text:
Let's privatise the loos. Yes, seriously.
Len Shackleton
Institute of Economic Affairs > Blog > Policies > Regulation
A BBC investigation shows that the number of public toilets has continued to fall, with nearly 1,800 closing nationwide in the last 10 years.
There is no legal obligation on councils to provide conveniences, and closing them is often an easy way to save money when cash is short. London's provision is now abysmal, with several boroughs no longer having any public provision at all.
All Londoners and visitors need toilets when they are out and about. The young and able-bodied may nip into the nearest pub, but this isn't an easy option with small kids, or for some older people and Muslims. Most train and Tube stations are without toilets. Those that do have varied charges, from 50p a time at Charing Cross, to 30p at Euston, to zero at St Pancras, with no obvious rhyme or reason.
The facilities at some tourist spots shame London. At Tower Hill station, where thousands disembark daily, there are no facilities. Visitors to the Tower brave a filthy concrete tunnel which reeks of urine at night. At Westminster, the public toilets are dark, old-fashioned and none-too-clean, with no access for disabled people (a high proportion of whom have incontinence problems) or those with pushchairs. Why on earth weren't decent facilities incorporated when the station was rebuilt for the Jubilee line?
The last mayor encouraged shops and public buildings to open their toilets to the public, and some boroughs have made a success of this strategy. Richmond, for example, pays about 100 local businesses small sums of money to take part in its "community toilet scheme". But there are limits to this sort of provision. It depends on shops and businesses being open, so it's not much use during evenings or weekends.
With London's population booming, the number of older people increasing, and the night-time economy likely to grow rapidly with late running on the Tube, demand for toilets cannot be wished away. We need modern facilities which reflect our changing society – proper provision for children, those with serious mental and physical handicaps, people with religious concerns about modesty, transgender people. Some mobile free facilities may be needed in areas where crowds gather for special events, or where rough sleepers congregate.
I'm not calling for much more public spending. What we want is more from the private sector. Public toilets are often grim and unhygienic places, looked after by people who don't enjoy their work. They should be privatised. We want entrepreneurs to set up new attractive facilities, whether incorporated into cafes and other public places, or freestanding automatic loos. We want staff who are incentivised to provide a good service. Some public subsidy may be needed, but less than people think. Paid-for toilets can bring in very substantial sums of money. Last year the revenue from toilets at Victoria station was well over £2m.
We want big companies to sponsor facilities for their advertising potential. We want toilets which you can pay for with contactless cards rather than having to search through pockets with increasing desperation for the right combination of coins. We want 24-hour opening at key locations.
Local authorities (and central government in London) can make sites available, streamline planning permissions, suspend business rates on new facilities and so on. Private business could do much more if motivated and incentivised. The new mayor has much on his agenda. But pushing this should be a priority.
This article first appeared in City AM.
Editorial and Research Fellow
Len Shackleton is an Editorial and Research Fellow at the IEA and Professor of Economics at the University of Buckingham. He was previously Dean of the Royal Docks Business School at the University of East London and prior to that was Dean of the Westminster Business School. He has also taught at Queen Mary, University of London and worked as an economist in the Civil Service. His research interests are primarily in the economics of labour markets. He has worked with many think tanks, most closely with the Institute of Economic Affairs, where he is an Economics Fellow. He edits the journal Economic Affairs, which is co-published by the IEA and the University of Buckingham.
1 thought on "Let's privatise the loos. Yes, seriously."
Posted 31/05/2016 at 12:53 | Permalink
The problem with charging for toilets at the point of use, is that it creates a massive deterrent to using them – just the same as drivers will often go well out of their way to avoid toll roads.
It's also the case that the people who need them most are often the least able to pay.
Maybe the answer is some kind of "shadow tolling".
And surely we need to get away from the outdated idea that people need cash to pay for them – why can't they accept contactless cards?
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Life for Ashley Miles can't get any worse. Her parents are divorced, she can't find a job, has no boyfriend, and is stuck living with her mother in a house by the cemetery. Things suddenly start to change and her life starts going in the right direction. Just when it seems like everything is finally going her way, it all comes crumbling down and she is back right where she started. It seems as if she can never have the life that she's dreamed of. She feels like giving up... Will she be able to pick up the pieces and get her life back on track? Find out as you unlock The Secret Life of Ashley Miles.
The Secret Life of Ashley Miles provides the reader with an outstanding view of a young woman's life and it's ups and downs. Ashley keeps readers on their toes throughout the book. I could not put it down until I finished it...there's suspense and anxious moments throughout the book. I recommend the book highly and believe most readers will find it interesting, exciting and suspenseful. Pick up this great novel today and grab a glass of iced tea and get lost in the world of Ashley Miles, you'll not regret it.


text:
Republicans say that Trump pardoning himself would be catastrophic
Joe Perticone
Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images
President Donald Trump said he has "the absolute right" to pardon himself.
Many constitutional scholars and experts disagree.
Senate Republicans, even those who voted to remove Bill Clinton in the 1990s, said they were unsure if Trump could do so, but cautioned that it would be a political and legal disaster.
WASHINGTON – Can the commander-in-chief pardon himself? President Donald Trump sure thinks so, even though lawmakers broadly agree that such action would be "catastrophic" for him from both a legal and political perspective.
"As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong?" Trump mused on Twitter Monday morning. "In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!"
Legal experts dismissed the idea that Trump – or any president – would be allowed to pardon himself for anything. While there has yet to be precedent for such a thing, constitutional structure for that kind of overreach already exists.
But in the Senate, which is a co-equal branch of government to the executive, Republican lawmakers were all over the place about what is and is not legal for the president.
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, who also serves on the Judiciary Committee, told Business Insider that "may be right from a strictly legal standpoint, but I don't think it's helpful in terms of the conclusion of the investigation."
"If I were president of the United States and I had a lawyer that said I could pardon myself, I think I would hire a new lawyer," Sen. Chuck Grassley, the highest-ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, told CNN.
Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters that he would "advise everybody from the president to the people operating the elevator don't obstruct justice."
"Politically it would be a disaster," Graham said. "Legally, I don't know."
But Graham noted that drawing from history would be a significant factor in looking at the legality of such a bold action, despite Trump's confidence in his ability to self-pardon.
"We do know that [former President Richard Nixon], one of the subsets of impeachment, was improper use of pardoning authority, that that was seemed to be an abuse of office," Graham said. "What you're talking about is abuse of office here. What role, I mean you're the chief law enforcement officer of the land – that doesn't make you above the law itself."
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine echoed Graham and others that Trump pardoning himself would do irreparable damage to his presidency and the institution.
"It may well be an open question debated by constitutional scholars," Collins said. "But there's no doubt that if the president were ever to pardon himself, it would have catastrophic implications for him and for our country."
Sen. Richard Shelby, who is just one of several senators still in office who voted for a guilty charge of Bill Clinton for obstruction of justice, said Trump "could probably" pardon himself, but could quickly turn against his favour.
"I've always said I didn't think anybody was above or below the law," Shelby said.
bill clinton donald trump impeachment john cornyn lindsey graham politics-us richard shelby russia investigation

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The spacious reception room boasts double doors opening onto the picturesque communal gardens and features full-length plantation shutters to add style and privacy. To the side of the reception room is the fitted kitchen complete with all white goods.
The bedroom, again featuring plantation shutters, allows for a flexible layout and features a large built in storage cupboard.
The stylish and modern bathroom boasts a new white suite and shower over bath.
Available immediately on an unfurnished basis - viewing is highly recommended.


text:
package org.hibernate.test.cache.infinispan.functional;

import java.io.Serializable;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.concurrent.Callable;
import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;

import org.hibernate.Criteria;
import org.hibernate.NaturalIdLoadAccess;
import org.hibernate.cache.infinispan.access.PutFromLoadValidator;
import org.hibernate.criterion.Restrictions;
import org.junit.After;
import org.junit.Test;

import org.hibernate.Session;
import org.hibernate.Transaction;
import org.hibernate.cache.spi.entry.CacheEntry;
import org.hibernate.cfg.Configuration;
import org.hibernate.stat.SecondLevelCacheStatistics;
import org.hibernate.stat.Statistics;

import static junit.framework.Assert.assertNotNull;
import static org.infinispan.test.TestingUtil.withTx;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
import static org.junit.Assert.fail;

/**
 * Functional entity transactional tests.
 *
 * @author Galder Zamarreño
 * @since 3.5
 */
public class BasicTransactionalTestCase extends AbstractFunctionalTestCase {

	@Override
	public void configure(Configuration cfg) {
		super.configure( cfg );
	}

   @Override
   protected Class<?>[] getAnnotatedClasses() {
      return new Class[] {
            Citizen.class, State.class,
            NaturalIdOnManyToOne.class
      };
   }

   @After
   public void cleanupData() throws Exception {
      super.cleanupCache();
      withTx(tm, new Callable<Void>() {
         @Override
         public Void call() throws Exception {
            Session s = sessionFactory().openSession();
            s.beginTransaction();
            s.createQuery( "delete NaturalIdOnManyToOne" ).executeUpdate();
            s.createQuery( "delete Citizen" ).executeUpdate();
            s.createQuery( "delete State" ).executeUpdate();
            s.getTransaction().commit();
            s.close();
            return null;
         }
      });
   }

