers.
It is faster to connect to web sites hosted locally than those hosted abroad. This explains why Internet connection in the Philipines is slow, said Espinosa.
"The Philippines is unique. We are Western-bred. Massive amount of content we want to access unfortunately are located abroad," Espinosa said. In comparison, he said residents of Korea, Japan, Thailand, and China – which enjoy faster connection – access mostly local content.
Free IP peering in Indonesia
During the debate, IT expert Grace Santos cited the example of Indonesia, where IP peering is free.
"Let's not compare ourselves to South Korea. Let's compare ourselves to Indonesia, where 100% of telcos and ISPs are peered – for free," she said.
She explained: "It's neutral. It's open to all telcos and ISPs. It's multilateral and anyone can enter. It's being administered by a consortium. Players have agreed to basically administer local IP peering."
Santos said the mandatory IP peering, which began in 2005, has led to growth of local content and growth in local hosting.
Globe Head for Network Technologies Strategy Manny Estrada said they are willing to explore the Indonesian model.
Aquino is giving the NTC and the ISP providers until October to settle the issue on IP peering.
"If there are amendments that need to be filed, we can do it before the end of October. If there's a Memo Circular that NTC will have to release, they have to release it as soon as possible," Aquino said. – Rappler.com


It may comfort you to know that there are no dragons living anywhere near the Bridgeport Bridge. Not one single dragon of any kind; please, proceed with confidence.
Perhaps this wasn't a particular concern for you, but it should have been, according to my friend Nicki, who regards dragons as a growing problem in the world today and believes it would be just like them to hang around a historic covered bridge.
Nicki is 7, and what she knows about dragons is a lot. When you invite Nicki and her family on a hike, you're just begging for a serious dragon hunt to break out -- which is exactly what happened recently when we hit the 3.2-mile Point Defiance Trail at South Yuba River State Park.
"That looks like a dragon skull!" said Nicki, one of the few people in the world who can spot a dragon skull at 50 paces. Alas, on this occasion, it was just a funny-shaped rock. But the point is, it could have been a dragon skull, and then we would've been awfully thankful to have such a wary dragon-watcher on hand, believe you me.
The trail follows along the final swirls of the Yuba River as it spills into Englebright Lake, and at 1.2 miles, you run into the very cool Point Defiance Campground - a smattering of tiny, picturesque sites broken up by high berry hedges at the lake's edge.
It's the perfect lunch spot, and the skinny paths between the berry bushes are just begging for hide-and-seek of the highest caliber. Unfortunately, when you return to the trail, you find that it has suddenly become - curses! - a fire road.
Not just a fire road but a fire road with a rather long, steep incline. I'd worried beforehand whether a child Nicki's age could handle an incline like this. Predictably, now the three adults were groaning, the two preteens were whining, and Nicki was dancing breezily far ahead of us, as though she were Julie Andrews on a lark through the Austrian Alps.
Her older sister, 11-year-old Dani, tried to reel Nicki back in. "Hey, mountain-lion bait! Get back here!" she said.
Eventually the incline flattened out, and the fire road took a couple of funky turns and became a real trail again. We were lost for about five minutes - our penance for not picking up a trail map at the excellent visitors center beforehand - but eventually we began winding our way back down toward the bridge.
"Hey, a skull!" said Nicki.
This time it wasn't a funny-looking rock. It was a real skull - possibly dragon but more likely small mammal. A few more steps down the trail, we encountered some real strong indications that it was probably a skunk.
Then again, the more we looked at the details of the skull, the more we were fixated on those two long, sharp front teeth.
You had to admit it: It could be a lizard.
Round-trip hike distance: 3.2-mile loop.
Round-trip hike time: 3 hours.
Degree of difficulty: Mostly easy, with one long, moderate climb on the back side.
Highlights: Bridgeport Bridge, at 243 feet the longest single-span covered bridge in the world. Picturesque Englebright Lake. Literally legions of lizards. Excellent visitor center, and several shorter trails nearby.
And another thing: No fee. Not wheelchair accessible. Restrooms at visitor center, none on the trail.
Where it's at: Bridgeport Bridge, 16 miles northwest of Grass Valley; 75 miles from Sacramento.
Directions from Sacramento: Interstate 80 east to Auburn; Highway 49 north toward Grass Valley for about 24 miles; Highway 20 west toward Marysville for about 8 miles; at Penn Valley, take Pleasant Valley Road north for about 8 miles. Turn left into the parking lot next to the visitor center and covered bridge.
The Bee's Don Bosley can be reached at (916) 321-1101 or dbosley@sacbee.com.


text:
Sir Roger Douglas
Sir Roger Douglas, as the Labour Government Minister of Finance, was the driving force responsible for the reform of the country's economy from 1984 to 1988. Sir Roger was the founder of ACT NZ and re-entered Parliament in 2008. Altogether he spent 24 years as an MP.
Unfunded Liabilities
By Sir Roger Douglas
For too long now, a succession of Labour and National governments has hidden behind our Pay-As-You-Go system of providing welfare benefits. Leaders like Helen Clark, John Key, Bill English, and – more recently – Jacinda Ardern, have used it to avoid making the hard decisions demanded by New Zealand's looming welfare crisis, secure in the knowledge that when that crisis hits, it will be someone else's problem.
Instead, they have merely tinkered with welfare policy at its edges, their focus not on New Zealand's long-term future but rather on the short-term imperative (for them) of re-election. In the meantime, huge future costs are being incurred that will have to be carried by New Zealanders yet to be born.
Significantly, we have begun to enter a 30-40 year welfare maturity period, where the costs of delivering pensions and healthcare for the retired is going to rise dramatically, year on year. For the next 40 years, the number of beneficiaries will grow rapidly, whilst the number of workers, in relative terms, will decline (from around 3 workers to every 1 beneficiary now, to around 1.66 workers to every beneficiary by 2060).
Inevitably, this change will leave an enormous gap between government revenue and government expenditure, so much so that the economy will, at some point, reach a point of collapse, our unfunded liabilities for government healthcare and pensions placing such unsustainable pressure on today's young (our future workforce) that they will be unable to bear their costs.
A great deal of attention in New Zealand has recently been focused on the huge increase in government debt as a result of Covid-19 and whether the government has handled or mishandled this situation. Whilst this increase in debt is massive by New Zealand standards, it is in fact small (around 20%) when compared to the accumulated mountain of unfunded welfare liabilities we have, which amount to some $1,100 billion.
That is the size of the promises successive governments have made to New Zealanders and on which many are relying as they head into retirement. Offsetting that mountain of debt, or unfunded liabilities, we have about 5% put aside in the New Zealand super fund.
If a public or private business were to mislead the public about the size of its financial obligations, as governments have done for years, the officers of those businesses would end up in prison for fraud. Unfortunately, we operate under a system that not only allows our government to deliberately exempt itself from sound accounting practices, but also abrogate its responsibilities to future generations, systematically misleading the public about the nature of our debt and shifting today's costs and obligations onto future taxpayers.
Sadly, instead of taking responsibility for the proper management of our welfare systems (and securing a stable future for our youngest generations) our governments have, over the years, found it easier to incur costs and then pass them on.
But there has to be an accounting. As much as short-term policies might appeal to politicians who place re-election above their democratic duty (the basis of our democracy is government that works for the benefit of the people, not government that operates for the benefit of itself), you can't hold back the future forever. Indeed, somewhat inconveniently for our current crop of politicians, the future has already arrived.
Every year for the next 30-40 years, an extra 30,000 people will be added to New Zealand's retired population, meaning the government's costs for providing healthcare, pensions and housing for the retired will increase by $1 billion, every single year. This will cost taxpayers earning $50,000 or more an extra $12 a week (or $600 a year), year on year, for at least the next 3 decades.
Clearly, this is an untenable situation. Without owning up to our looming welfare crisis, and without taking action, our already parlous position will soon become unmanageable.
All is not doom and gloom however. It is possible to institute policies – based upon dedicated savings schemes for both retirement and health – that will help us work out from under our mountain of debt, and put extra money in the hands of all New Zealanders. Although the scope and detail of those policies is for another paper, if we started now, our youngest generations could look forward to retiring with $1 million in their hands (in today's terms) and all their health costs met.
As an added bonus, such policies would also help place responsibility for our future back into the hands of individuals and serve to empower disadvantaged groups like Māori & Pasifika, who have suffered too long at the hands of misguided, and mismanaged, state paternalism.
Of course, such policies will require a fundamental realignment of the way our democratic system currently operates. Governments will need to remove the blinkers of self-interest, own up to our debt crisis, acknowledge the responsibility they have to future generations, and look to implement imaginative policies that are focused on the medium to long-term, rather than the toxic desire to hold onto power for three more years.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Report: Son witnessed father stabbing mother
Apologies, threats, and excuses all coming from Scott Huss, the man accused of murdering his own wife back in April. Evidence and pictures were also released in a detailed stack of pages on Friday.
Thursday, July 26th 2007, 8:00 PM EDT
Monday, November 29th 2010, 11:25 AM EST
CHARLOTTE COUNTY: Apologies, threats, and excuses were all coming from Scott Huss, the man accused of murdering his own wife back in April. Evidence and pictures were also released in a detailed stack of pages on Friday.
While no where in the 1,500 page document does Huss come out and fully admit to murdering his wife, he doesn't try to hide that fact that he believes it's her fault that it ended the way it did.
The document wastes no time getting to the most disturbing news.
On page five, it shows how Yana Huss' eight-year-old son who told detectives he witnessed Scott Huss stab his mother in each lung as well as several other places on her body.
Later on in the sea of pages, a sketch of Yana Huss' body is shown lying face down in the laundry room while photographs of her paint a picture of a smiling and happy woman.
Pages 545 through 555, entitled "The Letter" written by Scott Huss, say otherwise. In those pages he calls Yana "a liar, manipulator, actress, and destroyer."
Later in "The Letter," Huss attacks Green Card Girls - an organization that marries American men with foreign women.
Huss calls the organization immigration fraud and said, "I made the mistake of falling for it."
Deeper into the stack, Scott mentioned that Yana is part of this network meant to defraud.
Later, the report shows how Huss apologized to some family members and threatened others.
In a letter to his mother, he instructed her to sell the house and divide the finances. He warned that if a woman named Ellen gets in the way, he'll "take care of her too."
He ended the letter to his mom saying, "Be careful. I will be watching."
If he is watching, Huss will be doing it from the Charlotte County Jail where he is currently awaiting trial.
In the stack of pages were also copies of Greyhound Bus tickets.
Huss was arrested in Tallahassee, but he had planned on taking the bus all the way to Dallas, Texas.


