text:
Q: How can I create Kubernetes load balancer with an ephemeral IP in GKE? How can I configure a LoadBalancer to retrieve a ephemeral rather than static IP?
I need this so I don't have to WAIT FOR GOOGLE TO INCREASE THE QUOTA FROM 1 IP ADDRRESS... (It's been a long day...)
  Normal   EnsuringLoadBalancer        3m (x7 over 8m)  service-controller  Ensuring load balancer
  Warning  CreatingLoadBalancerFailed  3m (x7 over 8m)  service-controller  Error creating load balancer (will retry): failed to ensure load balancer for service default/subzero-react: failed to ensure a static IP for load balancer (*****************(default/subzero-react)): error creating gce static IP address: googleapi: Error 403: Quota 'STATIC_ADDRESSES' exceeded. Limit: 1.0 in region us-central1., quotaExceeded

Upon removing the loadBalancerIp field and recreating the service, it still remains in pending.
This is the output of kubectl get service ****** -o yaml:
kubectl get service **** -o yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  annotations:
    kubectl.kubernetes.io/last-applied-configuration: |
      {"apiVersion":"v1","kind":"Service","metadata":{"annotations":{},"labels":{"app":"api"},"name":"subzero-react","namespace":"default"},"spec":{"ports":[{"name":"http","port":80}],"selector":{"app":"initial-pp3subzero"},"type":"LoadBalancer"}}
  creationTimestamp: 2018-11-19T18:04:24Z
  labels:
    app: api
  name: *****************
  namespace: default
  resourceVersion: "584211"
  selfLink: /api/v1/namespaces/default/services/**********
  uid: 8c140d40-ec25-11e8-b7b3-42010a8000c2
spec:
  clusterIP: 10.7.242.176
  externalTrafficPolicy: Cluster
  ports:
  - name: http
    nodePort: 31853
    port: 80
    protocol: TCP
    targetPort: 80
  selector:
    app: ******************
  sessionAffinity: None
  type: LoadBalancer
status:
  loadBalancer: {}

A: To not assign a static IP on a GCP load balancer with Kubernetes (default behavior) you generally don't need to specify anything in the loadBalancerIP service spec as described here and here.
You can delete your service and re-create it without the loadBalancerIP or you can patch it:
$ kubectl patch service <service-name> -p '{"spec": { "loadBalancerIP": null }}'


text:
Latest Prince Harry News and Updates
Royal Family Might Make 'Temporary Reconciliation' With Prince Harry For King Charles' 'Important' Coronation: Expert
The royal family may 'temporarily' forgive Prince Harry and allow him to attend King Charles' coronation, expert claimed.
By Rebecca Friedman Jan. 25 2023, Published 4:38 p.m. ET
'Harry & Meghan' Director Slams Palace For Trying 'To Discredit' Doc: 'They Said We Didn't Reach Out For Comment When We Did'
Despite the palace's denial, Liz Garbus insists the monarchy was able to give a comment on the Netflix docuseries.
By Stephanie Kaplan Jan. 25 2023, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Won't Appear On Balcony If They're Invited To King Charles' Coronation, Source Claims
Buckingham Palace released an official statement on the coronation just a fews days ago.
By Stephanie Kaplan Jan. 23 2023, Published 10:00 p.m. ET
Prince Harry Trashes Elvis' 'Claustrophobic' Graceland Home In Memoir: 'Interior Designer Must've Been On Acid'
The Duke of Sussex isn't impressed by the property the King of Rock and Roll called home.
Kate Middleton Feels 'Betrayed' By Prince Harry's Memoir, Claims Insider: 'She Doesn't Even Recognize This Person Harry's Become'
An insider says Kate Middleton and Prince William are 'sick to their stomachs' over the allegations Prince Harry makes in his memoir.
Buckingham Palace Fuming Over Prince Harry's Decision To Include Heated Private Messages Between Meghan Markle & Kate Middleton, Spills Source
Prince Harry discussed Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton's heated back-and-forth in his memoir, 'Spare.'
By Nikki Schuster Jan. 18 2023, Published 12:30 p.m. ET
Prince William Steps Out For First Solo Appearance As Aftermath Of Prince Harry's 'Spare' Release Rages On
One week after Prince Harry released his bombshell tell-all, Prince William made his first solo appearance.
By Nikki Schuster Jan. 17 2023, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
King Charles III Will Likely 'Do Something Decisive' To Put Prince Harry Drama Behind Him, Royal Expert Spills
A royal expert is encouraging King Charles III to channel Queen Elizabeth II and take charge of the situation at hand.
By Nikki Schuster Jan. 17 2023, Published 11:00 a.m. ET
Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Dismiss Jeremy Clarkson's Apology, Point Out His History Of 'Spreading Hate Rhetoric And Misogyny'
A rep for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle noted that broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson has a history of 'writing articles that spread hate rhetoric.'