	@Test
	public void testCollectionCache() throws Exception {
		final Statistics stats = sessionFactory().getStatistics();
		stats.clear();

		final Item item = new Item( "chris", "Chris's Item" );
		final Item another = new Item( "another", "Owned Item" );
		item.addItem( another );

      withTx(tm, new Callable<Void>() {
         @Override
         public Void call() throws Exception {
            Session s = openSession();
            s.getTransaction().begin();
            s.persist( item );
            s.persist( another );
            s.getTransaction().commit();
            s.close();
            return null;
         }
      });

      withTx(tm, new Callable<Void>() {
         @Override
         public Void call() throws Exception {
            Session s = openSession();
            Item loaded = (Item) s.load( Item.class, item.getId() );
            assertEquals( 1, loaded.getItems().size() );
            s.close();
            return null;
         }
      });

      withTx(tm, new Callable<Void>() {
         @Override
         public Void call() throws Exception {
            Session s = openSession();
            SecondLevelCacheStatistics cStats = stats.getSecondLevelCacheStatistics( Item.class.getName() + ".items" );
            Item loadedWithCachedCollection = (Item) s.load( Item.class, item.getId() );
            stats.logSummary();
            assertEquals( item.getName(), loadedWithCachedCollection.getName() );
            assertEquals( item.getItems().size(), loadedWithCachedCollection.getItems().size() );
            assertEquals( 1, cStats.getHitCount() );
            Map cacheEntries = cStats.getEntries();
            assertEquals( 1, cacheEntries.size() );
            s.close();
            return null;
         }
      });
	}

	@Test
	public void testStaleWritesLeaveCacheConsistent() throws Exception {
		Statistics stats = sessionFactory().getStatistics();
		stats.clear();

		VersionedItem item = null;
		Transaction txn = null;
		Session s = null;

		beginTx();
		try {
			s = openSession();
			txn = s.beginTransaction();
			item = new VersionedItem();
			item.setName( "steve" );
			item.setDescription( "steve's item" );
			s.save( item );
			txn.commit();
			s.close();
		}
		catch (Exception e) {
			setRollbackOnlyTx( e );
		}
		finally {
			commitOrRollbackTx();
		}

		Long initialVersion = item.getVersion();

		// manually revert the version property
		item.setVersion( new Long( item.getVersion().longValue() - 1 ) );

		beginTx();
		try {
			s = openSession();
			txn = s.beginTransaction();
			s.update(item);
			txn.commit();
			fail("expected stale write to fail");
		}
		catch (Exception e) {
			setRollbackOnlyTxExpected(e);
		}
		finally {
			commitOrRollbackTx();
			if ( s != null && s.isOpen() ) {
				try {
					s.close();
				}
				catch (Throwable ignore) {
				}
			}
		}

		// check the version value in the cache...
		SecondLevelCacheStatistics slcs = stats.getSecondLevelCacheStatistics( VersionedItem.class.getName() );

		Object entry = slcs.getEntries().get( item.getId() );
		Long cachedVersionValue;
		cachedVersionValue = (Long) ((CacheEntry) entry).getVersion();
		assertEquals(initialVersion.longValue(), cachedVersionValue.longValue());

		beginTx();
		try {
			// cleanup
			s = openSession();
			txn = s.beginTransaction();
			item = (VersionedItem) s.load( VersionedItem.class, item.getId() );
			s.delete( item );
			txn.commit();
			s.close();
		}
		catch (Exception e) {
			setRollbackOnlyTx( e );
		}
		finally {
			commitOrRollbackTx();
		}
	}

	@Test
	public void testQueryCacheInvalidation() throws Exception {
		Statistics stats = sessionFactory().getStatistics();
		stats.clear();

		SecondLevelCacheStatistics slcs = stats.getSecondLevelCacheStatistics( Item.class.getName() );
		sessionFactory().getCache().evictEntityRegion( Item.class.getName() );

		assertEquals(0, slcs.getPutCount());
		assertEquals( 0, slcs.getElementCountInMemory() );
		assertEquals( 0, slcs.getEntries().size() );

		Session s = null;
		Transaction t = null;
		Item i = null;

		beginTx();
		try {
			s = openSession();
			t = s.beginTransaction();
			i = new Item();
			i.setName( "widget" );
			i.setDescription( "A really top-quality, full-featured widget." );
			s.persist( i );
			t.commit();
			s.close();
		}
		catch (Exception e) {
			setRollbackOnlyTx( e );
		}
		finally {
			commitOrRollbackTx();
		}

		assertEquals( 1, slcs.getPutCount() );
		assertEquals( 1, slcs.getElementCountInMemory() );
		assertEquals( 1, slcs.getEntries().size() );

		beginTx();
		try {
			s = openSession();
			t = s.beginTransaction();
			i = (Item) s.get( Item.class, i.getId() );
			assertEquals( slcs.getHitCount(), 1 );
			assertEquals( slcs.getMissCount(), 0 );
			i.setDescription( "A bog standard item" );
			t.commit();
			s.close();
		}
		catch (Exception e) {
			setRollbackOnlyTx( e );
		}
		finally {
			commitOrRollbackTx();
		}

		assertEquals( slcs.getPutCount(), 2 );

		CacheEntry entry = (CacheEntry) slcs.getEntries().get( i.getId() );
		Serializable[] ser = entry.getDisassembledState();
		assertTrue( ser[0].equals( "widget" ) );
		assertTrue( ser[1].equals( "A bog standard item" ) );

		beginTx();
		try {
			// cleanup
			s = openSession();
			t = s.beginTransaction();
			s.delete(i);
			t.commit();
			s.close();
		}
		catch (Exception e) {
			setRollbackOnlyTx( e );
		}
		finally {
			commitOrRollbackTx();
		}
	}

	@Test
	public void testQueryCache() throws Exception {
		Statistics stats = sessionFactory().getStatistics();
		stats.clear();

		Session s;
		Item item = new Item( "chris", "Chris's Item" );

		beginTx();
		try {
			s = openSession();
			s.getTransaction().begin();
			s.persist( item );
			s.getTransaction().commit();
			s.close();
		}
		catch (Exception e) {
			setRollbackOnlyTx( e );
		}
		finally {
			commitOrRollbackTx();
		}

		// Delay added to guarantee that query cache results won't be considered
		// as not up to date due to persist session and query results from first
		// query happening within same 100ms gap.
		Thread.sleep( 100 );

		beginTx();
		try {
			s = openSession();
			s.createQuery( "from Item" ).setCacheable( true ).list();
			s.close();
		}
		catch (Exception e) {
			setRollbackOnlyTx( e );
		}
		finally {
			commitOrRollbackTx();
		}

		beginTx();
		try {
			s = openSession();
			s.createQuery( "from Item" ).setCacheable( true ).list();
			assertEquals( 1, stats.getQueryCacheHitCount() );
			s.createQuery( "delete from Item" ).executeUpdate();
			s.close();
		}
		catch (Exception e) {
			setRollbackOnlyTx( e );
		}
		finally {
			commitOrRollbackTx();
		}
	}

	@Test
	public void testQueryCacheHitInSameTransaction() throws Exception {
		Statistics stats = sessionFactory().getStatistics();
		stats.clear();

		Session s = null;
		Item item = new Item( "galder", "Galder's Item" );

		beginTx();
		try {
			s = openSession();
			s.getTransaction().begin();
			s.persist( item );
			s.getTransaction().commit();
			s.close();
		}
		catch (Exception e) {
			setRollbackOnlyTx( e );
		}
		finally {
			commitOrRollbackTx();
		}

		// Delay added to guarantee that query cache results won't be considered
		// as not up to date due to persist session and query results from first
		// query happening within same 100ms gap.
		Thread.sleep( 100 );

		beginTx();
		try {
			s = openSession();
			s.createQuery( "from Item" ).setCacheable( true ).list();
			s.createQuery( "from Item" ).setCacheable( true ).list();
			assertEquals( 1, stats.getQueryCacheHitCount() );
			s.close();
		}
		catch (Exception e) {
			setRollbackOnlyTx( e );
		}
		finally {
			commitOrRollbackTx();
		}

		beginTx();
		try {
			s = openSession();
			s.createQuery( "delete from Item" ).executeUpdate();
			s.close();
		}
		catch (Exception e) {
			setRollbackOnlyTx( e );
		}
		finally {
			commitOrRollbackTx();
		}
	}

   @Test
   public void testNaturalIdCached() throws Exception {
      saveSomeCitizens();

      withTx(tm, new Callable<Void>() {
         @Override
         public Void call() throws Exception {
            Session s = openSession();
            Transaction tx = s.beginTransaction();
            State france = BasicTransactionalTestCase.this.getState(s, "Ile de France");
            Criteria criteria = s.createCriteria( Citizen.class );
            criteria.add( Restrictions.naturalId().set( "ssn", "1234" ).set( "state", france ) );
            criteria.setCacheable( true );

            BasicTransactionalTestCase.this.cleanupCache();

            Statistics stats = sessionFactory().getStatistics();
            stats.setStatisticsEnabled( true );
            stats.clear();
            assertEquals(
                  "Cache hits should be empty", 0, stats
                  .getNaturalIdCacheHitCount()
            );

            // first query
            List results = criteria.list();
            assertEquals( 1, results.size() );
            assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Hits", 0, stats.getNaturalIdCacheHitCount() );
            assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Misses", 1, stats.getNaturalIdCacheMissCount() );
            assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Puts", 1, stats.getNaturalIdCachePutCount() );
            assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Queries", 1, stats.getNaturalIdQueryExecutionCount() );

            // query a second time - result should be cached in session
            criteria.list();
            assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Hits", 0, stats.getNaturalIdCacheHitCount() );
            assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Misses", 1, stats.getNaturalIdCacheMissCount() );
            assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Puts", 1, stats.getNaturalIdCachePutCount() );
            assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Queries", 1, stats.getNaturalIdQueryExecutionCount() );