She sighed as she cut the vegetables into pieces, shoulders relaxed and a small smile on her face. She hummed while she went about the kitchen, the tune that Kiyomaro liked to listen to when he was younger and liked having her tuck him into bed.
Dinner was omelette rice that night, Kiyomaro's favourite, with fish fillet as a side dish for Gash. Her smile grew wider. Gash was a godsend; she had been worried about Kiyomaro ever since he started high school. Her cheery and friendly son had slowly turned into a sullen, anti-social hermit. She was sad that it became difficult to get him to go to school, when he used to bounce about in the kitchen, hurrying her to prepare his lunch so he could rush to school as early as possible.
All that had changed since Gash arrived. The little boy practically made the atmosphere better just by smiling. She didn't know where her husband found Gash, his letter had been vague although reassuring, but anyone who could change Kiyomaro (and she could see her little boy slowly turning into a man... it brought tears to her eyes sometimes) was a good child in her mind.
She only winced a little when a loud boom sounded overhead from Kiyomaro's room and the house shook on its foundation from Kiyomaro's yell for Gash.
She really should ask Kiyomaro to control his temper more around Gash.


THANK YOU very much for such an awesome service!!! I received the delivery of my order this morning and your work looks fantastic. Your turnaround time its super-fast. I have never had such an awesome service from anyone in a long time. Please keep up the good work with your team. I would recommend anyone to do business with you. I can assure you, all our future business will come to you. Well done!!!


text: Q: Array of infinity annotation objective c I need to make an array of infinity annotations on a map. The user adds an annotation, saves it on web and next time anyone loads the app, there is a new annotation. So its like infinity annotations. I'm really stuck. Anyone have an algorithm or a code? Thanks.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


My life, as it really is, is always filled with sadness and little joy. However, no matter what happens, I can always face__35__bravely.
In July, last year, I couldn't believe the__36__that I was allowed to enter the only key high school in my hometown. Then I rushed to my home and told my parents. But my father didn't seem as excited as I was. He just kept smoking without saying a word and my mother put her head down and couldn't help crying.
What I saw didn't make me surprise. I knew very well what my family was__37__. My mum had been in bed for two years because of her disease. I knew my family lived a__38__life and couldn't afford my tuition fee. I felt so upset at that moment but I could say__39__to my parents.
I decided to help my father with his work to support my family instead of__40__my study.
At the same time, my father also earned some extra money__43__he could afford part of my tuition fee.
I knew I was such a lucky dog and decided to study harder__44_return. With tears in my eyes, I stepped into the key high school that I had dreamed of.


text:
FIRE > Newsdesk > Administrators Defend Bias Response Teams, But Shy Away From Transparency
Administrators Defend Bias Response Teams, But Shy Away From Transparency
by Adam Steinbaugh
On Monday, Inside Higher Ed published a lengthy defense of "bias response teams"—teams largely composed of administrators and law enforcement who direct a university's response to reports of offensive language or conduct, usually (but not always) under the guise of educating the offending speakers about the impact of their speech. But the same administrators are unwilling to back up their claims, declining to provide details about how they respond to particular incidents. As Inside Higher Ed's Jake New reports:
Ohio State declined to offer detailed information about the incidents its team has investigated, but Christopher Davey, a spokesman for the university, said incidents may "involve bias or hate as a result" of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, military status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status[.]
"The Ohio State University is committed to creating a diverse and welcoming community for all students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors," Davey said. "Like universities around the country, Ohio State has found that maintaining such an environment requires a transparent effort to learn about and address incidents of bias and discrimination on our campuses. BART generally does not investigate incidents and does not have authority to issue sanctions, but does work to provide help for anyone who needs immediate assistance and support."
Note what's going on here. While proclaiming through a spokesperson the need for a "transparent effort," Ohio State "declined to offer detailed information" about any specific incidents. Ohio State—whose Bias Assessment and Response Team ("BART") is described by Inside Higher Ed as the "model" for institutions across the country—solicits reports of a broad range of speech or conduct, much of which the university acknowledges doesn't rise to the level of violating law or university policy.
'Response' Is the Operative Word
It's not necessarily the reports that matter, but how a university responds. And at Ohio State, there's reason to be concerned. For example, the Ohio State University police chief, in an article posted on the Bias Assessment and Response Team's website—entitled "How OSU Police respond to incidents of bias or intimidation"—acknowledges the First Amendment rights of offensive speakers, but then suggests that a broad range of clearly protected speech may be a criminal act (emphasis added):
These discussions can be emotionally charged, animated, even strongly worded yet remain voluntary, civil and within the constraints of the law.
There are limits however, especially when an individual or member of a protest group verbally or physically abuses or intimidates another person. A criminal assault occurs if the attack causes or is likely to cause physical harm to another person. Disorderly conduct occurs if the verbal confrontation causes another to be alarmed, threatens harm, provokes fear, is insulting, taunting, or challenging to the degree that a violent response is provoked.
To give the benefit of the doubt to the police chief, he could be referring to the violent response as being disorderly conduct. But the focus of the rest of the statement remains on whether a speaker has committed an offense:
The best suggestion if verbally insulted or confronted by someone with whom you strongly disagree is to not engage in debate. Ignore the person if you can and walk away. If you believe that you have been the victim of a crime in these situations act civilly and calmly tell the person you are offended by their comment and you want them to stop or you will call the police. If the verbal insult continues call OSU Police, then ask for others to remain as witnesses on your behalf. […] The determination as to whether or not a crime has been committed will be based on the nature of the verbal confrontation, your feelings and reaction to the abuse and your ability to convey this clearly to the reporting officer.
If the message that bias response teams wish to send is that offended students should not respond with more speech, but should instead summon administrators and police, that should give us pause. (To be fair, another article posted on the BART website suggests that offensive online speech should be addressed in face-to-face conversations, which is good advice. Unfortunately, that same article first suggests attempting to delete the offending post. But at least neither suggestion involves summoning an administrator to do the speaking.)
The credibility of the efforts of a "bias response team"—are they simply responding with more speech to persuade offending speakers, or are they threatening investigations, hearings, and sanctions?—turns on how the team responds. Knowing that, however, requires transparency, and many universities are loath to shed sunlight on what they did in response. When universities do disclose incidents that have occurred, they're often whitewashed, vague synopses.
Transparency Matters
Ohio State, for example, provides little in the way of transparency. While the university provides statistics, it only occasionally mentions specific incidents. For example, in 2012 the BART received 41 reports concerning a "newspaper advertisement that expressed hate toward Muslim student organizations." But what did administrators do in response? That matters, but the lack of transparency means that nobody knows. (Unfortunately, providing even this information puts Ohio State ahead of most institutions, which do not share any details about reports or their responses.)
Transparency matters because what happens when students are summoned by administrators matters. If an administrator is going to wear two hats, serving as either educator or punisher, how is a student or faculty member to know which hat the administrator is wearing at any given time?
Because transparency is important, FIRE is using public records requests to explore universities' Bias Response Teams and how they respond. Yet universities still resist. The University of Oregon—whose Bias Response Team (BRT) leadership took the time to be interviewed by Inside Higher Ed—decided that how its BRT responds to offensive speech is not a matter of public interest, demanding that FIRE pay over $1,400 to review its records. Since being paid two months ago, Oregon has produced a scant 69 pages of records. Ohio State, for its part, produced one year of records of students' complaints, but declined to produce records relating to the BART's responses—the part that matters—because, in its view, it would be too difficult to provide that many records. Another institution, within hours of claiming it had no records whatsoever, deleted its bias response team's website.
Of the institutions that have produced records, some demonstrate that administrators are mindful of First Amendment rights, careful to inform students of their intent, or structure their responses to provide resources to aggrieved students who may not be aware of the resources available to them, rather than to intervene with the offending speaker. Others, including the University of Northern Colorado, where a professor was warned that he should discontinue discussing controversial issues because of the possibility of being subjected to an investigation, are troubling, at best. Whatever the merits of bias response teams, the lack of—and resistance to—transparency is disconcerting. Intent, as bias response teams often tell campus constituents, doesn't matter—impact does.
Schools: The Ohio State University


枉 is the 2912th most frequent character.
枉 has 1 dictionary entry.
枉 appears as a character in 8 words.
枉 appears as a component in 0 characters.
Pronunciation clue for 枉 (wang3): The component 王 is pronounced as 'wang2'. It has the same pronunciation as the character, but differs on tone.
Pronunciation clue for 枉 (wang3): The component 王 is pronounced as 'wang4'. It has the same pronunciation as the character, but differs on tone.