By Stephanie Kaplan Jan. 17 2023, Published 10:32 a.m. ET
Prince Harry Admits He 'Felt Sick' When Prince William Tried To Cancel Traditional Pre-Wedding Dinner
In Prince Harry's memoir, he admitted he was in disbelief when Prince William nearly canceled their dinner before his and Meghan Markle's wedding.
Royal Family Urging Prince Harry & Prince William To Have 'Sit Down' Before King Charles' Coronation, Spills Source
Buckingham Palace is reportedly hoping estranged brothers Harry and William can work things out in time for King Charles' May event.
'Would Be Like Setting Off A Nuclear Bomb': Why Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Were Snubbed From Los Angeles BAFTA Party
An insider claims Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attending the BAFTA event 'would be like setting off a nuclear bomb.'
Chelsea Handler Roasts Nick Cannon, Prince Harry & More At 2023 Critics' Choice Awards
Chelsea Handler had a lot to say about some of the buzziest pop culture moments of this year.
By Jaclyn Roth Jan. 15 2023, Published 8:16 p.m. ET
'Spare' Revelations: Everything Prince Harry Said About His Feud With Brother Prince William
While Prince Harry's memoir took aim at several family members, no one is mentioned more than his older brother, Prince William.
Prince Harry Reveals He Excluded Stories About Prince William From Book Because He Didn't Want 'The World To Know'
Prince Harry's bombshell memoir, 'Spare,' hit shelves Tuesday, January 10.
Is Kate Middleton Shading Prince Harry? Princess Of Wales States Talking To A Therapist 'Doesn't Work For Some People'
Kate Middleton expressed her thoughts about 'talk therapy' two days after Prince Harry released his memoir.
Stoic King Charles Steps Out For First Public Appearance Since Prince Harry Dropped Bombshell Memoir 'Spare'
King Charles III paid a visit to the Mid-Deeside Community Shed in Aboyne, Scotland, on Thursday, January 12.
'Spare' Fallout: Tailor Admits Team Worked 'For 4 Days Until 4 A.M.' To Fix Dresses After Meghan Markle & Kate Middleton's Tiff
The tailor who was in charge of the bridesmaids dresses for the Sussexes' wedding is coming clean about the behind-the-scenes drama.
Here's One Word Prince Harry 'NEVER' Should Have Said In Tell-All Interview With Anderson Cooper
Prince Harry exposed his inner truth during the royal's bombshell interview with Anderson Cooper on Sunday, January 8.
By Rebecca Friedman Jan. 12 2023, Updated 11:55 a.m. ET
King Charles 'Distraught' Over Prince Harry Dragging Camilla's Name Through The Mud In 'Spare': 'It's Put Him In A Terrible Position,' Spills Source
Prince Harry referred to stepmother Camilla Parker Bowles as 'dangerous' in his tell-all, which hit shelves earlier this week.
Prince Harry's Ghost Writer Defends 'Inadvertent Mistakes Between Interpretation & Fact' In Bombshell Memoir
Prince Harry reflected on his past in his memoir, 'Spare,' which was released Tuesday, January 10.
By Rebecca Friedman Jan. 12 2023, Published 9:38 a.m. ET
Prince Harry Admits He Hasn't Spoken To Stepmother Camilla 'In A Long Time': 'She's Done Everything To Improve Her Own Reputation'
Prince Harry admitted he hasn't spoken to his stepmother, Camilla, 'in a long time.'
By Jaclyn Roth Jan. 12 2023, Updated 5:43 a.m. ET
Prince Harry Admits Absence Of A 'C**k Cushion' Led To His Frostbitten 'Man-Piece' At Brother's 2011 Royal Wedding
Prince Harry returned from the North Pole in 2011 to discover he had succumbed to a painful case of frostbite on his penis.
By Rebecca Friedman Jan. 11 2023, Published 10:00 p.m. ET
Palace Staff Staunchly 'Sticking To Their Story' That Meghan Markle Is A 'Bully': Source
Rumors of Meghan Markle's allegedly cruel behavior swirled back in 2018 after the couple's then-assistant reported her.
By Alexandra Stone Jan. 11 2023, Published 6:59 p.m. ET
Princess Diana's Ex Butler 'Doesn't Recognize' Prince Harry Anymore: 'I See An Angry Privileged Prince'
Princess Diana's ex-butler slammed Prince Harry for airing out his dirty laundry in his new book, 'Spare.'
'Ridiculous' Prince Harry Blasted For Making A Mockery Of Monarchy In 'Late Show' Trumpet Skit: 'You Are A Disgrace'
Prince Harry's pre-taped interview with Stephen Colbert aired Tuesday night, January 10.