            // cleanup
            tx.rollback();
            s.close();
            return null;
         }
      });
   }

   @Test
   public void testNaturalIdLoaderCached() throws Exception {
      final Statistics stats = sessionFactory().getStatistics();
      stats.setStatisticsEnabled( true );
      stats.clear();

      assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Hits", 0, stats.getNaturalIdCacheHitCount() );
      assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Misses", 0, stats.getNaturalIdCacheMissCount() );
      assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Puts", 0, stats.getNaturalIdCachePutCount() );
      assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Queries", 0, stats.getNaturalIdQueryExecutionCount() );

      saveSomeCitizens();

      assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Hits", 0, stats.getNaturalIdCacheHitCount() );
      assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Misses", 0, stats.getNaturalIdCacheMissCount() );
      assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Puts", 2, stats.getNaturalIdCachePutCount() );
      assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Queries", 0, stats.getNaturalIdQueryExecutionCount() );

      //Try NaturalIdLoadAccess after insert
      final Citizen citizen = withTx(tm, new Callable<Citizen>() {
         @Override
         public Citizen call() throws Exception {
            Session s = openSession();
            Transaction tx = s.beginTransaction();
            State france = BasicTransactionalTestCase.this.getState(s, "Ile de France");
            NaturalIdLoadAccess naturalIdLoader = s.byNaturalId(Citizen.class);
            naturalIdLoader.using("ssn", "1234").using("state", france);

            //Not clearing naturalId caches, should be warm from entity loading
            stats.clear();

            // first query
            Citizen citizen = (Citizen) naturalIdLoader.load();
            assertNotNull(citizen);
            assertEquals("NaturalId Cache Hits", 1, stats.getNaturalIdCacheHitCount());
            assertEquals("NaturalId Cache Misses", 0, stats.getNaturalIdCacheMissCount());
            assertEquals("NaturalId Cache Puts", 0, stats.getNaturalIdCachePutCount());
            assertEquals("NaturalId Cache Queries", 0, stats.getNaturalIdQueryExecutionCount());

            // cleanup
            tx.rollback();
            s.close();
            return citizen;
         }
      });

      // TODO: Clear caches manually via cache manager (it's faster!!)
      this.cleanupCache();
      Thread.sleep(PutFromLoadValidator.NAKED_PUT_INVALIDATION_PERIOD + TimeUnit.SECONDS.toMillis(1));
      stats.setStatisticsEnabled( true );
      stats.clear();

      //Try NaturalIdLoadAccess
      withTx(tm, new Callable<Void>() {
         @Override
         public Void call() throws Exception {
            Session s = openSession();
            Transaction tx = s.beginTransaction();

            // first query
            Citizen loadedCitizen = (Citizen) s.get( Citizen.class, citizen.getId() );
            assertNotNull( loadedCitizen );
            assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Hits", 0, stats.getNaturalIdCacheHitCount() );
            assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Misses", 0, stats.getNaturalIdCacheMissCount() );
            assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Puts", 1, stats.getNaturalIdCachePutCount() );
            assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Queries", 0, stats.getNaturalIdQueryExecutionCount() );

            // cleanup
            tx.rollback();
            s.close();
            return null;
         }
      });

      // Try NaturalIdLoadAccess after load
      withTx(tm, new Callable<Void>() {
         @Override
         public Void call() throws Exception {
            Session s = openSession();
            Transaction tx = s.beginTransaction();
            State france = BasicTransactionalTestCase.this.getState(s, "Ile de France");
            NaturalIdLoadAccess naturalIdLoader = s.byNaturalId(Citizen.class);
            naturalIdLoader.using( "ssn", "1234" ).using( "state", france );

            //Not clearing naturalId caches, should be warm from entity loading
            stats.setStatisticsEnabled( true );
            stats.clear();

            // first query
            Citizen loadedCitizen = (Citizen) naturalIdLoader.load();
            assertNotNull( loadedCitizen );
            assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Hits", 1, stats.getNaturalIdCacheHitCount() );
            assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Misses", 0, stats.getNaturalIdCacheMissCount() );
            assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Puts", 0, stats.getNaturalIdCachePutCount() );
            assertEquals( "NaturalId Cache Queries", 0, stats.getNaturalIdQueryExecutionCount() );

            // cleanup
            tx.rollback();
            s.close();
            return null;
         }
      });

   }

   private void saveSomeCitizens() throws Exception {
      final Citizen c1 = new Citizen();
      c1.setFirstname( "Emmanuel" );
      c1.setLastname( "Bernard" );
      c1.setSsn( "1234" );

      final State france = new State();
      france.setName( "Ile de France" );
      c1.setState( france );

      final Citizen c2 = new Citizen();
      c2.setFirstname( "Gavin" );
      c2.setLastname( "King" );
      c2.setSsn( "000" );
      final State australia = new State();
      australia.setName( "Australia" );
      c2.setState( australia );

      withTx(tm, new Callable<Void>() {
         @Override
         public Void call() throws Exception {
            Session s = openSession();
            Transaction tx = s.beginTransaction();
            s.persist( australia );
            s.persist( france );
            s.persist( c1 );
            s.persist( c2 );
            tx.commit();
            s.close();
            return null;
         }
      });
   }

   private State getState(Session s, String name) {
      Criteria criteria = s.createCriteria( State.class );
      criteria.add( Restrictions.eq("name", name) );
      criteria.setCacheable(true);
      return (State) criteria.list().get( 0 );
   }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Engineering has had an impact on all aspects of human life. From military engineering to construction and communication, technology has made life easier for everyone. Artificial intelligence and big data have enabled doctors to record data and predict the occurrence of outbreaks. Healthcare practitioners can now access more information through mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. With such devices, information can also be readily stored and availed with just the click of a button.
Cloud technology has also made it easier for the documentation of patient data without the need for traditional storage methods such as hard drives and floppy drives. With cloud computing, the patient, doctor and other human resources in healthcare can access information such as diagnosis and prescription remotely. Such documentation also ensures that healthcare institutions adhere to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 regulatory standards of accountability and data storage. This article addresses the impact of engineering on the healthcare industry.
Medical specialists have come up with technologies that enable the disabled to perform many duties. Such prosthetics have given rise to Paralympians. They are now able to run distances of about 1,500 meters. What happens is that the blade prosthetics store energy as they bear the runner's weight. Such engineering has come to save and change the lives of the amputees.
In the past, anatomy has been difficult especially in analyzing and illustration of body systems. Nowadays, surgeons can study through the 3D models. The advantage of this is that the models are near accurate and provide a clear illustration of the body system. The capability of seeing and fully understanding the human body could be the significant difference in medicine and surgery. Such knowledge could determine whether to amputate a patient's limb or do something different. Moreover, 3D printers are being used in other healthcare ventures. Hearing aids come from the modification of some fiber to assist the hearing impaired. Dental facilities need the models to demonstrate and illustrate the dental composition. Dental health issues such as cavities and plaques are better understood using the models. Implanted devices is a result of the efforts between engineering and technology.
With the development of bioelectronics, medicine uses tech gadgets to detect and carefully moderate the electrical activity in the central nervous system. This advanced technology can detect an abnormal complication that requires immediate attention, which is done by diagnosing the neural signals to a specific organ. Nerve blocking or nerve stimulating gadgets have been implanted into patients to regulate the number of neural signals being transmitted. This can introduce change in organ function, cure diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and colitis. Alphabet, Google's parent company, initiated a merger with British pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline in the manufacture of bioelectronic medications. The partnership saw an investment worth $700m in a contract of seven years, the venture was then named Galvani Bioelectronics.
Over the recent years, diabetic people have had it rough especially when testing their glucose levels. The integration of Internet of Things and healthcare has seen the sector reap significant benefits. The innovation and invention of the Glucowise product was a smart way to check blood glucose levels without perforation of the skin. Also, Google and Novartis have collaborated to launch a contact lens which will measure blood sugar levels found in tears. The project could turn out to be a breakthrough in the healthcare industry.
Handling of information has become troublesome considering the massive amounts of data. The setting up of automated platforms has helped narrow the bridge between the patients and the medical staff. Minor complications can be cleared via online manipulation. Also, the use of blockchain may be useful in the maintenance of such websites. The International Statistical Classification of diseases is the innovation strategy that comprises of over 14,000 different codes worldwide, allowing both patients and insurance companies to bill each other in a faster and safer manner. In the United States, the classification is more complicated, numbers were rising to 76,000 methods in which claim and compensation can be done.