The mid-term SA1 is coming soon.
The PSLE is coming real soon too.
I think it is time to do Chinese Composition Marathon revision with Jay.
This is how I trained my son to do Chinese composition. And I guess it works for English composition too.
Make use of Notes app on your iPhone.
Change the keyboard language to Chinese.
Tap the (Dictation icon) on the bottom right of the app screen.
Start speaking Chinese/Mandarin to your phone. And your phone dictation feature will start to dictates what you speak into text.
Can use any assessment book, as long has 5 pictures and a question mark.
You also need a "teacher" (daddy or mommy) to come up with a modal composition so to compare. the modal composition has to use those words you think they will know and understand in their P6 context. Cannot be too chim.
The pros and cons of this method.
Using the dictation method, we can cover together even more composition stories. Because this method will be very fast. No need to write it down. Only need to read it out. If you don't know how to write, you can spell it out on your digital dictionary and obtain the words or proverbs from there.
It also at the same time, test your Oral communications. If your pronunciation is not right, the choice of words displayed will be wrong. So, it kind of force you to speak correct Chinese. And if you can do this well, your sure have no problem in your Oral.
It gave a chance to repeatedly using a certain sentence structures and a certain commonly used words. The more Jay saw this sentence structures, the more he will remember and bit by bit it build up his vocabulary and quick thinking.
I usually will time him, so that he knows he can only spent 1-2 minutes to "summarise" the 5 pictures. Another 2-3 minutes to think about what to write for the last question mark unknown scenarios. Then, spent another 5-10 minutes to construct the composition. Lastly check and recheck. That leaves 15-20 minutes of writing time. The whole purpose is to learn how to quickly come up with the idea of writing by looking at the 5 diagrams and conceptualise the last question mark scenarios.
Because he will lack of writing opportunity. So, his writing might be slow.
Because he will lack of writing opportunity. So, his writing may be wrong.
So, today, we have 2.5 hours of Python programming at Da Vinci Lab, 2 hours of Badminton training at Chuo Chu Kang, and another 2.5 hours of Drone programming at Suntec Da Vinci Lab again. So, there will be at least 4 sessions of car travelling time. So, he make good use of these 30-40 minutes travelling time and do it in the car.
We just started today, but as we finished the 4th compositions, he is getting much better. Let's take a look at his 4th attempt.
Here is the composition picture.
This is his attempt. So, we did this at the same time at home. He writes his own version and I write my own version. Then we see which one is the best composition.
He uses the word 东西 too much.
He come up with the story of eating oily and fried food will weaken our body. Not too bad of the story. But he miss out the "flies" in at least of the two picture above. I think flies is the main issue for mommy don't want to buy the food.
I don't really like when he fill the word requirement by putting something that is not related, i.e. buying the pen.
I do like the idea of mommy telling him, we can't go to the night market as we might spent a lot. The "hahaha" closing statement is funny.
I can tell that he has indeed improved the way how he thinks and writes.
Now. This is what I showed him. This is what I would write.
It is best if you can remember something "local". Clementi night market. It is a relevant name, it is local and I think the marker might like it.
I explained to him, he needs to describe the environment of the night market. I noted a big speaker playing loud music. I also noted a lot of cheap price tags. So, the night market must be selling a lot of cheap goods.
So many people in the picture. This is where you use "people mountain people sea". hahaha, he missed out that.
It does not need to say you and your mom visit the night market right from the beginning. You can start to describe the night market, then, and the middle of the story, you then say, your mom bring you to the night market.
Remember to write how you feel. Very happy. To visit the night market.
Always use conversations to easily write the story. This is where I tell the story of a very observant mommy notice a lot of flies flying on top of the food.
When mommy says that, my eyes look at the same direction. And INDEED a lot of flies. That is how you lengthen your composition. By inserting things that is RELEVANT to your story.
The next sentence, I have used almost all the suggestion words. Buying cheap and suitable clothing.
Now, here comes my Question Mark story. I told the story of I read a news about food poisoning and those residence who eaten the food from the night market some has gotten food poisoning.
I thank mom for stopping me buying dirty food. and mom explain why. why. why.
Let's check out the 3rd compo.
This is actually a hard one for Jay. He is not very good in writing about people. And this one needs to write about his mother.
One sentence for each picture. And there is no compelling story for the question mark.
I wrote my modal composition. This is how I would write it.
You must learn how to describe your mother.
You can write about her teaching in school. Write it short. Next, she cooked for us.
But wait, you can add more stuff here. When you say about she cooking for us, how is her cooking? What do you like to eat? What is his best dish? And how you know it is best dish? Because I ate two big bowl of rice whenever she cooked my favourite curry chicken.
Nothing to talk about cleaning the house.
When I have difficulties in my home work, she will teach me how to do those question. How she teach?
Here you can add more. When I am not happy, she encourages me.
So, here come the question mark story. When I grew up, I want to do all the right thing she expected me to do.
Then, to end my story, I added in another paragraph of Mother's day. And talking about future is way too long. Let start by making a Mother's day card for her.
Let's check out the second composition.
We work together on the story line. But he uses too short of the sentence to describe the story.
He has memorise the first paragraph. So, I told him, if you want to use this, at the end you must have a conclusion telling people why you cannot forget what you did.
Again, I told him must specify a local location. Clementi Popular Bookstore.
My whole head is thinking about that new comic book I wanted to buy.
My story is getting nicer. I blamed myself for spending all the pocket money to eat instead of buying the new story book.
I purposely make the story book to have a value of $10.
Then, the story of the motorcyclist dropping his package.
He has to shout that is why an exclamation mark is behind.
The driver tells Jay that the package meant a lot to him. So, he wanted to reward Jay.
I remember what mommy taught us. We don't do a certain thing because we wanted to ask for any rewards.
I added that the motorcyclist say I am a good boy.
I also added that a lot of uncles and aunties also said I am a good boy.
So the question mark story is… I actually needed that $10 to buy my book. But, it conflict with my morale. But eventually, I am happy because I did a good thing.
This is the first one. His first composition is quite bad. I stroked off a lot of things. Let's see what I have wrote after I improved his composition.
I too have an interesting story for this.
That is Jay favourite opening sentence. He cannot forget what he did before.
My story started with I scored a low mark for Chinese.
While walking home, my brain didn't stop working and trying to come up with all kind of excuses. No body knows what happen.
When I go back home, my face was red when I tell my mom how I did in my Chinese exam.
I was giving some lame excuse.
Here is my exciting story. Suddenly, my cat jump onto my bag and something dropped form the bag. It was my Nintendo switch game console.
I saw it, and mommy saw it too. So, no choice, I need to tell mommy the truth.
The good thing is, mommy did not scould Jay. Instead, she encourage him.
And 果然, he scored an impressive points in his Chinese exam in the following year end exam.
let's check out another composition we did just last Sunday.
As you can see, what I am trying to do is to make him realise that he can re-use a lot and a lot of sentence structure, words in his Chinese Composition.


The collection of over forty hammered medieval and later coins had been brought into Richard Winterton Auctioneers' coin expert Stephen Wrenn just before Christmas. Comprising hammered gold and silver coinage spanning the reigns of Aethelred I, Edward the Confessor, William I, Edward I, King John, Edward IV, Henry VII, Elizabeth I, Henry III and James I, the collection had been collected primarily during the 1980's by a local gentleman.
'This is one of the finest collections of early hammered coinage I have dealt with in my many years as a coin and medal consultant. Notable for the fine quality and condition of the coins, the vendor was a discerning collector who only collected the best, each of which was carefully researched.
We advertised the collection extensively in the International and local press. A detailed colour image of both sides of each coin was taken and in turn marketed on the Internet and catalogues sent out to our database of active buyers. This meticulous pre-sale preparation paid off as we received an unprecedented number of enquires and requests for private viewings, all culminating in some impressive results. The importance of dedicated specialist sales for coins and medals are essential in achieving the full potential of collections such as this'.
Individual highlights included Lot 7, an Edward IV first reign (1461-1470) gold Ryal or Rose Noble of ten shillings at £1,500, (against £700-900 pre-sale expectations) and Lot 8, an Edward IV second reign (1471-1483) gold Angel at £1,600. The highest price was reserved for Lot 9, a highly sought after Henry VII (1502-1504) gold Angel at £1,800.
The next Coin and Medal Sale is in early March. Coin/Medal expert Stephen Wrenn will be holding a series of special free valuation days every Tuesday from 10am to 12midday at The Lichfield Auction Centre, (no appointment necessary although may be advisable).