Prince Harry Insists Princess Diana Would've Prevented His Fallout With Prince William If She Was Still Alive
During Prince Harry's appearance on Stephen Colbert's late night show, he candidly discussed his current family dynamic.
Fans Slam Prince Harry For Skipping Out On Live Appearance & Pre-Taping 'Late Show' Sit-Down
Audience members were displeased to find out they would not be seeing Prince Harry's 'Late Show' interview live.
By Molly Claire Goddard Jan. 11 2023, Published 12:30 p.m. ET
Prince Harry Shows Off Necklace Prince William Allegedly Broke During Heated Argument — Watch
Prince Harry showed off the necklace Prince William allegedly broke during a heated argument in 2019.
By Jaclyn Roth Jan. 11 2023, Published 11:17 a.m. ET
Prince William 'Doesn't Even Recognize His Own Brother Anymore' After Prince Harry's Book Release, Spills Source
Prince Harry aired out his dirty laundry with Prince William in his memoir, 'Spare,' released Tuesday, January 10.
Kate Middleton Appears Unfazed During First Sighting Since Prince Harry's Memoir Release
Prince Harry dropped multiple bombshells about Kate Middleton and the royal family in his memoir, 'Spare.'
By Rebecca Friedman Jan. 11 2023, Published 10:00 a.m. ET
Prince Harry Confirms He Watches & 'Fact Checks' Netflix's 'The Crown'
Prince Harry let some of his viewing habits slip to Stephen Colbert during his late night appearance.
By Molly Claire Goddard Jan. 11 2023, Published 9:31 a.m. ET
A Smile To 'Spare!' Prince Harry Bares Cheeky Grin After 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' Taping
Prince Harry's 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' appearance airs Tuesday, January 10, following his memoir's release.
Prince Harry Reveals Prince William Wasn't His Best Man At 2018 Wedding
Prince Harry revealed Prince William wasn't his best man at his 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle.
Meghan Markle Wore 'Little' Makeup To Meet Queen Consort Camilla As King Charles 'Didn't Approve Of Women Who Wore A Lot'
Prince Harry recalled the first moments Meghan Markle met each member of the royal family in his memoir, 'Spare.'
Prince Harry Claims King Charles Used To Do Half-Naked Handstands To Manage Chronic Pain
Prince Harry dropped bombshells about his royal family in his newly released memoir, 'Spare.'
Queen Consort Camilla Is 'Astounded' By Prince Harry's Bombshell Claims, Insider Reveals
Queen Consort Camilla is 'astounded' by Prince Harry's bombshell claims, an insider revealed.
By OK! Staff Jan. 10 2023, Published 12:00 p.m. ET
Meghan Markle Initially Thought Prince Andrew Was Queen Elizabeth's Assistant, Prince Harry Reveals
Prince Harry described his wife Meghan Markle's initially clueless encounters with the royal family in his memoir.
The Biggest Bombshells From Prince Harry's Memoir
Prince Harry didn't hold back when it came to spilling the tea about the royal family.
By OK! Staff Jan. 10 2023, Published 11:23 a.m. ET
Prince Harry Wants Archie & Lilibet To Have 'Relationships' With Royal Family Members: 'I Would Love Nothing More'
Despite being estranged from the royals at this time, Prince Harry is hoping his kids will have a chance to know their family.
Prince Harry Reveals Meghan Markle & Kate Middleton's Heated Pre-Wedding Texts Which Made His Wife Sob 'On The Floor'
Prince Harry provided insight on tensions between Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton in his memoir, 'Spare.'
Prince William 'Cannot Forgive' Prince Harry 'For Things He's Written' In Memoir, Claims Journalist: 'A Line Has Been Crossed'
Royal expert Katie Nicholl believes the allegations Prince Harry makes in his memoir will prevent a family reconciliation.
By Stephanie Kaplan Jan. 9 2023, Published 9:00 p.m. ET
'He Always Wants It Both Ways': Royal Expert Calls Out Prince Harry For Hoping To Speak To Prince William In 'Private' After Releasing Juicy Memoir
Prince Harry was called out for hoping to speak to his brother, Prince William, in private after he released bombshells in new memoir.
By OK! Staff Jan. 9 2023, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Prince William Wants To 'Release A Statement' About Prince Harry's Memoir But Is Being 'Overruled' By King Charles: Source
King Charles reportedly shot down his son Prince William's idea of releasing a statement about the claims in Prince Harry's book.
Royal Family Sends Kate Middleton Birthday Wishes While Staying Silent On Prince Harry's Shocking Memoir
Kate Middleton celebrates her 41st birthday on Monday, January 9 — one day before Prince Harry's memoir releases.