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- The Alfa Romeo 158 was the most successful car of the post war years.
Alfa's Golden Goose: The 158/159 Grand Prix Car
In the post war years, Alfa Romeo were the undisputed rulers of the Grand Prix stage. However their winning streak couldn't last.
Ben Selby posted in New Zealand Tribe
The year is 1938, and Alfa Romeo's fortune in the world of Grand Prix racing had taken a slight dive. Against the might of the Nazi back onslaught of Auto Union and Mercedes Benz, their newest Tipo C Grand Prix car, though quick, was completely outclassed by the Silver Arrows. Plus, Auto Union had managed to entice Alfa's top driver, the great Tazio Nuvolari, away to lead their all-conquering team.
Off the track, Alfa management decided something drastic had to be done, so they decided to take a gamble by completely shaking up the racing department, which greatly irritated their team manager, a man by the name Enzo Ferrari.
Ferrari had been running the Alfa Romeo racing team under the banner of Scuderia Ferrari since 1929, and during this partnership, Ferrari badged Alfa's won many Grand Prix, the 1000 mile Mille Miglia road race, and set international speed records with the bonkers twin-engine Bimotore.
However, despite all this success, Alfa decided to bring the race team back in-house and demote Mr Ferrari. Enzo decided to leave Alfa completely in 1939, with a huge chip on his shoulder, and build his own car. It was a decision Alfa would later very much come to regret.
Juan Manuel Fangio on maximum attack
With the departure of Enzo, work had already begun on the first Grand Prix car built under the new Alfa Corse team. Called the 158, it was originally developed for the Voiturette class, the step below Grand Prix at the time. In this class, the 158 won its debut race in the 1938 Coppa Ciano Junior with Emilio Villoresi at the wheel.
The 158 got its name from the engine set up. One and Five meant 1.5litres and eight for eight cylinders. With addition of a Roots Supercharger and Twin Overhead Camshafts, the 158 produced 150kW of grunt at 7,000 revs. The engine was designed by famed Italian designer Giacchino Colombo, who would go on to create the first ever Ferrari V12.
A cutaway of the Alfetta 158
In 1939, in the hands of Torino born debonair racer Giuseppe Farina, the 158 finally turned a wheel in anger on the Grand Prix stage by winning the Coppa Acerbo and the Grand Prix at Tripoli. Farina also became Italian Champion for the third consecutive time, which meant his future at Alfa Romeo was secure.
Further bragging rights for Alfa were quickly dashed once war clouds began to form over Europe. Once Mussolini decided to hurl Italy into the conflict on the side of Hitler, motor racing across the continent came to a shuddering halt. Alfa wisely decided to hide all their race cars, especially the 158. Some 158's oddly ended up in a cheese factory!
After the war ended and Grand Prix racing resumed in 1946, Alfa were confident they had a car to sweep all before it. They had already boosted the 158's power to 189kW, but now to make doubly sure, the Alfa was boosted again to produce 220kW. Alfa's baby was all grown up! The 158 started a winning streak that was almost unchallenged for years to come. Nearly every single race it entered from 1946 to 1949, there was an Alfa driver atop the podium.
Giuseppe Farina won his first and only F1 World Championship with Alfa in 1950
The fifties saw the dawn of the first ever Grand Prix World Championship, or what you and I know today as Formula One. From the opening European Grand Prix at Silverstone, under the watchful gaze of King George VI, to the finale at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Alfettas (the 158's nickname meaning , little Alfa),won every single race. In fact in one race, Alfa were so far in the lead, they ordered the leading Alfetta into the pits to be cleaned, so it would look good for the cameras when they won. Imagine trying to do that today!
The season also saw Giuseppe Farina being crowned the first ever Formula One World Champion. However it was his team mate, a 38 year-old former bus driver named Juan Manuel Fangio from Argentina who really stole the show. People at the time didn't know that Fangio was on the verge of becoming, in this writers opinion, one of the most successful and awe inspiring racing drivers ever.
Alfetta Two Pair
For 1951, the 158 was tweaked again and became the 159. With a new De-Dion rear axle, the car was more lively round the rear and power went up yet again, this time to whopping 313kW (430BHP) at an screaming 9600 revs. However, creating this kind of grunt was the result of a much larger supercharger, meaning the 159 was not exactly economical. In fact, at racing speed, the 159 was doing less the two miles per gallon, or 170-litres/100km!
More wins came early in the season for Farina and Fangio, until the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Alfa were beaten by Fangio's fellow Argentinean, Froilan Gonzalez at the wheel of a Ferrari 375. Yes, Enzo Ferrari had got his revenge.
To understand how this happened, we need to go back to school. During the period of 1950 to 51, the FIA, Formula One's governing body, permitted that cars of either 1.5-litre supercharged engine configuration, or 4.5-litre naturally aspirated layout would be allowed to enter a Grand Prix. Gonzalez's Ferrari 375 contained the latter, meaning while the Alfas were in the pits two or three times during the race to refuel, his far less thirstier Ferrari, despite the bigger V12 engine, seldom needed to stop, unless for tyres.
Fangio won the first of his five Formula One World Titles in 1951 with Alfa Romeo, but the team itself was devastated. A change in formula for the following season, mean the Alfetta was now obsolete. Alfa kept on racing but their Formula One Career has never returned to glory days of the late forties and fifties. On the contrary, it was Enzo who prevailed that decade, with Ferrari drivers winning four World Championships, one of whom was Fangio in 1956.
Fangio reunited with his Alfetta at Monza 1970
Today, an Alfetta 158/159 is almost priceless, with many surviving examples being lovingly kept and cared for. In 1970, at demonstration run at Monza, Fangio was reunited with an Alfetta and the sight and sound of the 'maestro' helming the old champ around the famous circuit is a sight to behold.
Award Ben
Want to add something?
John Coleman
A beautiful frankfurt on wheels.
Reply (1)
Ben Selby
A winning Frankfurter too! ;)
Stijn Paspont
Nice piece. Pre war and early grand prix cars are one of the most underrated race cars. No assists whatsoever, skinny tires and an excessive amount of power. I love em.
Wasif Anowar
From the Chinese Formula 1 race
Zold Fulu
FCA brought one to the Techno Classica a few weeks ago egzostive.com/import-brands-techno-classica-2019/ It took centre stage, but you can get so close, that you could smell the oil of the car.
That's amazing :) would love to see one up close! Thanks for the feedback :)
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Teachable Moments
Boys Town Self-Government: Citizenship in Action
April 24th, 2015 By Tom Lynch, Director of Community Programs and the Boys Town Hall of History
Boys Town History, Father Flanagan, Village of Boys Town
Boys Town founder Father Edward Flanagan once described his work as "building good Americans." He believed that being a good citizen required active participation in the political process and voting. To give his boys a chance to experience and experiment with these activities, he set up a system of self-government at Boys Town.
In 1935, Boys Town residents went to the polls to elect their very first mayor and Village commissioners. The elections allowed all the boys to have a voice in running the Village. That year, Tony Villone was elected by his "brothers" to serve as Boys Town's first mayor.
Like a city council, the commissioners were responsible for different aspects of the Village's operation. Father Flanagan wanted the mayor and the commissioners to learn how to work together as a family and respect the voices of all the residents.
In the mayoral elections that followed, the residents created political parties, held debates and had campaign rallies. The elections drew national attention, and Boys Town became famous for having the youngest "voters" in the country.
The mayor's duties included welcoming special guests to the Village and representing Boys Town and its young residents at official ceremonies. In the late 1930s, Mayor Dan Kampen made an official visit to the Big Apple. New York newspaper headlines screamed, "The youngest Mayor in America visits New York!"
The self-government system also included a court system that helped enforce Village rules. Misbehaving boys were brought before the court, which was comprised of the mayor and the commissioners. In this "court of peers," a boy who was found to be guilty learned his punishment, such as having to sit with his back to the screen during movie night. Father Flanagan always attended the court proceedings to ensure the judgments and punishments were fair and appropriate.
The Boys Town approach to self-government was so successful that more than 750,000 German children participated in a similar program following World War II. The Allies believed a system like the one used at Boys Town offered these children the best opportunity to learn about democracy, equality and freedom for all citizens.
A version of Father Flanagan's self-government system continues today at Boys Town. Every May, the boys and girls go to the polls to elect a mayor who serves as their representative and as an ambassador of Boys Town. In 1991, residents elected Sarah Williamson as Boys Town's first female mayor.
Being Called into the Wilderness https://www.boystown.org/blog/Pages/Being-Called-into-the-Wilderness.aspx Being Called into the Wilderness During this time of year, we are told in the book of Matthew, that we are called to enter and acknowledge the wilderness of our own sin and that of the world, in preparation for Christmas. December 19, 2022 Boys Town During this time of year, we are told in the book of Matthew, that we are called to enter and acknowledge the wilderness of our own sin and that of the world, in preparation for Christmas. Father Steven E. Boes, President and National Executive Director, Boys Town
Holiday Memories https://www.boystown.org/blog/Pages/Holiday-Memories.aspx Holiday Memories November 18, 2022 Boys Town Boys Town Contributor
Once Upon a Time, Disney Created Something Just for Boys Town… https://www.boystown.org/blog/Pages/Once-Upon-a-Time-Disney-Created-Something-Just-for-Boys-Town.aspx Once Upon a Time, Disney Created Something Just for Boys Town… Our logo has changed a few times over the last 70 years … you'll find that evolution featured in the artwork below. But Boys Town will always have a special place in our hearts for the lively 1950's Cowboy logo designed by Walt Disney Studios just for us. July 25, 2022 Boys Town Our logo has changed a few times over the last 70 years … you'll find that evolution featured in the artwork below. But Boys Town will always have a special place in our hearts for the lively 1950's Cowboy logo designed by Walt Disney Studios just for us. Boys Town Contributor
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Dutch lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld has requested the Dutch Ministry of Defense for detailed information concerning Dutch involvement, as a member of the international coalition in Iraq, in airstikes on a convoy that left civilian casualties. She is acting on behalf of two victims seeking to know who bears responsibility for their injuy. It is known that the Dutch military was involved in airstrike operations in Iraq in the relevant week, but information is not publicy available about the precise nature of that involvement. The Nuhanovic Foundation supports the request on behalf of the victims and contributes to the costs of the proceedings.