text:
we are Lifestyle Coffins
We personalise coffins for funeral services in Australia
See our Designs
Why Personalise Coffins?
MORE and more of us are choosing to go out in a splash of colour, we want choices — even in death — rather than a cookie cutter approach to commiseration.
"Death is always an unwelcome experience. We avoid it as much as we can. When death happens, we wonder "what type of coffin they want? What should we do? What's appropriate at the time?" We believe that a good funeral is the beginning of a healthy grief process."
Increasingly, families are moving away from the traditional morbid wooden coffin and opting for the more personalised & colourful tribute coffin to remembering loved ones and honouring the life they lived. Traditional wooden coffins magnify grief, personalised coffins provide comfort.
You'll be surprised how a few treasured photo's on a coffin can tell a wonderful story about your loved one. Our innovative approach and personal service helps families celebrate the life of their loved one in a unique and special way. From design through to production, we do a wonderful job at helping make a sad time more bearable.
"It is a rotten day, and if you can do anything to lift that gloom, it is a good thing."
Why Lifestyle Coffins?
Lifestyle Coffins was established in 2010 by Corey & Lisa Simpson. Corey is a signwriter/ graphic designer of 30 years and owns 'Signlab' a signage company located in Alberton, SA. Lisa is a registered nurse and they have two children Luke and Leah.
Lifestyle Coffins was established when a good family friend of Corey asked him to decorate his sons coffin with football club colours and family photos. The coffin got a lot of attention at the funeral service as personalised coffins were a relatively new concept and certainly not mainstream. After seeing first hand the attention the coffin received at the funeral and the positive feedback received from the funeral arranger, Corey knew that personalised coffins were a much better alternative to the traditional wooden coffin.
Up until early 2020, Corey wrapped Lifestyle Coffins at his workshop in Alberton, SA and shipped them by road all over the country. Due to increasing demand he established partners in VIC, NSW, QLD & WA to save on shipping costs and speed up delivery times. Lifestyle Coffins are completed to a high standard and delivered within 24 hours of artwork approval to make sure we don't delay the funeral arrangements.
Lifestyle Coffins take the health of our environment seriously, our coffins are printed with eco-solvent or water based inks and wrapped with PVC FREE film making them crematorium and eco friendly.
As a family owned and operated business we really care about what we do for families.
Lifestyle coffins provide grieving families the opportunity to personalise their loved ones coffin in the most unique way. Many families I have been privileged enough to care for have expressed how special it was to have such an option available to them. Corey and the team are truly making a difference to families in their time of need.
Krystle Inglis, Funeral Director, Blackwell Funerals


text:
Larne Ferries
Larne Ferry Port - Prices from £259
View all ferries to Northern Ireland
Larne Routes
Cairnryan to Larne / Larne to Cairnryan
Ferries from Larne in Ireland sail to Cairnryan and Troon in Scotland with the operator P&O Ferries. Below you can find a list of the latest departure times alongside a selection of our best prices.
Cairnryan - Larne
(P&O Ferries) £259
Booked: Tuesday, 7 January 2020
Travel: Thursday, 9 April 2020 - Tuesday, 14 April 2020
Car + 2
About Larne
Larne is the ideal base from which to explore the beautiful countryside of County Antrim and the famous Causeway Coastal Route. The famous Antrim Coast Road with its 36 miles of spectacular limestone coastline actually starts from Larne. Ferries from Larne to go Cairnryan and Troon in Scotland and can be booked through AFerry
Larne is both the most modern and the most ancient of places. The name of the town is believed to have derived from a prince called Lathar, son of an ancient Irish king, who was granted the lands by his father. The area came to be called Lathar-na, meaning the lands of Lathar, and this has been anglicized to Larne.
Larne is a busy town that offers a wide range of shops and several excellent parks and recreation facilities. In Larne you can enjoy numerous outdoor activities, including golf, cycling and bird watching. Carnfunnock Country Park has combined attractions and entertainment with the splendor of its natural scenery.
The cultural centre in Larne's Borough is the Carnegie Library which consists of the Larne Museum, John Clifford Gallery, Larne Art Club, Larne Drama Circle and Larne & District Historical Society. In Larne Borough there are many towns and villages worth visiting such as Ballycarry, Cairncastle and Glynn.
Ferries to and from Larne
P&O Ferries onboard facilities include shops, a coffee shop, restaurants, a Piano bar, cinema, live entertainment, casino, bureau de change and cabins to get a good night's sleep. P&O Irish Ferries provides up to eight sailings a day from Larne to the ferry port of Cairnryan and a summer only service to Troon in Scotland.
Larne port facilities
Larne Ferry Terminal offers superb facilities for both passengers and freight customers.
There is a café, with a pleasant seating area, that freshly prepares hot and cold meals. The shop has newspapers as well as confectionery and giftware, while the ATM machine is just outside the terminal building. There are car-parking facilities for dropping off or picking up foot-passengers. Use Car Park 1, the first 10 minutes is free and 60p per hour or part hour up to 8 hours. You can park for the day at a cost of £6. The port is protected by 24-hours security and CCTV cameras. A Car Hire Service is also available.
For disabled passengers there are dedicated car-parking spaces close to the terminal building, disabled toilet facilities and wheelchairs are available; if you require any assistance, any member of staff is trained and will be happy to help.
Getting to Larne
Translink offers bus and train services from the Port of Larne to various destinations.
The port of Larne is approximately a 25 minutes drive, North of Belfast. Take the M2 Motorway north staying in Lane 2 or 3 (of 5). After about a mile, you will pass under two fly-overs, which are an overhead interchange. Follow the motorway for a further 1/2 mile and you will notice that it appears to split into three.
To your left is a tight left turning slip road, to Greencastle; straight ahead are the two lanes of the M2 which actually turn to the left before rising uphill and the two lanes to the right become the M3 and follow the shoreline of Belfast Lough. It is crucial that at this point you are in lane 2 or 3.
Follow the motorway up the hill for about 3 miles (5km), and after it levels out, you will be aware of a slip road to your left which will take you to Larne via the A8(M). Leave the M2 at this point and on the off-slip get into the right hand lane as you are approaching a roundabout type junction. The fly-over above the roundabout is the Motorway so, take the next exit from the roundabout and travel uphill and then down to another roundabout.
Go straight ahead at this roundabout and follow this road until you reach Larne. As you reach Larne you will become aware of good sign posts towards the ferry port.
Larne Map
Larne Harbour, Larne, Co. Antrim, BT40 1AW, Northern Ireland


I have been considering the symbolism of colour and medium in drawing. In an earlier work, I used clay as a drawing medium with its connotations of place and geology. I have also used carbon sticks and charcoal, carbon being a basic element of life but also being a relic of fire. I would like to consider fire as a drawing medium and am considering how I can safely and effectively do that.
Iron is also a basic element of life. Its ability to readily oxide allows it to transport oxygen around a body. It is also one of the elements created in stars. When astronomers detect iron in the spectrum of a star, they know that its years are limited and that it will soon (relatively) die in a supernova explosion. In the past I have printed with rust but I wanted to try drawing with it. I collected filings from my husband's grinding machine (he builds steam engines) and applied these to a small paper sample which had been dampened with lemon juice.
The lemon juice dried before it had any effect, so my next sample used distilled vinegar.
As a design, I tried drawing the suggestion of a figure, which relates to the themes I am exploring in my parallel project. This is rather like the Turin Shroud of Anthony Gormley's oil body prints. The design isn't very clear; the paper has been flooded with fluid too much.
Trying to control the spread of iron mould, I used less fluid and left the image to develop longer. Here I have returned to the Zen Enso design which relates to completeness but also imperfection. I have added two other marks, one inside and one outside the form, seeing this as an extension of the dichotomy of presence and absence within or beyond the void.
Although I used less fluid, I still used enough to cause run off. The rust has almost formed a crust on the paper but it is completely integrated with it. After developing, the paper was soaked to remove the vinegar and and particles of iron which did not shake off. The rust was undisturbed by soaking. In this next experiment, I used even less fluid and left the filings overnight. This has produced an even stronger stain.
I think these two images work well together as a diptych. I used strong Japanese paper which I knew would take repeated soaking because of its long fibres, but even so, a couple of tears occurred during handling and the paper has been hard to press flat. In fact, trying to press it flat has caused extra wrinkling.
I have considered developing the rust drawings with additions in graphite, ink or paint, but I think that this would appear very contrived.
Feeling that I was ready to use a better support, I returned to my original design using good quality watercolour paper.
The rust has imprinted completely differently on this support. Less texture has been retained in the dense areas, but a wider variety of marks and range of tone has been achieved. Then figure is clearly represented but is only solid in places. It has defined edges in places but in others melts into the background. The fluid bleed gives the figure life, even perhaps burning or exploding with energy.
Although I have done rust printing in the past, and I know that it is a popular technique with textile artists such as Alice Fox, I have found very little reference of the internet to anyone drawing with iron. An exception is Esther Solondz who produced very large works using this method. I can see that sprinkling iron is an imprecise drawing medium and so well suited to working large.
These rust drawings combine a meaningful material with texture, colour and soft, complex edges. It is possible to produce bold and simple designs, but complex designs would require working at a much larger scale. The quality of the support is important to withstand the wet process and archival quality is questionable. I suspect, over sufficient time, the rust areas would develop holes in the support which would be really exciting but, ultimately, destructive.
It snowed this week and I was excited to see if I could use the snow as a drawing medium by combining it with ink or paint. I hoped that I might get marks on the paper like those you see on the edge of glaciers caused by algae and dust or on the edge of geysers caused by minerals.
The snow have frozen over night and was icy and thawing by 9am, but collected a basin of granules. scattered them in arcs over my support and dripped Indian ink into them. I also scattered some ground up charcoal because it would be non-soluble and float on the water, hopefully to the edges.
I realised that the ice was producing a lot of water. I used a brush to join and spread out the puddles a bit, but instantly wishes I hadn't, that I had just left the water to do its thing.
I was very disappointed with this as it progressed. The ice produced so much water but slowly enough to buckle the paper in to basins which retained the water. Some interesting edges were achieved, mostly due to the charcoal.
I tried the experiment again, this time with much less ice, with which I mixed a little ink and charcoal.
This has melted into more interesting shapes but the ink is far too strong and solid. The paper has wrinkled locally again.
The edges are rather hard and uninteresting, so I have lightly sprayed the paper with water.
Spraying has made this more interesting but I don't think it qualifies as drawing with ice and is not at all the effect I was after. Research has revealed that it is possible. This work by Andrew Goldsworthy, using a snowball, is more the sort of thing I was looking for. I suspect the use of a snowball means that it can be removed from the support when it has released the desired amount of water. I had intended to continue this experiment on a much better quality of support, once I had learnt about the parameters, but now the snow has gone for the time being.
These have been extremely interesting experiments with the rust being particularly successful, producing visually exciting results with a repeatable technique.
This entry was posted in Drawing 2 - Investigating Drawing, Parallel Project, Practical Research, Research and tagged art, drawing, Drawing 2, ice, investigating drawing, OCA, rust, Solondz on 17/01/2017 by starrybird.


text:
Good hearted woman is een lied van Waylon Jennings en Willie Nelson uit 1969.