By Molly Claire Goddard Jan. 9 2023, Published 11:58 a.m. ET
Kate Middleton Fuming Over Prince Harry 'Dragging Her Name Through The Dirt' In 'Spare' Memoir, Spills Source
Prince Harry claimed in his 'Spare' memoir that Kate Middleton was partly responsible for his 2005 Nazi costume controversy.
By Nikki Schuster Jan. 9 2023, Published 10:30 a.m. ET
Prince Harry Shares Queen Elizabeth Wasn't 'Surprised' By His Royal Exit: 'I Think She Was Sad It Got To That Point'
Queen Elizabeth wasn't 'surprised' by Prince Harry's royal exit, he said in a new interview.
By Jaclyn Roth Jan. 9 2023, Published 10:07 a.m. ET
Prince Harry Shuts Down Anderson Cooper When Asked If He'd Ever Return To Royal Life Full-Time — Watch
Prince Harry was asked if he'd ever return to being a royal full-time — watch him respond, here.
By Jaclyn Roth Jan. 9 2023, Updated 2:30 a.m. ET
Prince Harry Doesn't Think He's 'Burning Bridges' By Releasing Memoir: 'I Don't Know How Staying Silent Is Going To Make Things Any Better'
Prince Harry doesn't think he's causing any drama by releasing his memoir, 'Spare.'
By Jaclyn Roth Jan. 8 2023, Published 8:56 p.m. ET
Prince Harry Dubs His Family's Concerns About Archie's Skin To Be Not 'Racist'
Prince Harry addressed his family's infamous concern about Archie's skin during his ITV interview on Sunday, January 8.
By Nikki Schuster Jan. 8 2023, Published 8:30 p.m. ET

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Will Q2 earnings boost DocuSign's share price?
DocuSign's share price has certainly made its mark so far in 2020, surging 200.9% for the year to close at $223 on 31 August.
Furthermore, DocuSign's [DOCU] share price was not unduly affected by the March sell-off and, despite falling to $68.68 on 12 March, it eventually rocketed as high as $227.68 on 4 August. This time last year, DocuSign's share price was sitting at just $45.44.
The company allows businesses and individuals to sign agreements electronically, meaning Docusign's share price has been boosted by the rush to digitalise during the pandemic, and keep businesses functioning as employees work remotely.
So, what's the outlook for DocuSign's share price when it releases its second-quarter earnings report on 3 September?
DOCU Chart by TradingView
A sign of the times
Docusign's share price enjoyed a healthy rally around its first quarter results, after the group reported a 39% year-over-year increase in revenues to $297m, with subscription revenues rising 39% to $280.9m.
This was helped by new product enhancements such as ID Evidence, which enables ID document information to be captured for those in regulated industries, and increased use of digital agreements such as court documents and hospital intake processes.
Figures from a Fortune Business Insights study suggest that the global e-signature market will reach $6.13bn by 2026, representing a compounded annual growth rate of 28.8%.
DocuSign's share price also stands to gain long-term, with the firm shoring up its future prospects through acquisitions including data analytics firm Seal Software, which helps customers identify contract risks and opportunities, and Liveoak Technologies, which uses tools such as videoconferencing to seal agreements and verify identities online.
According to analysts at Zacks, the group is expected to report earnings per share of $0.07, up 600%, from the same quarter last year. It forecasts that revenues will reach $318.37m, up 35.13% from the same period a year ago.
For the full year, Zacks forecasts EPS of $0.46 per share and revenues of $1.32bn, representing a rise of 48.4% and 35% respectively.
$318.37m
DocuSign's forecasted Q2 revenue - a 35.13% rise
What do analysts think?
This is all good news for DocuSign's share price.
Morgan Stanley recently lifted its price rating from $170 to $187, while Wells Fargo has set an equal weight rating and a $160 target. Oppenheimer has an outperform rating and a $200 target.
"DocuSign is building a business that will be vital to the success of companies working from home," Will Ashworth wrote in InvestorPlace. " Products such as eSignature make things easier for businesses to do business virtually. Any time you have a business that makes or saves people time and money, you've got a winning formula."
"Products such as eSignature make things easier for businesses to do business virtually. Any time you have a business that makes or saves people time and money, you've got a winning formula" - Will Ashworth
Christine Williams, writing in The Motley Fool, adds that DocuSign's share price is also benefitting from quicker growth in customers paying $300,000 or more in annual contract value.
She believes it also has plenty of room for international expansion, given that it only books 17% of its sales from outside the US at the moment.
"That suggests there could be plenty of upside left for this company," Williams wrote.
However, she still has some concerns, namely the impact of the recession on small- and medium-sized business spending.