Today's piece is a commemorative family Rosary. This Rosary is made with multi-colored nuggets as the 'Hail Mary' beads, the color represent each of the children's birthstone. The 'Our Father' beads are double sided with pictures of their children on one side, and the children's patron saint on the other. The centerpiece is the Divine Mercy on one side, and a hand written prayer by Mother Theresa; it is actually a print of her handwriting! The lower two 'Our Father' beads are of their wedding picture, accompanied with the family picture, and the patrons of the family. This piece is not available.
If you would like your own commemorative rosary, or nay unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Don't forget to stop by our Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter, or our website for more ideas for your family Rosary!
Today's piece is a bracelet. This piece is made with oval red carnelian, round red coral, and round white quartz beads. This piece is strung on 26-lb limit steel cable. The heart clasp here is made of sterling silver. This piece is no longer available.
If you would like a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Don't forget to stop by our Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter, or our website for more great pieces of jewelry!
Today's piece is a tie chain. This article of gentleman's clothing is a unique way to weight the tie without having to pierce it. The hook goes on a shirt button, the tie passes through the center, and the hand twisted design is visible on the exterior. This piece is made entirely of hand twisted brass wire. This piece is currently available!
Today's piece is a watch. This watch is made of sterling silver chain-maille. Unlike normal watches worn on the wrist, this watch makes a hook to wrap on any object; purse handle, belt loop, computer bag, jacket, or any other object with a loop. There are copper pieces linked into some of the sterling silver to add a flair to the watch. This piece is currently available.
If you would like this piece, a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Feel free to stop by our Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter, or our website for more great pieces of jewelry!
Today's piece is a necklace. This necklace is made with blue ratstail. The centerpiece is an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with the following words on the reverse side: "I belong wholly to you | and all I have I offer you | O Most loving Jesus | through Mary, your holy Mother." This necklace is tied with adjustable knots. This piece is currently available!
If you would like this piece, a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Don't forget to stop by our Facebook page,, Google+ page, Twitter, or our website for more fabulous pieces of jewelry!
Today's piece is a necklace. This necklace is made with hand twisted sterling silver wire and black ratstail. The centerpiece is a handmade pendant from polymer clay wrapped with nickel wire. On one side of the pendant is the Blessed Virgin Mary, and on the other side are the words: "I belong wholly to You | and all I have I offer You | O Most loving Jesus | through Mary, your holy Mother." This piece is currently available.
Today's piece is a sterling silver watch. This watch is made with a series of difference sterling silver, .925, beads with a large lobster clasp. The watch body is sterling silver with a brushed silver face. This piece is currently available.
If you would like this piece a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Don't forget to stop by our Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter, or our website for more phenomenal pieces of jewelry!
Today's piece is a pair of earrings. These earrings are similar to yesterday's piece. However, because no two pieces are exactly the same, this set is made of brass wire. The ear hooks were even hand made – so this piece was made from three pieces of wire, rather than yesterday's piece which only used two pieces. This piece is currently available!
If you would like this piece, a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Don't forget to stop by our Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter or our website for more gorgeous pieces of jewelry!
Today's piece is a pair of copper earrings. Each earring was made from two straight pieces of wire. The lever-back earring hooks are hypo-allergenic. This piece is currently available!
If you would like this piece, a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Don't forget to stop by our Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter or our website for more fabulous pieces of jewelry!
Today's piece is a watch. This watch is made with sterling silver beads and turquoise. The watch is strung on steel cable. There are small turquoises embedded into the watch face. The clasp is a button with two closure choices. This piece is currently available.
If you would like this piece, a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Don't forget to check out our Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter, or our website for more fabulous pieces of jewelry.
Today's piece is a necklace. This necklace was a special order. The centerpiece is handmade from polymer clay, with an image of St. Clair embedded on one side, and a crucifix embedded on the other. The pendant is strung on a black adjustable nylon cord. This piece is not available.
Today's piece is a pair of earrings. These earrings are made with an aquamarine turquoise, with clear Chinese crystals separated by sterling silver spacers. The findings on this piece are lever back earrings. This piece is currently available!
If you would like this piece, a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Don't forget to stop by our Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter, and our website for more magnificent pieces of jewelry.
Today's piece is a pair of earrings. These earrings are made with large topaz Swarovski crystals and sterling silver hand made rings. This piece is currently available!
If you would like this piece, a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Don't forget to check out our Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter page, and our website for more great pieces of jewelry.
Here is another pair of earrings. These earrings are made with Swarovski crystals. The circular crystals are set in a silver gin, and the center tear-drop Swarovski is attached to the earring with sterling silver wire. This piece is currently available.
If you would like this piece, a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Don't forget to stop by our Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter or our website for more magnificent pieces of jewelry!
Today's piece is a pair of earrings. These earrings are made with Swarovski crystals. The circular piece is filled with small, clear aurora borealis crystal settings. The larger teardrop is also a clear Swarovski crystal with an aurora borealis coating. This piece is currently available.
If you would like this piece, a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Don't forget to stop by our Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter, or our website for more wonderful pieces of jewelry!
Today's piece is a bracelet. This bracelet is made with clear, aurora borealis coated, Swarovski embedded rings. The bracelet is made with a sterling silver hand crafted chain. This piece with a shimmering personality is currently available!
If you would like this piece, a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Don't forget to stop by our Facebook page, Google + page, Twitter, or our website for more wonderful pieces of jewelry!
Today's piece is a pair of earrings. These earrings are hand made, hand twisted, and hand pounded. The thre circles are hand cut copper sheet metal. The crystals are a beige Swarovski crystal. These earrings are about2-1/2inches long.
If you would to order a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Don't forget to stop by our Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter, or our website for more fabulous pieces of jewelry!
Today's piece is a pair of earrings. These earrings are made with black round faceted Chinese crystals on the bottom with small black faceted Swarovski crystals set into a roundel on top of the round crystals. The finding here, is a hypo-allergenic post.
If you would like to order a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Don't forget to check out our Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter, or our website for more splendid pieces of jewelry!
This piece is a Christmas Rosary. This Rosary celebrates the user's Catholic history. This Rosary starts off with pictures from her baptism, then first communion, followed by pictures of her family, and ends with pictures of her confirmation. The stone used is a purple amethyst. As with all our Rosaries, this one is made with nickel wire and uses our unbreakable technology.
If you would like to order a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Don't forget to stop by our Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter, or our website for more wonderful pieces of jewelry!
Today's piece is a necklace. This necklace is made with dyed leather cording. On one side is an image of the Blessed Mother Mary, and on the other side is a nickname called by the person who commissioned the piece to her sister, "Ghoul", written in the sister's handwriting.
If you would like to order a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Please don't forget to stop by our Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter, or our website for more wonderful pieces of jewelry!
Today's piece is a necklace. This necklace is made with blue leather cording and adjustable knots. The center pendant is double-sided with an image of Our Lady of Lourdes on one side, and the saying, "Pray For Me" on the other. The center pendant is handmade from polymer and nickel wire.
If you would like to order a similar piece, or any unique piece of jewelry; contact us! Don't forget to stop by our Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter, or our website for more beautiful pieces of jewelry.