Jennings bracht het in 1971 voor het eerst uit op een single die de derde positie van de Hot Country Singles van Billboard bereikte. Verder zette hij het een jaar later op zijn gelijknamige elpee en brachten beide countryartiesten het in 1976 ook nog samen uit op de elpee Wanted! The outlaws Als duet belandde de single op nummer 1 van de Hot Country Singles en nummer 25 van de Billboard Hot 100. Deze versie werd door de Country Music Association uitgeroepen tot Single van het jaar.

Het lied is geïnspireerd op Tina Turner die in 1997 zelf ook een uitvoering van het lied uitbracht. Ze schreven het toen ze in 1969 in een motel in Texas een advertentie lazen over Ike & Tina Turner. Ze schreven het nummer terwijl de vrouw van Nelson, Connie Koepke, het op papier zette.

Het lied werd in de loop van de jaren tientallen malen door bekende artiesten gecoverd maar behaalde geen hitnotering in Nederland of België. Voorbeelden van covers zijn van The Everly Brothers (1972), Jack Clement (1978), George Jones (1980), Marty Robbins (1981), Chet Atkins (1984), Johnny Russell (1989), Tina Turner (1997), Hank Williams III (2012) en de Nederlandse zangeres Lana Wolf (2015). Verder verscheen er in 1980 een Finse versie van Juice Leskinen, getiteld Soittajan vaimo.

Single uit 1971
Single uit 2015
Nummer van George Jones
Nummer van Waylon Jennings
Nummer van Willie Nelson
Nummer van Lana Wolf
Nummer van The Everly Brothers
Nummer van Marty Robbins
Nummer van Tina Turner

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
News In Brief 5/2/2017
May 2, 2017 Nicole Wong
UC Irvine Receives $1 Million Donation for Rocket Launch
The University of California, Irvine is looking to become the first university to shoot a rocket into space. That dream moved closer to reality after nonprofit STEM company Base 11 gifted $1 million to the school last week.
The "Moonshot Initiative" will help create a rocketry program and lab at UCI's Henry Samueli School of Engineering. Funds will also provide a mobile center and assembly trailer for off-site repairs.
Students will start by constructing a rocket that can launch 25,000 feet high, then 50,000 feet high. The school plans to have a rocket that can reach the Karman line at 328,000 feet in the next two years. This line represents the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space.
The lab, which will be located on the ground floor of the Engineering Tower, is expected to be finished by the end of summer 2017.
Samueli Foundation Donates $30 Million to UC Irvine
The Samueli Foundation pledged $30 million to UC Irvine last week to construct a new science building that will be able to perform large-scale engineering, computing and physical sciences research. Additionally, the school has obtained $50 million in state funds and $40 million in campus funds for a total of $120 million.
In an email message to the UCI community, Chancellor Howard Gillman stated, "As UCI continues to grow and develop, it is vital that we are properly equipped to address a broad range of global challenges, working together on multidisciplinary projects that will change lives for the better."
"A key component of our strategic plan is to develop appropriate programs and structures to facilitate interdisciplinary, problem-based scholarship and teaching. This includes establishing campus-wide opportunities for extraordinary faculty to engage in cutting-edge research, promoting team science as an area of excellence, and constructing a physical space for this important work to flourish."
With this recent donation, Henry Samueli, a UCI professor, and his wife Susan Samueli tie with Paul Merage for the second-largest donation in university history. The couple gave $20 million to the the School of Engineering in 1999 and $5.7 million in 2001 to establish the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine.
The 100,000-square-foot facility will be located near Frederick Reines Hall. Construction will begin in fall 2017 and is expected to finish in three years.
UC Irvine Receives $9.6 Million Malaria Research Grant
The National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases has awarded a UC Irvine study $9.6 million over the next seven years. The study examines the effect of environmental changes on malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. With this funding, UCI is also established as one of the International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research. Public health professor Guiyun Yan leads the UCI study.
According to the World Health Organization's 2016 World Malaria Report, there were approximately 212 million new malaria cases and 429,000 malaria deaths in 2015. A malaria vaccine has yet to be approved for widespread use.
UCI will work with researchers from the U.S., Australia, Kenya and Ethiopia on three main projects. The first will weigh the impact of environmental modifications on malaria, the second looks at the impact of environmental changes on vector ecology and third strives to ascertain environmental effects on malaria pathogenesis and immunity.
UC Irvine Named One of Forbes' Best Value Colleges
UC Irvine has landed a top ten spot on the Forbes 2017 Best Value College survey released last week.
Forbes surveyed 300 universities and institutions to find which school had "the best bang for the tuition buck based on tuition costs, school quality, post-grad earnings, student debt and graduation success."
UCI earned the eighth spot with UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC Davis at number one, two and nine respectively. UC San Diego just missed the top ten at number eleven.


text:
package cronapi.cloud;

import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException;
import java.lang.reflect.Field;
import java.net.URLConnection;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import cronapi.util.Operations;
import org.slf4j.Logger;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;

import cronapi.util.StorageService;
import cronapi.util.StorageServiceFileObject;

public final class CloudManager {

  private static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(CloudManager.class);

  private Object sourceObject;
  private String[] ids;
  private String fieldName;

  private CloudManager() {
  }

  public static CloudManager newInstance() {
    return new CloudManager();
  }

  public CloudManager byEntity(Object sourceObject) {
    this.sourceObject = sourceObject;
    return this;
  }

  public CloudManager byID(String... ids) {
    this.ids = ids;
    return this;
  }

  public CloudManager toField(String fieldName) {
    this.fieldName = fieldName;
    return this;
  }

  public CloudFactory build() {
    InputStream fileContent = new ByteArrayInputStream(new byte[0]);
    Class<?> aClass = sourceObject.getClass();
    ArrayList<FileObject> files = new ArrayList<>(10);
    try {
      Field field = aClass.getDeclaredField(fieldName);
      field.setAccessible(true);
      Object valueField = field.get(sourceObject);
      Object value = null;

      String fileExtension = null;
      if (valueField instanceof String && isBase64Encoded((String) valueField))
        value = java.util.Base64.getDecoder().decode(((String) valueField).getBytes("UTF-8"));
      else if (valueField instanceof String && cronapi.util.StorageService.isTempFileJson(valueField.toString())) {
        StorageServiceFileObject fileObject = StorageService.getFileObjectFromTempDirectory(valueField.toString());
        value = fileObject.bytes;
        fileExtension = fileObject.extension.substring(1);
      } else
        value = valueField;

      if (value instanceof byte[]) {
        fileContent = new ByteArrayInputStream((byte[]) value);
        if (fileExtension == null)
          fileExtension = getExtensionFromContent(fileContent);

        String filePath = aClass.getSimpleName().concat("/").concat(field.getName()).concat("/");
        String identify = "";
        for (String id : ids) {
          if (!identify.isEmpty())
            identify = identify.concat("-");
          Field declaredId = aClass.getDeclaredField(id);
          declaredId.setAccessible(true);
          Object content = declaredId.get(sourceObject);
          String contentAsString;
          if (content == null)
            contentAsString = "randonGen" + Operations.generateUUID();
          else
            contentAsString = String.valueOf(content);

          identify = identify.concat(id).concat("-").concat(contentAsString);
        }
        identify = identify.concat(".").concat(fileExtension);
        files.add(new FileObject("/".concat(filePath).concat(identify), fieldName, fileContent));
      }

    } catch (NoSuchFieldException | IllegalAccessException | UnsupportedEncodingException e) {
      log.error(e.getMessage(), e);
    }
    return new CloudFactory(files);
  }

  private String getExtensionFromContent(InputStream fileContent) {
    String contentType = "image/png";
    try {
      contentType = URLConnection.guessContentTypeFromStream(fileContent);
    } catch (Exception e) {
      //Não conseguiu identificar o tipo de arquivo
    }
    String fileExtension = "png";
    if (contentType != null && contentType.contains("/"))
      fileExtension = contentType.split("/")[1];
    return fileExtension;
  }

  private boolean isBase64Encoded(String value) {
    if (value == null || value.isEmpty())
      return false;
    try {
      byte[] decodedString = java.util.Base64.getDecoder().decode((value).getBytes("UTF-8"));
      return (value.replace(" ", "").length() % 4 == 0);
    } catch (Exception e) {
      return false;
    }
  }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