"If their finances get crunched, the smaller clients that constitute the majority of DocuSign's customer base may not see the value in switching to digital processes, or they may decide that old-fashioned paper is just fine for the time being," she says. "Increased competition from other newer upstarts entering the e-agreement market could also trip up its ambitions."
She urges investors to stay focused on DocuSign's GAAP profits — or the lack thereof as they plough money into sales, marketing and R&D. In the first quarter, its GAAP net loss per basic share was $0.26, compared to $0.27 last time.
"Increased competition from other newer upstarts entering the e-agreement market could also trip up its ambitions" - Christine Williams
"If and when its bottom-line tips into positive territory, this stock could become an attractive buy," she states.
Other words of caution come from David Moadel, writing in InvestorPlace, who fears that, as society and work returns to normal, the work-from-home "hype" will fade. As such DocuSign's share price could be inflated.
"Perhaps DocuSign stock has gotten ahead of itself," he said.
It may be difficult to predict the outcome at the moment, but DocuSign is certainly one stock investors need to keep a close eye on.
According to Market Screener, the consensus amongst analysts is for the stock to outperform, with an average target price of $183.48. Hitting this would see a 17.7% downside on Docusign's share price through 31 August's close.
Slack's share price has benefited from 2020's work-from-home trend and news Salesforce will acquire it in a $27.7bn deal. Is there any upside left?
With the EV manufacturer set to join the S&P 500 on 21 December 2020, we look at what shareholders can expect from Tesla's share price next year.
Which Could Be The Better EV Investment Right Now: NIO Vs Nikola
Electric vehicle sales are growing at a rapid pace and these two competitors to Tesla have vastly different approaches, but which is a better investment?


text:
Q: Visual Studio - Changed file name. Project now screwed up. How to revert to last build? I've been working on a small project and wanted to save it as "Main_V0.1". This has unfortunately screwed up a lot as you can guess. I'm still able to build the last successful build but I need to bring back the "Main" file to what it previously was. I can't find any helpful links. I still have all of my code but my Designer file is gone for "Main" too.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Stephen Krauss (* 22. Juni 1902 in Budapest in Ungarn; † 5. Januar 1973 in Reading im Vereinigten Königreich) war ein österreichischer Psychiater.

Leben
Der Sohn des Gelehrten Samuel Krauss lebte ab 1906 in Wien. 1926 erwarb er den Dr. phil. (Das Farbensehen in bunter Beleuchtung und die Farbenkonstanz der Sehdinge) bei Karl Bühler an der Universität Wien. Er war von 1926 bis 1933 Assistent und Forscher im Bereich Psychiatrie u. a. an der Universität Heidelberg, Freiburg, Gießen und der Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt. Er emigrierte 1933 in die Schweiz. Nach der Promotion 1934 zum Dr. med. (Persönlichkeitsveränderungen nach Chorea minor) in Basel bei John E. Staehelin emigrierte er 1934 nach Palästina, wo er Forscher und Lehrer an der Hebräischen Universität Jerusalem war. Er emigrierte 1939 ins Vereinigte Königreich. Er erwarb 1948 den M.S. in Physiologie. Von 1949 bis 1973 war er Psychiater an verschiedenen Krankenhäusern.

Seine Forschungsschwerpunkte waren mentale Störungen als Spätfolgen von Gehirnverletzungen.

Schriften (Auswahl)
 Der seelische Konflikt. Psychologie und existentiale Bedeutung. Stuttgart 1933, .
 Hg.: Encyclopaedic handbook of medical psychology. London 1976, ISBN 0-407-00044-5.

Literatur
 Krauss, Stephen. In: Herbert A. Strauss und Werner Röder (Hrsg.): Biographisches Handbuch der deutschsprachigen Emigration nach 1933–1945. Band 2: The Arts, Sciences, and Literature. Seite 659. Berlin, Boston: K. G. Saur, 2014. ISBN 978-3-598-10089-5. (abgerufen über De Gruyter Online), doi:10.1515/9783110970272
 Krauss, Stephen. In: Susanne Blumesberger, Michael Doppelhofer, Gabriele Mauthe: Handbuch österreichischer Autorinnen und Autoren jüdischer Herkunft 18. bis 20. Jahrhundert. Band 2: J–R. Hrsg. von der Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. Saur, München 2002, ISBN 3-598-11545-8, S. 744 (online).
 Uwe Wolfradt: Krauss, Stephen. In: Deutschsprachige Psychologinnen und Psychologen 1933–1945. Ein Personenlexikon. Wiesbaden 2015, ISBN 3-658-01480-6, S. 254–255.

Psychiater
Mediziner (20. Jahrhundert)
Österreichischer Emigrant zur Zeit des Nationalsozialismus
Österreichischer Emigrant in Palästina
Österreichischer Emigrant im Vereinigten Königreich
Absolvent der Universität Wien
Österreicher
Geboren 1902
Gestorben 1973
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Jayla walked out of Loracs home to have a better grasp of the people she was supposed to lead.