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Four drug arrests after firearm drama in Aycliffe
October 2nd, 2019 Martin Walker News 0 comments 2256
Four people were arrested on suspected drugs offences after firearms officers were called to an address in Newton Aycliffe.
The drama unfolded after officers were called to Skipton Close after reports of a man with a gun in a residential area.
Several police units, with specially trained armed officers, were deployed just after 3pm on Tuesday.
No gun was found at the address, but police did arrest four suspected drug dealers after finding cannabis at the scene.
A Durham Constabulary spokesman said: "We were called at 3.05pm today (Tuesday) to reports of a man with a firearm in Skipton Close, in Newton Aycliffe.
"Officers attended and found there was no firearm.
"However, a quantity of cannabis was found and four people, two men and two women, were arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply. They remain in custody."
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HP's Managed Paths to Private Clouds Provide Swifter Adoption at Lower Risk for More Enterprises
Transcript of a sponsored BriefingsDirect podcast on the role of effective management in moving enterprise applications to the cloud.
Listen to the podcast. Find it on iTunes/iPod and Podcast.com. Download the transcript. Sponsor: HP.
Dana Gardner: Hi, this is Dana Gardner, Principal Analyst at Interarbor Solutions, and you're listening to BriefingsDirect. Today, we present a sponsored podcast discussion on finding low-risk, high-reward paths to cloud computing.
Businesses are looking to cloud-computing models to foster agility and improve time-to-market for new services. But attaining cloud benefits can founder without higher levels of unified server, data, network, storage, and applications management.
These typically disparate forms of management must now come together in new ways to mutually support a variety of different cloud approaches -- public, private, and hybrid. Without adoption of such Business Service Automation (BSA) capabilities, those deploying applications on private and hybrid clouds will almost certainly encounter increased complexity, higher risk, and stubborn cost structures.
Using increased automation and proven reference models for cloud management -- and by breaking down traditional IT management silos -- the progression toward cloud benefits will come more quickly, at lower total cost, and with an ability to rapidly scale to even more applications and data.
We're here with two executives from HP Software & Solutions to learn more about what BSA is and why it's proving essential to managed and productive cloud computing adoption.
Please join me now in welcoming our guests, Mark Shoemaker, Executive Program Manager for Cloud Computing in the Software & Solutions Group at HP. Welcome Mark. [Read an exclusive interview with Shoemaker.]
Mark Shoemaker: How are you Dana? Great to talk to you again.
Gardner: Good to be with you, too. We are also here with Venkat Devraj, Chief Technology Officer for Application Automation, also in HP's Software & Solutions Group. Welcome, Venkat.
Venkat Devraj: Thank you, Dana. Good to speak with both of you.
Gardner: Mark, I know you've been out and about talking with a lot of folks about cloud computing. It's a really hot topic around the world nowadays. What is driving the latest wave of demand and interest in cloud? What has people really excited?
Shoemaker: There are several things, Dana, and it certainly is an exciting time for us. There is hardly a place we go that we don't end up talking to our customers about cloud.
Universally, it's the same things that have been driving a lot of the work that IT has been doing over the last few years. They want to improve their productivity, definitely get better utilization out of what they have already got. They want to be your better partner in the business. What that means is to shorten the time that the business has to wait for the services. It's all of those things, and there's a lot to do to get there.
Gardner: Now, we have talked about these different models, even software as a service (SaaS), thrown in there from time to time. Is there any particular type of cloud approach that you see as the first step or the early path to more types of cloud?
The private cloud
Shoemaker: Most of the enterprise customers we talk to are looking at private cloud, the internal cloud solution that they own, that they then provide to their business partners, whether that's the development teams or other elements in their business. So, that's the first step. Most of them are looking to build on the virtualization work that they've already done.
Devraj: Mark is absolutely right. Coupled with that intention that IT has, there is also an interesting micro trend that's occurring. A lot of the application teams, end-user business teams, are getting increasingly sophisticated. They're learning about private cloud implementations. They're privy to the same articles and magazines that IT is reading these days. Consequently, they're demanding levels of service from IT that are difficult to provide without a private cloud.
For example, because of things like agile development methodologies, application teams are doing a lot more application deployments and code releases than ever before. It's not uncommon to see dozens of application releases for different applications happening during the same day.
IT operations are just bombarded with these requirements, and requests, and they are just unable to keep up based on yesterday's processes, which are relatively static. A lot of these processes are based on standards like ITIL and they have a certain level of static nature to them. They are there for stability and predictability and they're not evolving to accommodate the kind of dynamism that's expected from IT ops.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, these application teams and business unit teams are quite influential. They're even willing to fund specific initiatives to allow their teams to work in self-service mode, and IT ops are finding themselves in reactive mode. They have to support them, make their internal processes more fluid and dynamic, and leveraging technology that allows that kind of dynamism.
IT really has to get in front of this. They have to manage all this.
Gardner: So, Mark, it sounds as if cloud isn't just a new way of doing computing, it's really changing the way IT is defined.
Shoemaker: Absolutely. Just to add to Venkat's comment, we're seeing the business driving IT and demanding that agility and that flexibility. We talk to a lot of our customers, where their own coworkers have taken corporate credit cards and gone out into the public cloud, procured space, and have begun developing outside of them. IT really has to get in front of this. They have to manage all this.
Gardner: One of the things that's been interesting for me in watching this unfold is how, not that long ago, IT only had to compete with its past record. As long as they were showing improvements, riding Moore's Law, getting higher productivity, then everyone was pretty satisfied. Now, the competition for IT is not necessarily against its past track record, but they are competing against these other cloud providers, whether it's for platform as a service (PaaS) or spinning off into actual deployment.
Back to you, Venkat. IT really can't sit around and wait. They're now under the gun to accelerate the way in which they go about change in terms of a private cloud type of a development and deployment capability.
Devraj: That's right. It's easy to say that, though, because when you look at this picture a little more closely, you find that the third-party companies, the cloud providers, the pure-play server enablers, have an unfair advantage. Because they were started relatively recently, in the last few years, they have the advantage of standardized platforms and delivery units.
A lot to deliver
They can say, "Okay, I'm going to deliver only Linux-based platforms, Windows-based platforms, or certain applications." When you look at the typical enterprise today, IT has a lot more to deliver. There is a lot of prevailing heterogeneity in terms of multiple software platforms and versions. There is a lack of standardization. It's very difficult to talk about cloud and delivery within the enterprise in the same breath, when you look at these kinds of technical challenges.
As a result, IT is undergoing a lot of pressure -- but they have to deliver given the kind of challenges that they face. That's going to require a lot of education and access to the right kind of technology, training, and guidance. That's where HP really comes into help.
Gardner: So this pressure on IT now can't necessarily lead them to leap before they look. This is still something they need to do with a great deal of planning and foresight. The governance needs to be in place.
Mark, tell me about what needs to come together in order for IT internally to progress toward cloud models, but at low risk, and perhaps transform the way they manage things, so that the services can be created swiftly, but without it being some sort of complexity at the same time.
Shoemaker: The one thing that's different about cloud is that it really is a supply chain. It's the supply chain of IT technology that the business consumes. If you think about what a supply chain is, it's something that's got to be repeatable. As you said, it has to be governed, to some extent, and it provides a baseline or foundation and building blocks to build those services that you can then customize on top of the business.
So, the farther up that you can go with your standard building blocks, the less difficult it is to manage and focus on the custom business-facing functions on the front-end.
To do this, cloud has helped us out in a lot of ways. One of the challenges IT has always had is to get the business to consume standards. Because of a lot of hype in the market, the business absolutely is convinced that they get it and they want the business benefits that cloud offers.
To consume that, as you said, you have to start with standards. I'd wager that the majority of technology inside of most of our data centers, as much as 70 percent, is the same every time. It's the same hardware, a lot of the same software, and a lot of the same application packages.
You have to look at your total footprint and understand what those common elements are and then start building those inside the cloud catalog or the inventory of what would be consumed inside of the cloud. These can be OS images with applications, common applications, like SQL Server or Apache Web Server, that then get loaded into the service catalog. That's what the developers or whoever the users are going to be get to select.
So, you control the base building blocks, and then they get consumed and can be developed on top of. Does that make sense?
Gardner: It does. It sounds like it's really something that's aligned with these multiple clouds and sourcing options as well, whether it's hybrid, private, public, because if things align with that service catalog, regardless of where the services originate, there is that opportunity to leverage them, but in some sort of a managed fashion.
Shoemaker: You're right. One of the things you can't overlook is the fact that the business is the same. We want cloud, and IT is not ready for it. Even if the business decides to go to a public cloud, they still have to consume those elements in a standard fashion. There's no way out of that.
Doesn't work like that
We got kind of spoiled with virtualization, because there is that big physical-to-virtual (P2V) button, where you could take a physical server and basically pull it into a virtual image on another physical server. The cloud doesn't work like that. There is no P2V button inside a cloud. Cloud has to be manageable, and to do that, you have to be able to set some standards and get those building blocks together to be offered.
Devraj: One of the things I see, to add to Mark's point, is that a lot of CIOs look at the standardization part as something they need to solve before they embark on the cloud journey. That's one way of doing it. Definitely, you try to get some standardization in place, applying the 70/30 rule, as Mark alluded to.
But, it is also important to remember that the cloud requires a different set of dynamics, a lot more pragmatic approach, wherein CIOs need to look at standardization as a process that they undertake as part of the journey towards the cloud, rather than trying to do it all upfront.
If they take one of their mission-critical applications, that's a natural starting point. They look at, does this meet the requirement of being able to deliver value within a certain amount of time? Does it meet the requirement of being very close to the business users, being in high demand, and a lot of IT work goes into maintaining and managing that application stack. If that's the right candidate for moving to the cloud, then they have to decide how do they do that? Having P2V like capabilities is one option.
It is also important to remember that the cloud requires a different set of dynamics, a lot more pragmatic approach.
The other option is that there are lots of application modernization capabilities that HP and Stratavia have brought to the table. One of the examples that I'd like to talk about is a lift-and-shift capability, where you can take a composite application running on a legacy environment like Sybase, for example. Let's say that Sybase is not part of the cloud implementation. They can choose to have that Sybase database converted in a fairly lights-out manner to a SQL Server or an Oracle environment and then launch it into the cloud.
So, there is a little bit of standardization as part of the journey towards the cloud that IT managers and stakeholders need to look at.
Gardner: You mentioned Stratavia, and for the benefit of our listeners, HP has now acquired Stratavia, and there was also quite a bit of product and service news on Sept. 15 around BSA.
Mark, why don't you give us a recap, before we delve a little bit more into this methodology, and the crawl, walk, run approach to this that Venkat is getting at. Let's get into the news and then come to that strategic and technical discussion.
Shoemaker: Several things have happened in the last 60 days. Obviously, we had VMworld and we presented a cohesive strategy for infrastructure and even PaaS built on the BladeSystem Matrix hardware platform that we have, Converged Infrastructure. We've combined that with two other pieces and a piece of Cloud Service Automation (CSA) software.
The other pieces, and it goes back to what Venkat is talking about as the how-to, is a thing we call CloudStart, which is a consulting and a professional services-led engagement, where we come in and work with the customer to get that transformation process nailed, so we can quickly get them moving into the cloud benefits.
On the back end of that, there is another piece that we announced called Cloud Maps, which is really more knowledge, but in a different capacity, in that it offers downloadable templates, preconfigured applications, and best practices for sizing.
Cloud is a solution
As you said, if you had an application that you wanted to shift, or lift and shift to cloud, it's our best practices about sizing and other things around common applications like Outlook, SAP, and some others, that we are constantly adding to. We see the Stratavia acquisition fueling that fire, because in the end, cloud is a solution, and a solution needs content, and content wins. Content is what the customer is able to consume and use day one, when the solution is in. So it's important. We've done a lot there.
Obviously, the Stratavia acquisition was a huge, huge win for us, and puts us in a great position to help our customers transform their infrastructure.
Gardner: Mark, you painted a big picture of where these announcements go, but what are some of the constituent parts?
Shoemaker: We've been really busy over the last two months. We've had significant announcements at VMworld around the BladeSystem Matrix, where we have now got Converged Infrastructure and we have embedded the CSA software inside of it, combined that with the best practices on the front-end, and what you need to get up and running, and then the templates and the quick start pieces on the back-end, to really let you establish a cloud offering quickly.
But, all that sits on a recently refreshed BSA portfolio, with significant enhancements and new capabilities across network, automations, servers, and storage, that really makes all this happen. It's really the brains and the heavy lifting of what goes on to manage infrastructure, whether it's in a cloud or not.
On top of that, we've got a best-in-class content provider in Stratavia that's come on board to help round out the capabilities and add more into what the customer can get out of our solutions in very quick order.
All that sits on a recently refreshed BSA portfolio, with significant enhancements and new capabilities across network, automations, servers, and storage, that really makes all this happen.
Gardner: Let's delve into that a bit. Venkat, you've come to HP Software & Solutions from Stratavia. Tell me about Stratavia and what it brings to the table in terms of this larger equation that Mark just described in terms of a progression towards cloud?
Devraj: Sure, Dana. As Mark mentioned, HP already has a very comprehensive set of technology platforms within BSA, as well as consulting capacity and educational prowess. However, the gap that existed was around specific domain knowledge and out-of-the-box content to manage specific composite application software stacks within the cloud.
These include being able to enable provisioning config management of heterogeneous database and middleware products, doing things such as code releases, performing maintenance work, and other functions around these stacks, in self-service and lights-out mode.
At Stratavia, that was precisely the area of focus. We had built a patented technology to manage and control varied software stacks, such as databases, web servers, application servers, and even well-known packaged applications, including Microsoft Exchange, Oracle E-Business Suite, and SAP.
The software used by these enterprises, which are common customers for both Stratavia and HP, tends to be disparate, heterogeneous, and requires a lot of domain knowledge to be able to manage, resulting in significant delays and bottlenecks associated with service delivery. Those processes just don't scale in the cloud.
Different platforms
For example, just at the database layer, within the enterprise, it's very common to see four or five different platforms in use, such as DB2, SQL Server, Oracle, and so on. By automating the operations management lifecycle around these layers, Stratavia made it possible for the enterprise to deliver and manage these assets as a service within the context of the cloud. As more and more of HP's and Stratavia's joint customers started seeing value in that capability, HP brought Stratavia into its BSA/Business Technology Optimization umbrella.