It has been romanticized in books and movies but the solo trip has the power to change a person's life. This journey of self-discovery comes along and it gives hope to people who are looking for something new.
Julia Roberts was the star of 'Eat,Pray,Love', a movie that was based on the best-selling book about a newlywed successful woman who suddenly lost it all and decided to go on a journey. This journey took her to Italy, India and Indonesia where she ate great food, found solace in prayer and finally, and met her true love.
No one can guarantee this kind of journey. What we can tell you is that Bali has all the ingredients for discovery (self or otherwise) and you will find nourishment here that will touch both body and soul. Here are some things you can do for yourself in Bali.
The island of Bali has many beaches and many tourists. It would seem like there is no way to find any peaceful beaches that allow a person to relax and contemplate nature. This is not true as there are many points and beaches in some parts of the island that are not visited often. Nyang Nyang Beach on the Bukit Peninsula and Pemuteran are good examples of beaches that offer a sanctuary for quiet contemplation.
To make your mind feel good, you need to make your body feel good. The stresses of daily life in a city tend to take a toll on our bodies. We feel tired more often and it affects our mood as well. Let yourself go with a day at the spa. The pampering, massages, treatments and stress-relieving environment are enough to make anyone feel better than when they walked through the spa door. Consider the Spa Uluwatu (at InterContinental Bali Resort) for a comprehensive spa treatment that will fulfil all your needs.
Bali's unique cultural makeup inspires people from across the globe especially when it comes to the arts. Balinese artisans still create timeless works of art from traditions passed down to them over many generations and you can get a chance to take some home with you. Check out Ubud Art Market, Sukawati Art Market and the Kumbasari Art Market to find ornate paintings, statues and batik motifs that make Bali special.
Bali is home to many yoga ashrams and retreats, where budding yogis can work towards improving their skills. Yoga also possesses a spiritual component that is very helpful for people, who seek clarity. Take yoga classes out on the beach, on a hill, in an ashram or anywhere that inspires you and you'll find some peace through this spiritual path.
Since you've come all this way, take this opportunity to try the most expensive and sought-after coffee in the world. Kopi Luwak is produced in Bali and it is made differently from almost every other type of coffee in the world. Asian Palm Civets, which are native to Bali, eat special coffee beans and after passing through the digestive tract of the civet, the beans are once again harvested. This iconic coffee has been prized by coffee connoisseurs around the world and while you are in Bali, you should try a cup of Kopi Luwak.
Mingle with the locals and enjoy the atmosphere of a traditional Balinese market. This is a great opportunity to get in tune with the local Balinese culture and sample various aspects of Bali such as the food, clothes, art and so much more. There is a multitude of markets across Bali with specialties ranging from seafood, fruits and crafts. Take your time and wander through the market lanes.
Traditional Balinese food has its own place in Indonesian fare. The babi guling, or Balinese suckling pig, is one of the most famous dishes around and you absolutely must try it. Bebek betutu (slow cooked duck) is another delicacy that needs at least a day of cooking to get just right. From satay to grilled fish, all of the food in Bali is a unique experience that is just waiting for you.


The DNP3 Router provides intelligent data routing between EtherNet/IP and DNP3 (serial, Ethernet UDP, or Ethernet TCP). The DNP3 Router allows the user to integrate DNP3 devices over a secure link into a Rockwell Logix platform (e.g. ControlLogix or CompactLogix) with minimal effort.
The DNP3 Router can now also be used as a DNP3 Outstation with a Micro800 (M850 & M820) controller.


This week our guest is John Stauber. Stauber founded the non-profit, non-partisan Center for Media & Democracy and its newsmagazine PR Watch in 1993 in Madison, Wisconsin. He has since served as the Center's executive director and has co-authored six books including the 2003 New York Times bestseller Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq. He is an investigative writer, public speaker and democracy advocate.


For beer and ale, a firkin is equal to nine imperial gallons or a quarter of a barrel (40.91481 litres). Casks in this size (themselves called firkins) are the most common container for cask ale. A firkin is equal to half a kilderkin. Duh.


These coupons and deals for Papa Johns Pizza have expired but may still work.
Heart shaped 1 topping thin crust Pizza + Brownie $16 Online only offer. Offer good for a limited time at participating Papa John's restaurants. No double toppings or extra cheese. Certain toppings may be excluded from special offer pizzas or require additional charge. Additional toppings extra. Not valid with any other coupons or discounts. Limited delivery area. Delivery fee may apply. Customer responsible for all applicable taxes. Prices may vary in Alaska and Hawaii.
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The Kentucky Cattlemen's Association provides a strong voice for the 38,000 beef producers in the state. It also helps disseminate information and provide education for both consumers and producers, while helping to increase profitability within the industry.
Kentucky ranks fifth nationally in the number of cattle farms, and nearly 20 percent of Farm Credit Mid-America customers raise beef as their primary activity. We work with the Kentucky Cattlemen's Association to help develop the industry and build relationships with farmers.
As cosponsors of the annual Fact Tour, on which farmers visit other states or countries, we are dedicated to helping current producers expand their understanding of best practices and leading innovations. We are looking to the future, as sponsors of the annual Heifer Initiative with both the Kentucky and the Tennessee Cattlemen's Association. The program awards promising young people ages 9 to 21 with their own heifer to raise, perhaps as a start to their own herd.


text:
Die Sperrgruppe Ponale gehörte zur Festung Riva und somit zum System der österreichischen Festungswerke an der Grenze zu Italien. Sie bestand aus den drei kleinen Befestigungen: Batterie Bellavista (auch Strandbatterie genannt), der Straßensperre Ponale und der sogenannten Defensionsmauer.

Batterie (Strandbatterie) Bellavista

Hierbei handelte es sich um einen im Jahre 1909 erstellten Batterieblock in Betonbauweise mit in den Fels getriebenen Kavernen. Die Bewaffnung bestand aus vier 9-cm-Kasemattkanonen M 75/96 in Mittelpivotlafetten und zwei Scheinwerfern. Aufgabe war die Bestreichung  des Seebereichs von Richtung Limone im Süden bis Torbole im Osten. Die Hangstraße in das Ledrotal lag jedoch im toten Winkel der Batterie und konnte durch deren Geschützfeuer nicht erreicht werden.

Die Batterie liegt direkt am westlichen Seeufer am Ortsausgang von Riva del Garda unterhalb der Straße nach Limone. Das Gebäude ist völlig unversehrt und wird heute als Restaurant genutzt.

(Koordinate: )

Straßensperre Ponale
An der (alten) Straße zum Ledrotal hin wurde unterhalb des Monte di Riva im Jahre 1897 Pläne für den Bau einer Straßensperre vorgelegt. Mit dem Bau wurde 1904 begonnen, dabei handelte es sich anfangs nur um eine kleine Anlage, die insbesondere im Ersten Weltkrieg zu einer unterirdischen Festung ausgebaut wurde. Anfangs nur mit Maschinengewehren M 93 bewaffnet, verfügte die Sperre im Krieg über zwei Kavernenbatterien, die mit insgesamt vier 8 cm Schnellfeuerkanonen bestückt waren sowie über kavernierte Maschinengewehrstände und Gewehrgalerien. Die Sperre war infanteristisch in keine Kampfhandlungen verwickelt.

Da die Sperre insgesamt überwiegend unterirdisch angelegt ist, lässt heute wenig auf die eigentliche Größe der Anlage schließen, zumal die Stollen nicht zugänglich sind.

(Koordinate: )

Defensionsmauer

Im Jahre 1915 wurde als zusätzliche Sicherung für die Straßensperre Ponale oberhalb der (alten) Straße zum Ledrotal ein Infanteriewerk errichtet, das die Bezeichnung Defensionsmauer trug. Die Anlage saß unterhalb der Cima Capi und beherrschte den Ausgang des Val di Ledro hin zum Gardasee sowie die in das Tal führende Straße, die hier eine scharfe Rechtskurve macht und in drei Kehren unmittelbar unter der Stellung bergwärts führt.

Während des ganzen Krieges heftig umkämpft, erwies sich die Defensionsmauer als unüberwindliches Hindernis für die italienischen Angreifer.

Nach tagelangem, schwersten Artilleriebeschuss griffen die Italiener am 16. April 1916 die Sperre massiv an. Erst nach drei Tage ununterbrochenen, verlustreichen Angriffen konnte die Defensionsmauer am Abend des 19. April gegen noch ganze zehn lebende Verteidiger erobert werden. Noch während der Kämpfe hatten die Österreicher (u. a. Standschützen aus Sarnthein) begonnen, etwa 50 Meter zurück eine Reservestellung aufzubauen. Diese zweite Defensionsmauer hielt bis zum Kriegsende allen Angriffen stand.

Von der Defensionsmauer sind keine sichtbaren Reste mehr vorhanden.

(Koordinate: )

Einzelnachweise

Literatur
 Erwin Anton Grestenberger: K.u.k. Befestigungsanlagen in Tirol und Kärnten 1860–1918. Verlag Österreich u. a., Wien 2000, ISBN 3-8132-0747-1.
 Wilhelm Nußstein: Dolomiten. Österreichische Festungen in Oberitalien. Von den Sieben Gemeinden bis zur Flitscher Klause. Mittler, Hamburg u. a. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0496-0, (Militärgeschichtlicher Reiseführer).
 Kriegsarchiv Wien

Ponale
Ponale
p
Bauwerk in Riva del Garda
Gardaseeberge


text:
Q: Hexadecimal String to ByteArray in Kotlin How can I convert hexadecimal string to a ByteArray object in Kotlin?
I tried to find a answer on StackOverflow, but I was only able to find answers on how to convert ByteArrays to hexadecimal.