It was late morning and the Anorie people were already up doing their daily tasks. A couple of the young children noticed Jayla coming out and whispered to each other as they stared at her.
The children looked at her with a puzzled look on their face.
"They do not understand what you are saying," Lorac said behind her.
Jayla knew she had a lot to learn about them but she did not have much time.
Jayla did not disagree about eating. She was ravenous and a bit jittery from the amount of energy she was carrying around.
After breakfast Jayla, Lorac, and Sanu went to the ship. Lorac and Sanu did not want to go on the ship but Lorac could not leave his mate and where Lorac goes Sanu follows.
Jayla went straight to the deck of the ship. She knew the captain would be there plotting a course some where.
"The Anorie will defeat the Oni." Sanu said while being slightly restrained by Lorac's arm.
Jayla turned to Lorac and nodded yes to him. Lorac said something in their language which calmed Sanu down.
The captain got on the com and called everyone to the bridge. Sanu looked up to see where his voice was traveling from.
One by one they all gathered onto the bridge. All eyes were on Jayla and her mate. She informed them about the information that they both received.
"So what is the plan?" Elphin asked.
"Generally people don't just help, just because you ask them. You need to dangle something enticing in front of them." The captain said as he kept his eye's on Sanu. The tension between them felt as thick as tar.
"I will go with you Jayla." Elphin immediately volunteered.
"So will I." Le'em said as she stood next to Elphin.
Jayla looked at Le'em and noticed that her confidence was improving.
"I will not leave Lorac side." Sanu chimed in.
The group disbanded and the captain motioned Jayla to go to the side so he could talk to her.
As she moved so did Lorac. Jayla turned and placed her hand on his chest to stop him from proceeding.
Lorac did not like another male to be near Jayla but he knew she did not know what he was battling inside to give her what she asked. He nodded his agreement.
Jayla walked over to the captain and as he waited leaning against the wall.
"So let's arm up shall we?" the captain walked passed the two Anorie males, purposely nudging Sanu.
Sanu did not like the captain at all.
Jayla smiled and walked back to Lorac and Sanu. Lorac and his beast was pleased to have her by them .
I hope you are enjoying the Fantasy Friday story. If you do please like and subscribe. All comments are welcomed.


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Birthstone of Cancer ( June 22 - July 22 ).


He suddenly flung down his brush on the floor, said 'Bother!' and 'O blow!' and bolted out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat.
He made for the steep little tunnel which answered in his case to the gravelled drive owned by animals whose residences are nearer to the sun and air. So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged and then he scrooged again and scrabbled and scratched and scraped, working busily with his little paws and muttering to himself, 'Up we go! Up we go!' till at last – pop! – his snout came out into the sunlight, and he found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow.
'This is fine!' he said to himself. 'This is better than whitewashing!'.
Hither and thither through the meadows he rambled busily, along the hedgerows, across the copses, finding everywhere birds building, flowers budding, leaves thrusting. He thought his happiness was complete when, as he meandered aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full fed river. Never in his life had he seen a river before. All was a-shake and a-shiver – glints and gleams and sparkles, rustle and swirl, chatter and bubble. The Mole was bewitched, entranced, fascinated.
By the side of the river he trotted and when tired at last, he sat on the bank and looked across the river. Then a dark hole in the bank opposite, just above the water's edge, caught his eye. As he gazed, something bright and small seemed to twinkle down in the heart of it, vanished, then twinkled once more like a tiny star. As he looked, it winked at him, and so declared itself to be an eye; and a small face began gradually to grow up round it.
Small neat ears and thick silky hair.It was the Water Rat!
'Hullo, Mole!' said the Water Rat.
'Hullo, Rat!' said the Mole.
The Rat stooped and unfastened a rope and hauled on it; then lightly stepped into a little boat. It was painted blue outside and white within, and was just the size for two animals; and the Mole's whole heart went out to it at once, even though he did not yet fully understand its uses.
The Rat rowed smartly across and made fast. Then he held up his forepaw as the Mole stepped down. To his surprise he found himself actually seated in the stern of a real boat.
'Is it so nice as all that?' asked the Mole shyly.
It was too late. The boat struck the bank full tilt. Rat lay on his back at the bottom of the boat, his heels in the air.
' – about in boats – or WITH boats,' the Rat went on picking himself up with a pleasant laugh. 'In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter.
'Hold hard a minute, then!' said the Rat. He climbed up into his hole above, and after a short interval reappeared staggering under a fat, wicker lunch basket. 'Shove that under your feet,' he observed to the Mole.