Gardner: Mark, let's pull this back into this notion of being able to get to cloud quickly. IT is under pressure, and there are new kinds of competition, even competing against other companies that have had more of a greenfield approach. A startup might be able to get into cloud benefits much sooner, so there is another element of competition there.
But, to attain these cloud values without risk what is it about the announcements on the 15th that you think really is sort of the lynchpin to that? I am thinking that CloudStart, being able to manage as a service, coupled with whatever you have got on premises is part of that, but I would like to hear what your thoughts are.
Shoemaker: It's really about taking our experience, dealing with numerous customers in this area, and being able to apply into your IT. So we give them a running start at cloud, rather than trying to figure out everything.
Face it, a lot of the CIOs are looking at a data center that's packed full of applications that they probably don't feel as if they have got a good handle on. Now, cloud is coming into the picture, and they've got two things to do here. Number one, they need to start applying those new business methodologies to IT around providing cloud and the things that go with that, but also they have got a transformation piece to go along. And that can be very daunting.
We can quickly take the customer through the book of our experiences and best practices, help them get that plan, start that transformation, and look at the applications that can be pulled over, what needs to be modernized or what needs to be standardized.
What we've done is looked at the experience of helping previous customers do that work and we have applied that into the CloudStart and Cloud Maps, CloudStart being the planning and the upfront work that you need to get done.
So, we're right there with you. You don't have to read chapter one of the book.
Then, as we put the infrastructure in with CSA for Matrix in the frame, we're embedding some of the CSA software inside of the Blade Matrix frame. So, you've got a way to build infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and manage it through the platform throughout the lifecycle.
Then, on the back end of that, we've got the preconfigured application templates. If I need a SQL Server image to put into the system, I can pull that from Cloud Maps, build it into a framework and offer that very quickly. I don't have to go and figure out how to size for this piece or what golden template looks like for this application.
It's really about a running start into the cloud, and one that's not going to leave you wanting in a year or two. You have to be careful. Cloud is a great enablement technology and a lot of people are looking at IaaS, but that's the starting point for it, and then you have to manage everything that you put inside of that as well.
Gardner: Venkat, a similar question to you. What do you feel is the most important aspect or lynchpin to being able to get to cloud fast, but without it spinning out of control and/or being able to scale, if in fact you are successful?
Devraj: There are a couple of things that become key areas. Number one, you have to be able to integrate with an existing ecosystem within the enterprise.
Companies have already spent millions and millions of dollars over the last several years on things like monitoring systems, ticketing systems, metering systems, and service catalogs. So the technology that they adopt for the cloud cannot be a radical redefinition of these existing assets. They have to be able to leverage these assets, where it makes sense, and tie them all together.
Number two, the new value that the cloud brings in comes in through out-of-the-box content. The out-of-the-box content needs to be able to manage and control all the layers of the cloud stack. The one thing that the cloud doesn't change dramatically is that in order to deliver IT services, you still have to do it with network, storage, servers, databases, web servers, and application servers.
These are the fundamental building blocks and they have to be brought together using out-of-the-box content, automation content, as well as doing it in a manner where the application language is presented through a service catalog to the end users. The application that drives the business has to be the de-facto delivery unit for the cloud.
So both the out-of-the-box content and integration are the two main lynchpin areas in my opinion.
The whole content that I talk about becomes an abstraction layer, where the customer, the end user, the people who consume the services, see a very easy to understand service catalog.
Gardner: I guess it gives you that opportunity to keep the plane flying while changing the wings, as it were. So, you can go to a cloud model but you are really using the same technologies and assets, you are just perhaps abstracting them a little bit.
Devraj: Precisely. The whole content that I talk about becomes an abstraction layer, where the customer, the end user, the people who consume the services, see a very easy to understand service catalog. They can click on it. They can choose some menu options, some values from a drop-down box, and then specify exactly what they need, and have the response come back in minutes and in hours, rather than days and weeks, as is traditionally the case.
Gardner: Mark, as Executive Program Manager for Cloud, you've been traveling around the world quite a bit. We're talking about this in sort of a theoretical mode, but how about on the street? Are there folks who are doing this now? What are their experiences? What sort of paybacks are they getting, and is the business noticing?
Shoemaker: There's good news on all those fronts. Yes, we're talking with and helping a lot of our customers start to move into the cloud and move down that path.
I'll be honest with you. A lot of people we talk to are looking at drawing that line in the sand and creating those new standard services that the business can start to consume, but there are a couple of things.
Number one, it buys them some breathing room. The business is putting pressure on them to move into the cloud. The second part is that it lets them get experience on how things work and how they are going to work inside the cloud, because then it lets them go back, look at their legacy infrastructure and application portfolio, and try to figure out how that's going to transform over time.
Some things will stay
We've talked about it in previous conversations. Everything doesn't move into the cloud. Some things are going to stay in the physical elements. Some things will stay virtual, things that you've already virtualized and that you really can't standardize.
Then you've got cloud. As Venkat said, everything from the physical, all the way up to the application, whether it's in the physical infrastructure or the virtual or the cloud, still has to be managed, every element that you perform today. Compliance, patching, all of the service level management, being able to barebones provision servers, all of that is still going to occur in the data center, and we really have to pay attention.
Taking that first step, creating those new services, and building on those for the new applications that come in does a good job of pulling the rest of it, and lets the IT organization become more familiar with what it takes and raises their success ratio.
Gardner: Venkat, a similar question to you. For those folks who have already been progressing in this direction, doing this the proper way, what are some of the paybacks that they get and how well does both IT and the business benefit?
Devraj: One of the things I am seeing, Dana, is that there is a lot of qualitative analysis being done in this area. A lot of the customers that I work with are not sure yet what the baseline is for success in the cloud, given the newness of it and the rapidly changing definition of the cloud. So, not a lot of people are able to have publishable metrics that they can stand behind and say that this is the value that they've got.
In data warehousing, there is a saying that data never lies. That is true with cloud deployments as well.
A lot of them are in a wait and watch, or pilot, mode, and they're doing what I call a micro-cloud implementation, wherein they take a subset of their environment and do a pilot around a cloud deployment.
This is the data point that we're seeing. Of course there is a lot more maturity in some retail environments, for example, financial services, banking, insurance, etc., but a lot of it is wait and watch and there is a lot of qualitative stuff that's going around. I'd love to see them apply some financial discipline and get some quantitative data around it, based on things like their ticketing system.
In data warehousing, there is a saying that data never lies. That is true with cloud deployments as well. Enterprises already have a wealth of data in their ticketing system, their incident management systems, and their change management systems, regarding which applications and environments are consuming the most IT admin time, which are violating the service level requirements of end user business teams the most, and which require the most caring and feeding.
One school of thought that will help them enable more quantitative analysis and measuring ROI would be to start the deployment with an application that offers the biggest bang for the buck.
They could start reviewing and mining their ticketing system data and choose the environment that cost the most to deploy and manage and maintain and has the toughest problems related to service level agreements (SLAs) and get those guys into the cloud.
Another school of thought is all about being risk averse and safe. Start with your least strategic system and get that into that cloud. If that works, fine. Then, you can start going to better, bigger, and harder to solve problems.
Either way the data is there
Either way, whichever is the approach that companies can adopt, the data is already is there in the ticketing systems and incident and change management systems. What is required is some level of guidance and education for these companies to start tracking this data and approaching this problem in a quantitative and easy-to-measure approach. Then, we should start seeing a lot more success stories that come out of the market.
Gardner: That, of course, will build on itself, and we'll see adoption patterns emerge. We look forward to charting that along the way.
Mark, how do folks get started? Any thoughts about where some resources are, how to educate yourself and to recognize that this is comprehensive? This isn't necessarily a piece that you plug in. You really have to think about the strategic and holistic view of doing this?
Shoemaker: This is similar to a lot of the things we have been talking about for the last few years. Cloud is an evolutionary process for IT. We've been talking about service-oriented architecture (SOA) and we have been talking a lot to our customers about data center automation over the last few years. Cloud just builds on that.
A lot of the different methods, no matter what they are, are what we already know inside of IT, and are what HP has been helping customers with. We've got significant experience and significant mindshare in workshops that we can help with. From the point of view where, "I don't know what cloud is, but I know I need to do something," we've got one-day workshops that can come in and help educate.
You have to make sure you put in place a closed-loop process that's going to allow you to be successful without all those hands in the middle of it, because you're not going to be able to keep up with it.
We've got longer engagements that come in and work with our customers to look at their processes and their level of maturity, along with the complexity in their applications, and help them build a set of steps that help them move into cloud.
Certainly, with what we've announced, with IaaS, with our rich legacy of data center automation, which really is what CSA is built on, we have got a history of providing ROI for customers around this. Cloud builds on that, but adds some challenges. There are a lot fewer human hands in the middle of it. Cloud's whole purpose is to run on its own.
You have to make sure you put in place a closed-loop process that's going to allow you to be successful without all those hands in the middle of it, because you're not going to be able to keep up with it. Plus, the customer is your actuation point. They push the button to get this thing going.
Leveraging the experience that we have, a great investment and the series of workshops we work with our customers on, being able to pull in the Converged Infrastructure offering, the transformation technology that we have, applying the cloud experience, and now bringing in the content maturity that Stratavia brings to the table for us, really just makes this a one-stop shop for what you need to do to transform.
Gardner: Venkat, last word to you. Given that automation is such a big part of this, what would you say is sort of an important stepping stone or a bridge to being automated in this and not stumbling in terms of sprawl or complexity? So, the question is how to be mindful about automation, as you progress towards these cloud values?
Devraj: The key thing to be mindful of is, what are the admins doing today that makes the environment run like clockwork. If you look at most IT enterprises, most of the people working there are very hardworking. They do a lot of good things. They do a lot of right things. And, they do that because of a lot of tribal knowledge that they have in their heads.
So, when you approach automation, one has to be very cognizant of the value that these people bring to the table. There is a level of education that's required that tells them not to be threatened. It's not about job loss when automation comes in, but it's about job improvement.
Big gap
When you talk about improvement, there's a big gap in IT today, which is IT/Ops Engineering or IT/Ops Architecture. That's a big missing silo within IT/Ops. And lot of the operators today that rely on scripts, command-line stuff, and point-and-click tools need to evolve themselves to more of an architect approach. They need more of taking stock of the big picture, and taking the tribal knowledge that they have in their heads and looking at the out-of-the-box content that HP provides and selecting the right content that corresponds to their tribal knowledge.
When they go into the cloud, the underlying management, things like compliance and governance, are not out of whack. They're able to successfully take that knowledge, put it in there, and then, in their new role as architects or engineering folks, they're able to watch, measure, and make modifications as appropriate.
So, the role that people play, that key subject matter experts play, is very crucial as part of walking before running with automation.
Gardner: Very good. We've been discussing finding the path to low-risk, but high-reward cloud-computing adoption. We have been enjoying the thoughts and leadership from HP's Software & Solutions Group. I want to thank our panelists, Mark Shoemaker, Executive Program Manager for Cloud Computing at the Software & Solutions Group at HP. Thank you, Mark.
Shoemaker: Great, Dana. Thanks so much. I appreciate your time.
Gardner: And also Venkat Devraj, Chief Technology Officer for Application Automation at HP Software & Solutions. Thank you so much.
Devraj: Dana, Mark, thank you very much. I enjoyed the discussion.
Gardner: This is Dana Gardner, Principal Analyst at Interarbor Solutions. You've been listening to a sponsored BriefingsDirect podcast. Thanks for listening, and come back next time.
Transcript of a sponsored BriefingsDirect podcast on the role of effective management in moving enterprise applications to the cloud. Copyright Interarbor Solutions, LLC, 2005-2010. All rights reserved.
Shoemaker on how HP CSA Aids Total Visibility in Services Management Lifecycle for Cloud Computing
HP Business Service Automation portfolio gives IT the tools it needs to compete with clouds
HP eyes automated apps deployment, 'standardized' private cloud creation with integrated CloudStart package
HP adds new consulting services to smooth the enterprise path to cloud adoption
Labels: BriefingsDirect, BSA, business service automation, Cloud computing, Dana Gardner, HP, Interarbor Solutions, Mark Shoemaker, Venkat Devraj
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text:
Volunteer Officers
Crafting a fun holiday fair in Framingham
By Jonathan Phelps
Daily News Staff
Posted Dec. 13, 2014 @ 7:43 pm
FRAMINGHAM undefined Peggy Holland of Framingham decided to get some of her Christmas shopping done Saturday at the Framingham Auxiliary Police's annual holiday craft fair.
She said there was a great variety of products at good prices.
"I think it is amazing they can find so many craftspeople," Holland said, who has gone to the fair for the past three years. "There is a lot."
The main hallway and gym of the Joseph P. Keefe Technical High School was transformed into a shopping destination for the day with more than 200 vendors selling everything from jewelry to soaps and scarves.
Capt. Marc Spigel, of the auxiliary police, expected the event, in its 27th year, to draw 1,500 to 2,000 people.
"We are very happy... and the customers who come to do their shopping are happy as well," he said.
Spigal said many vendors and customers come every year.
"They look forward to it," he said.
The $2.50 admission goes to training, equipment and uniforms for the auxiliary police, Spigal said. The volunteer officers provide approximately 4,000 hours of community service to the town each year.
Roberta Kwiatkowski of Framingham has been a vendor at the fair for three years. She was selling decorative paintings, ornaments and candle holders.
"There has been a lot of people," she said of the turnout.
She said she's been painting for more than 20 years and enjoys selling her products at the fair.
"It is an impressive fair. There is a lot of variety," Kwiatkowski said.
Members of the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Support also organized a blood drive.
"People are here getting gifts so we thought, 'Why not give the gift of life?'" said group member Amanda Morrissette.
She said the drive was very successful last year.
Holland said the fair can be exhausting. "You'll be worn out by the end," she said.
Jonathan Phelps can be reached at 508-626-4338 or jphelps@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @JPhelps_MW.
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/article/20141213/NEWS/141218134
© Massachusetts Volunteer Law Enforcement Officer Association, Inc.