A: Any solution for java would work for kotlin, here is the sample code
For big numbers you can use BigInteger and its constructor with hex radix
val bytearray: ByteArray = BigInteger("1D08A", 16).toByteArray()


text:
Tag: Bugangaizi
The local radio-station (93.0 KBS Radio) was banned by the NRM from the rally in Kakumiro Town in Bugangaizi District
Today another report have arrived in my hand that NRM and Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is tired of yet another media station. This time it is the radio station Kagadi Broadcasting Services (KBS) Radio in Kagadi Town in Kibaale District.
The Radio Station owned by MP Barnibas Tinkasimiire for Bugyaga West. Who actually are a NRM MP. It is the State House officer that has revealed it and now it spreading like wild-fire in social media. In Kibaale District the Radio Station is not allowed to attend the rallies of the President. The Radio Stations is no longer accredited to cover him and his rallies, as they cannot be a part of the rallies the President will have in Kakumiro Town Council. The issues Mzee have with the radio is that yesterday the radio sent programs exposing the failures of the NRM-Regime. The State House said even that the radio can't send journalist to the campaign venue and surface there.
Seems like the issues with Media Coverage is grows on "the old man with the hat" as he can't even handle a little radio station in Kibaale District. They did something as foolish right before him campaigning in the district told about the mismanagement of the nearly 30-year rule. That can't be easy to hear as you are set in your ways. Mzee is literally again stopping the freedom of speech because it doesn't fit his modus operandi. The President is more and more limiting the movement of the people around him and if you don't speak his tune, he turn you away.
I am sure he would have a add-block on words I am writing about him. Not that I think he reads it, as I am teasing the leopard too much. As now the KBS Radio did as well. They are now banned and can't listen in or broadcast the rally in Kakumiro. So the people in Kagadi get shunned from listening to Mzee as a result. I am sure they are listening to Bebe Cool's Dembe instead of the old man's speech with recycled pledges and wishes of loyalty to the local public and voter tourism to Kakumiro town. This is something that the radio listeners don't really need. KBS radio will be Mzee free because of this and get other views and voices.
On the 15th of January there were two people who was setting up signs in Kagadi town, they we're setting up signs that was "anti-Museveni" a week before Mzee himself was supposed to have rally in town. The Police did detain the activists and jailing them for putting up the banner in town. The message they had put up was: "Kidaga Town is the only town with no piped water, Tarmac streets, among others". That was to violent message for NRM to have on the roadside while campaigning and also to violent. They breached the social contract between the public and police, therefore they was detained. It was so dangerous for society to read such a banner. They even threw tear-gas towards them who as setting it up! This here is yet another proof of the detail control the police and NRM have on the society, that hanging a banner in town that are soon having campaigns. When that report came out; I knew that the KBS report was true, because it is in the same line as NTV and wouldn't be surprised at this point; Because the NRM have big issues with the media now-a-days! And when two men can put up a sign like that and be detained at the Kagadi Police Station, then you know something is wrong. They cannot help themselves!
Think that is enough of this today. Peace.
Author nilspeacePosted on January 25, 2016 January 25, 2016 Categories Africa, Bans, Business, Civil Service, Development, Election, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, PoliticsTags 2016 General Election, 2016 General Election Uganda, 93.0 Kagadi Broadcasting Services Radio, 93.0 KBS Radio, Barnibas Tinkasimiire, Bebe Cool, Bugangaizi, Bugangaizi District, Bugyaga West, Dembe, Exposing the failures of government, Free and Fair Election, Free Press, Freedom, Freedom of Speech, GoU, Government of Uganda, H. E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Kagadi, Kagadi Broadcasting Services, Kagadi Town, Kakumiro, Kakumiro Town Council, Kibaale, Kibaale District, Kigadi Police Station, Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni., Media Ban, Media Coverage, MP Barnibas Tinkasimiire, Mzee, National Resistance Movement, NRM, NRM Regime, Old Man with the Hat, Piped Water, Policing, President Museveni, Press Freedom, State House Entebbe, Tarmac Road, Tarmacking, Uganda, Uganda Police Force, Uganda State House, UPF, Yoweri Kaguta MuseveniLeave a comment on The local radio-station (93.0 KBS Radio) was banned by the NRM from the rally in Kakumiro Town in Bugangaizi District
Ugandan Election Commitee – A Brief History of Elections in Uganda
Author nilspeacePosted on February 10, 2015 Categories Africa, Business, Civil Service, Election, Governance, Government, PoliticsTags Aziz K. Kasujja, Baganda Kingdom, Benjamin J. Odoki, Buganda, Bugangaizi, Bunyoro, Bunyoro kingdom, Buyaga, CCA, Charles D. Owiny, Code of Law, Colonial Government, Democratic Party, Directorate of Elections, DP, EC, Egweu S. Comm, Electoral Commission Act, Flora Nkurukenda, General Elections 1980, H.E. Paulo Muwanga, Idi Amin, IEC, Interim, K.M.S. Kikira, Kabaka Yeka, Kera A. Bilali A, KY, Law, LEGCO, LEGO, Limited African/ Uganda Franchise and Representation to the Legislative Council, Lost Counties, M. Matovu, Margert Magoba, Muwonge Andrew, Nassanga H. Miiro, National Resistance Army, National Resistance Movement, NRA, NRC, NRM, Parliament of Uganda, Paulo Muwanga, Phillip Idro, Povisional, Referendum, Robert K. Kitariko, Rule of Law, Steven B. Akabway, Syda Bumba, UCC, Uganda, Uganda Constitutional Commission, Uganda Constitutional Court, Uganda Peoples Congress, Ugandan Peoples Congress, UPC, Vincent Sekkono, Yoweri K. Museveni, Yoweri Kaguta MuseveniLeave a comment on Ugandan Election Commitee – A Brief History of Elections in Uganda


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A source of endless confusion, the Liberals should drop their "middle class" rhetoric before it backfires
By Richard Forbes. Featured image via Sean Kilpatrick, CP. "For a decade, middle class struggles were simply swept under the rug," Finance minister Bill Morneau says to parliament, prompting jeers from the opposition. "But the good news is that Canadians—on their own accord—worked hard and persevered. We have always been resilient and innovative, able to adapt—and … Continue reading A source of endless confusion, the Liberals should drop their "middle class" rhetoric before it backfires
If Canada is reopening the abortion debate, let's finish it once and for all
By Richard Forbes. Justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould tabled a bill last week in the House of Commons to cull the Criminal Code of so-called 'zombie laws' - laws that have been found unconstitutional and effectively nullified by courts in the past but remained on the books unenforced without repeal. One of these zombie laws that … Continue reading If Canada is reopening the abortion debate, let's finish it once and for all
March 13, 2017 March 16, 2017 The Ribbon Richard Forbes, Update
Kevin O'Leary reportedly to run for MP in Dufferin-Caledon
By Richard Forbes. Orangeville, Ontario - Rumours coming from the Dufferin-Caledon Conservative riding association suggest executives there are discussing a bid by Conservative front-runner Kevin O'Leary to replace Conservative MP David Tilson. Turning seventy six this Sunday, David Tilson is the oldest sitting Member of Parliament - representing the Dufferin area for thirteen years as … Continue reading Kevin O'Leary reportedly to run for MP in Dufferin-Caledon
Don't count Kathleen Wynne out just yet
By Richard Forbes. Featured Image via Frank Gunn. In a momentous mea culpa, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and other ministers spent last week addressing what they called 'the elephant in the room': 'gee, I know we've been avoiding the subject, guys,' they said with some contrition, 'but we really do care - honest!' That elephant … Continue reading Don't count Kathleen Wynne out just yet
March 4, 2017 March 4, 2017 The Ribbon Chelsea Craig, Op-ed
O'Leary is far from the only Canadian who can't speak French – and that's a problem
By Chelsea Craig & Richard Forbes. Featured image via John Mahoney, Montreal Gazette. "Mes amis Quebecois, le français c'est important pour moi," Kevin O'Leary read clumsily from a memo to the Montreal audience; the presumed front-runner in a race of fourteen candidates vying for the federal Conservative party leadership, O'Leary was responding to those who had … Continue reading O'Leary is far from the only Canadian who can't speak French – and that's a problem


text:
Q: Simulate QWERTY on QWERTZ with script At my school, the Windows control panel is locked and I am only allow to use the standard German QWERTZ layout there, which I cannot touch-type on. With the agreement of my teacher, I am allowed to use a program or script to simulate the QWERTY layout, which I am used to. This is what I got so far:
y::z
z::y
-::Sendraw /
+-::Sendraw ?
+::Sendraw ]
*::SendRaw }
+2::SendRaw @
+3::SendRaw #
+6::Send {^}{Space}
+7::SendRaw &
+8::SendRaw *
+9::SendRaw (
+0::SendRaw )
ß::SendRaw -
+ß::SendRaw _
´::Send {U+003D}
+´::SendRaw +
ö::Send {U+003B}
+ö::SendRaw :
ä::SendRaw '
+ä::SendRaw "
ü::SendRaw [
+ü::SendRaw {

Most things work nicely except Shift + 7, 8, 9, 0 and ´

*

*Shift + 8, 9 or 0 all produce }

*Shift + 7 produces an ^

*Shift + ´ produces an ]

*Minus produces an ^

*Shift + - produces an overflow error.

Fetch pressed keys by unicode is not possible from what I understand.
What am I doing wrong?
Do you maybe know a program which does exactly this, so I can just leave all this?

A: y::z
z::y
-::Send {U+002F}        ; /
+-::Send {U+003F}       ; ?
+::Send {U+005D}        ; ]
*::Send {U+007D}        ; }
+2::Send {U+0040}       ; (
+3::Send {U+0023}       ; #
+6::Send {U+005E}{Space}; ^
+7::Send {U+0026}       ; &
+8::Send {U+002A}       ; *
+9::Send {U+0028}       ; (
+0::Send {U+0029}       ; )
ß::Send {U+002D}        ; -
+ß::Send {U+005F}       ; _
´::Send {U+003D}        ; =
+´::Send {U+002B}       ; +
ö::Send {U+003B}        ; ;
+ö::Send {U+003A}       ; :
ä::Send {U+0027}        ; '
+ä::Send {U+0022}       ; "
ü::Send {U+005B}        ; [
+ü::Send {U+007B}       ; {
^::Send {U+0060}        ; ~
+°::Send {U+007E}       ; `
#::Send {U+005C}        ; \
+'::Send {U+007C}       ; |

You just have to use unicode characters as output.