The Mole never heard a word he was saying. He trailed a paw in the water and dreamed long waking dreams. The Water Rat, like the good little fellow he was, rowed steadily on.
'You must think me very rude; but this is all so new to me. So – this – is – a – River!' said the Mole, pulling himself together with an effort.
'What lies over THERE' asked the Mole, waving a paw towards a background of woodland that darkly framed the watermeadows on one side of the river.
'Aren't they – very NICE people in there?' asked the Mole.
'And beyond the Wild Wood again?' asked the Mole.
Leaving the main stream, they now passed into what seemed at first sight like a little land-locked lake. The Rat brought the boat alongside the bank, made her fast, helped the still awkward Mole safely ashore, and swung out the lunch basket.
When all was ready, the Rat said, 'Now, pitch in, old fellow!' and the Mole was indeed very glad to obey, for he had started his springcleaning at a very early hour that morning.
A broad glistening muzzle showed itself above the edge of the bank and the Otter hauled himself out and shook the water from his coat.
There was a rustle from a hedge behind them, and a stripey head, with high shoulders behind it, peered forth on them. 'Come on, old Badger!' shouted the Rat.
The Badger trotted forward a pace or two; then grunted, 'H'm! Company,' and turned his back and disappeared from view.
From where they sat they could get a glimpse of the main stream across the island that separated them; just then a boat flashed into view, the rower – a short, stout figure – splashing badly and rolling a good deal, but working his hardest. The Rat stood up and hailed him, but Toad – for it was he – shook his head and settled sternly to his work.
'He'll be out of the boat in a minute if he rolls like that,' said the Rat, sitting down again. 'Well, well, I suppose we ought to be moving'.
The Rat shook his head with a smile. 'Not yet, my young friend,' he said – 'wait till you've had a few lessons. It's not so easy as it looks'.
The Mole was quiet for a minute or two. But he began to feel more and more jealous of Rat. He jumped up and seized the oars, so suddenly, that the Rat was taken by surprise and fell backwards off his seat with his legs in the air for the second time, while the triumphant Mole took his place.
The Mole made a great dig at the water. He missed the surface altogether, his legs flew up above his head, and he found himself lying on top of the Rat. Greatly alarmed, he made a grab at the side of the boat, and the next moment–Sploosh! Over went the boat, and he found himself struggling in the river.
O my, how cold the water was, and O, how VERY wet it felt. Then a firm paw gripped him by the back of his neck. It was the Rat, and he was evidently laughing – the Mole could FEEL him laughing, right down his arm and through his paw.
The Rat got hold of an oar and shoved it under the Mole's arm; then he did the same by the other side of him and, hauled him out, and set him down on the bank, a squashy, pulpy lump of misery.
The Mole was so touched by his kind manner of speaking that he could find no voice to answer him; and he had to brush away a tear or two with the back of his paw.
When they got home, the Rat made a bright fire in the parlour, and planted the Mole in an arm-chair in front of it, having fetched down a dressing-gown and slippers for him, and told him river stories till supper-time.
Supper was a most cheerful meal; but very shortly afterwards a terribly sleepy Mole had to be escorted upstairs by his considerate host, to the best bedroom, where he soon laid his head on his pillow in great peace and contentment, knowing that his new-found friend the River was lapping the sill of his window.
Thread on Assange and Sweden.
Lisa Nandy MP delivered this key note speech to the Institute for Public Policy Research on 9th March 2017.
The only city or metropolitan area in the English Midlands to vote Remain, overall, was Leicester.
Birmingham, the largest local authority in the UK, narrowly voted Leave.
Leave may well have got across the line in Birmingham, because some people were told and believed that the end of Freedom of Movement would mean a lifting of restrictions on immigration from the Indian Sub Continent.
As I say, why does anyone take the MP for Wigan seriously on a matter as important as BREXIT?
She could not even discern which way areas of the United Kingdom voted in June 2016 when preparing to deliver a keynote speech in March 2017!
Why is the declining will of a minority of voters in 2019, who voted Leave in 2016, trumping the happiness of all of the people in 2019?
How tolerant and rational do you expect someone to be, who voted Remain in 2016, should they lose their job, their home, their business etc, because of BREXIT?
BREXIT has hurt people since 2016, is hurting people today and there is no BREXIT deal that will not involve further pain and misery in the years to come, much of it to be heaped on the poorest in our society.
Labour, despite Jeremy Corbyn's claims to be the champion of the poor, the sick and the needy, went into 2017's General Election saying a Corbyn led Labour Government would not be able to afford to end the benefits freeze, if ever.
What does that mean in pounds, shillings, and pence?
How tolerant and rational do you expect someone to be, who voted Leave in 2016, believing all the lies about a brighter, better future on BREXIT, when they lose their jobs, their homes, their businesses?