text:
Accelerograful este un accelerometru care măsoară și înregistrează valorile succesive ale accelerației. Un exemplu foarte cunoscut este seismograful.

Instrumente de măsură
Electrotechnică|Electronică

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The original filling in Twinkies was banana. It was replaced by vanilla-flavored cream during World War II, when the United States experienced a banana shortage.
The canning process for herring was developed in Sardinia, which is why canned herrings are better known as sardines.


text:
Rainbow Six: Siege Operation Burnt Horizon Details
Source: Blue's News
At yesterday's Six Invitational 2019 tournament, Ubisoft unveiled details about Year 4 Season 1 for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege. The first look at Operation Burnt Horizon the other day with the release of a new Gridlock & Mozzie trailer, and they follow this with a new CGI trailer called "The Hammer and the Scalpel." There's a post on the Ubisoft website with more on the plan another trailer showing off gameplay. For those who cannot wait for this new content to officially launch, a test server is going up today with a chance to help vet this before it's ready to go live. Here are the details:
Today, at the Six Invitational 2019, Ubisoft announced the full details of Season 1 of Year 4 of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege. Operation Burnt Horizon introduces an all-new Attacker and Defender from the Australian SASR Mobility Platoon, Gridlock and Mozzie. These two new operators come with a new map, Outback, a homage to all the lonely service stations and motels along the forgotten highways across Australia's beautiful sun-soaked land. Year 4 Season 1 also brings a new Elite Set for Operator Hibana, including an Onkochishin uniform and a new victory animation and weapon skin.
Operation Burnt Horizon brings two new Operators, the Attacker Gridlock and the Defender Mozzie, both friends for years in the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) Platoon. Gridlock uses Trax Stingers, a portable version of road spikes that when activated, deploys a hexagonal cluster of spikes. When Defenders step on them, the Trax Stingers deal damage and slow them, making this gadget a good map control tool. In the meantime, Mozzie can deploy a Pest Launcher. When launched, the Pest latches onto the nearest enemy drone and obscures its camera. The Pest then initiates an override sequence to hack the drone and grant full control to Mozzie.
Alongside these two new Operators, Burnt Horizon introduces the map Outback, a lonely service station forgotten on one of Australia's iconic motorways. Outback is divided into three distinct sections – the Garage, the Motel, and the Restaurant – all of which are unique and distinctly recognizable, even from a distance. Outback is a medium-sized map, so players won't need to go far to find alternative routes. Packed with twists, turns, and Australiana, Outback is filled with unexpected corners and souvenirs from the Great Southern Land.
The Test Server for Operation Burnt Horizon will go live on February 18th. The Test Server is an alternative version of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege, allowing players to test upcoming gameplay features that will make their way into the main game itself. Since this is a testing environment, a consistent gameplay experience is not guaranteed on the Test Server. Players are invited to submit the issues they encounter on the Test Server on the R6 Fix platform. The Test Server is exclusive to Windows PC.
For more information about Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege, please visit rainbow6.com.
First-Person Shooters Rainbow Six: Siege | permalink
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