The Orlando Fire Department has gained a Class 1 ISO rating which puts the department in the top one tenth of 1% of all the fire departments in the United States. Becoming a Firefighter for the City of Orlando is no easy task. However, the pay, benefits, and the rewarding nature of the job more the makes up for the recruitment process. If the City of Orlando has no open Firefighter positions posted, fill out and submit an interest card.
Get Firefighter Certification from the Florida State Fire College. Getting this training in Florida is a requirement unless you challenge the state test.
Get an EMT-B or Paramedic Certification from the Florida Bureau of EMS. This can take anywhere from 1 to 2 years to earn the certification.
Complete the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT). Make sure you prepare yourself months before the test to earn the highest score possible.
Submit an application of employment through the City of Orlando. The city only accepts application for open posted positions. You can be notified of future firefighter positions by completing an Interest Card.
Pass a background investigation that includes a polygraph exam. Remember this step, because notes can be taken during your interviews and compared with answers from you polygraph.
Pass a medical exam and drug screening test.
Contact the City of Orlando Civil Service at (407) 246-2215 for general firefighter recruitment questions.


Most fashion professionals have crossed paths with industry vet Joshua Reed at one point or another during their career. So he's taking his years of knowledge and officially consulting with the launch of J. Reed Consulting Group. Reed's new company will be full service offering help with company management, enterprise digital marketing, advertising, operations, event planning, branding, creative services, public relations, and talent partnerships. What's his plan? He fills us in!
You've been in the fashion industry for a long time. Refresh us on your professional background.
Yes, 20 years now! My first job was in advertising at David Yurman, which lead me to Kinney + Kinsella, a PR and creative agency, working on luxury brands like Roberto Coin and Jaeger LeCoultre. After that, I worked at LaForce+Stevens for five years on Target, Perry Ellis, Reebok, Victorinox Swiss Army amongst others. Calvin Klein had just been sold to PVH and Ted Stafford was leaving the Men's PR director job after a long time to go to GQ. I took over his position and a few year's later handled the men's celebrity as well at Calvin Klein.
After working as a talent endorsement agent for a year, I launched Gents, a men's accessories and lifestyle brand, which was sold to Ridge Capital in 2016. I started consulting after that and my first client became an exclusive two year gig, conceiving and launching the women's brand, Land of Distraction.
Why did you decide to get into consulting?
I learned so much being able to work with such great global brands my whole career and then even more launching two new brands. I wanted to utilize my experience sharing other brands and business, what worked great — as well as mistakes I made that could be prevented.
Tell us a little bit about your business partner Aleksandar Sasha Jovicic and how you met.
I was looking for a great enterprise digital agency. I've had repeated challenges on this in the past. I was asking everyone I knew in fashion and realized I wasn't the only one facing this issue. So I went beyond fashion and was referred to Aleksandar and Executive Digital. He's a 23-year veteran in this space — this is pre-Google we are talking about. As the former managing director of SEO for Gannett Corp (USA Today), he was responsible with developing, creating programs for and growing the world's largest digital media agency, and as he left the media space, his decision to focus on true, enterprise digital marketing with Executive Digital was the right choice.
He is responsible for over 24 billion dollars in provable revenue for his clients over the last two decades. We started working together on various clients and I finally found that digital piece and was seeing proven results every time. I wanted to expand beyond fashion and he wanted to bring their digital solutions to the fashion world, so we formed a partnership that made sense all around.
What should brands be looking for when looking for a digital agency to work with?
As many years of experience as possible, no outsourced work, a wide variety of full time experts amongst every category — SEO, influencer, social, analytics, PPC and social advertising — across the board. Most importantly, results — attaining your goals whether it is increased impressions, website visitors, and/or increasing sales and revenues. Seeing ROI and brand growth are critical, with full transparency.
We have six offices in the US (NYC, Florida, Arizona, Texas, Michigan and North Carolina), and three internationally (Serbia, UAE and Pakistan). But we can do what we do from anywhere.
What do you think your area of expertise is?
True, strategic search engine optimization, social media, content creation and digital ecosystems development in aligning with all other marketing and operational components producing a highly effective and results-oriented business model. Innovating brand strategies by merging digital and all business operations in synergy.
The industry has changed a lot in recent years. What mistakes are brands making in your opinion?
I can't speak for other brands, but I do know many other brands are facing the same challenges I had, which was not only finding an affordable and competent digital partner, but putting those digital dollars in the right places and having a cohesive strategy beyond just digital that aligns with the rest of the company, and then seeing results.


text:
1. John Lithgow, with a dramatic reading of the Manhattan White Pages (03:14)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/01-Lithgow-Smiths_noLJ.mp3
2. Garrison Keillor, reading a list of reasons for admission to a 19th-century insane asylum (02:10)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/02-Keillor-Insane_noLJ.mp3
3. Alec Baldwin, reading the reported side effects of Ambien (02:01)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/03-Baldwin-Ambien_noLJ.mp3
4. Dick Cavett, reading a list of newspaper corrections (03:18)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/04-Cavett-Newspapers_noLJ.mp3
5. Barbara Rosenblat, reading a list of Roman Catholic patron saints (03:16)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/05-Rosenblat-Saints_noLJ.mp3
6. Alec Baldwin, reading a list of Irish Heroes and Heroines, from James Joyce's Ulysses (02:25)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/06-Baldwin-Cyclops_noLJ.mp3
7. John Lithgow, reading Royal Etiquette, or How to Behave When Presented to the Queen (03:19)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/07-Lithgow-Etiquette_noLJ.mp3
8. Garrison Keillor, reading a list of Sections in a Bookstore, from Italo Calvino's If on a Winter's Night a Traveler (01:54)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/08-Keillor-Calvino_noLJ.mp3
9. Alec Baldwin, reading from the Motion Picture Production Code of 1930, the "Hays Code" (04:24)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/09-Baldwin-HaysCode_noLJ.mp3
10. Renée Fleming, reading a list of characters from Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (04:17)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/10-Fleming-Ring_noLJ.mp3
11. F. Murray Abraham, with a dramatic reading of the Manhattan White Pages (03:53)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/01-Abraham_WhitePages-160628.mp3
12. Garrison Keillor, reading a list of Biblical Begats from the Testament of Matthew, King James edition (02:14)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/02-Keillor_Begats-160628.mp3
13. John Lithgow, reading a list of Shakespearean Insults (03:09)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/03-Lithgow_Shakespeare-160628.mp3
14. F. Murray Abraham, reading a list of Collective Nouns from the Animal Kingdom (02:18)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/04-Abraham_AnimalNouns-160628.mp3
15. John Lithgow, reading a list of Royal Epithets (03:10)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/05-Lithgow_Epithets-160628.mp3
16. Dick Cavett, reading a list of Strange Medical Syndromes (02:52)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/06-Cavett_Syndromes-160628.mp3
17. Garrison Keillor, reading the Menu of a Homecoming Feast, from Mark Twain's A Tramp Abroad (03:11)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/07-Keillor_Twain-160628.mp3
18. F. Murray Abraham, reading a list of Phobias (02:33)
http://thephonebook.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/08-Abraham_Phobias-160628.mp3
NOTE: These version are posted without intro and outros. The full broadcast versions can be heard at PRX: https://www.prx.org/series/35653-the-phone-book


Birmingham is a leading European business destination at the centre of a £90bn regional economy. The City has access to a working population of 4.3 million people, provides a wealth of opportunities for companies looking to expand or invest and offers a high quality of life.
A cosmopolitan and vibrant modern city with a cost of living 60% lower than London and a diverse housing offer to suit all tastes and budgets. The City is one of Britain's greenest with more than one fifth of its area consisting of parks, nature reserves, allotments, golf courses and playing fields – many of these are linked by rivers, watercourses and canals.
There are many universities and three University Colleges within one hour's drive of Birmingham, producing over 97,000 graduates each year. This makes the city-region the second largest student area in the UK.
Birmingham itself has five universities; Aston University, Birmingham City University, Birmingham University, University College Birmingham and Newman University. Aston University and Birmingham University achieve higher than the UK average for 2:1 or 1st class degrees and Aston has the highest employability scoring of all regional UK cities – 82% get jobs within six months of graduation. The region includes three Russell Group Universities, namely, Birmingham University, University of Warwick and University of Nottingham.
Birmingham is perfectly placed for business – with exceptional connections to local, national and global audiences. It is at the heart of the UK's road network and boasts its own international airport with direct flights to over 100 destinations including in Europe, North America and Asia.
Its role as an economic hub is reflected in its status as one of the UK's largest financial centres outside London and attraction as a location for business and professional services with a significant number of regional and national HQs. The diversity of the centre's economic role is supported by its reputation as a hub for creative industries and as the UK's fastest growing place for digital media ventures.
Birmingham is the "Most Investable City in the UK" according to PwC and the Urban Land Institute.
UK's fastest growing city. A £94 billion regional economy making the city a major engine of UK growth outside of London. It receives more Foreign Direct Investment than any other region and named Start-Up Hotspot for second year running.
With £2.43 billion expenditure in 2010, Birmingham remains in the top three most popular places to shop in the UK for the seventh year running.
Air, road and rail connections provide Access to 400 million people across Europe. With 143 direct connections from Birmingham Airport. Over 98% of the UK market – consumer and business – are within a 4-hour travel time.
Strongest growth in international tourism: "Shakespeare Country". The city saw 34 million tourists in 2014, an increase of 32%, who spent a record £5 billion. Birmingham is the most visited English city outside London for European visitors.
The City's 5 universities and 4 major colleges provide a world class learning environment supporting over 73,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The City has a young population profile with nearly 40% under 24 years of age and a total population of over 1 million citizens. It's the most entrepreneurial UK city outside London.
There are more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other English regional city with 200 restaurants in the centre offering cuisine from 27 different countries.
It may have been built on the back of heavy industry but it is also one of the greenest cities in the country with 6 million trees and more parks than any other European city. With 32 miles of canals, Birmingham has more than Venice.
Top destination outside the South East for people relocating out of London and the most popular conference and event location.