Bearing in mind that some already have?
Jeremy Corbyn is a champion of the middle class as much as he is anything else. He pledged his Labour Government on its first day in office to find £10 billion plus to enact universal 'free' university tuition for mostly white, mostly middle and upper class youth.
The deadline to register to vote in May's Council Elections is Friday 12th April! Have you registered, yet?


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Posted on 28th June 2018 27th July 2018 by Callum Salfield
LUCU News: Branch Committee, Casework Training, LGBT Group, Award for David Kerr
In our latest newsletter, we introduce the newly elected members of the Branch Committee, including those who will be taking on officer roles. We also highlight a forthcoming Union caseworker training event that we hope will be of interest to colleagues. Other items cover the work of the University's LGBT+ Staff Group and the award of a prestigious University honour to a long-time Branch activist who will be familiar to many members.
The incoming Branch Committee
Nominations closed several weeks ago for election to the Branch Committee for 2018-19 and so we are now able to name those colleagues who from 1 August will be representing the interests of members at Loughborough. Given that many people may not have found occasion in the past to scrutinise minutely the structure of the Committee, it may be helpful to say a little about this here, as well as to identify the coming year's incumbents.
Among the Committee's members, nine are designated as officers, indicating that they have particular areas of responsibility with regard to the Union's business on campus; these are also the people most likely to represent the Union on committees alongside University managers and representatives of our two sister unions. All of these posts have now been filled for next year. With Matthew Inglis (Maths Education) stepping down as Chair, we are very pleased to confirm that Alan Bairner (Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences) is once more to fill the role. As Vice-Chair, Andrew Dix has been succeeded by his Arts, English and Drama colleague, Mary Brewer.
No other reshuffling of portfolios has been necessary, however, with officers continuing to occupy positions which they previously held. So, David Wilson (IT Services) remains as Negotiating Secretary, Marc Gibson (IT Services) as Admin Secretary, Marie Hanlon (Academic Language Support Service) as Membership Secretary, Dan Towns (IT Services) as Treasurer, Ian Jones (Maths Education) as Personal Casework Coordinator, Thomas Swann (Politics, History and International Relations) as Anti-Casualisation Officer, and Eugenie Hunsicker (Maths) as Equalities Officer.
The officer holders are supported by six ordinary members of the Committee. Andrew will continue to serve as one of these, along with five colleagues who represent a range of sections and roles in the University: Clare Bonham (Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering), Alec Edworthy (IT Services), Mark Murphy (Student Services), Steve O'Sullivan (Academic Language Support Service) and Steven Parfitt (Politics, History and International Relations).
While many advantages accrue to the Committee from people's continuity of service in these various roles (indeed, for an example, see the last item in today's newsletter), it is equally important for it to be energised by new members' ideas and perspectives. We hope that the incoming Committee represents just such an opportune blend.
Union caseworker training
We have regularly reported in newsletters about the invaluable support offered by caseworkers to members on campus who are facing difficulties or problems of various kinds. Casework is a challenging (though highly rewarding) activity – and so we are pleased to announce that a training session led by UCU's Regional Official Sue Davis will take place on campus next month. The training will cover all aspects of support for Union members who have workplace concerns that typically include such things as PDR outcomes, bullying, discrimination, and disciplinary and capability investigations. Sue knows the subject extremely well, and similar training sessions she has run at Loughborough in the past have always been stimulating and informative. While the training will be particularly suitable for Committee members and Departmental reps, a warm invitation to attend is also extended to colleagues who are considering becoming more actively involved in the life of the Union on campus. The session will take place on Tuesday 17 July, from 12:30 to 4pm. Please contact the Personal Casework Coordinator Ian Jones at I.Jones@lboro.ac.uk if you would like to come along or have any questions about what will be involved.
News of the LGBT+ Staff Group
Having reported in a previous newsletter on the LGBT+ Staff Group at Loughborough, we are very happy to circulate details of its latest activities. The Group continues to populate its new website and has also just produced its first newsletter, giving details of achievements, initiatives and forthcoming events (which begin with a lunchtime social on 18 July). You can read the LGBT+ newsletter here.
David Kerr and the University Medal
Members may recall that in our newsletter of 3 August last year we interviewed David Kerr on the occasion of his retirement. During a long career teaching and researching in the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, David somehow also found the time to be an indefatigable officer of our Branch Committee. As Vice-President and Negotiating Secretary over many years, he played a key role in advancing all members' well-being on campus, not least through his painstaking efforts in helping to frame the terms and conditions we all currently work under.
We are delighted to report that, along with his distinguished academic achievements, David's dedication to UCU members at Loughborough and his commitment to unions' civilising effect on campus have now been recognised by his being awarded the University Medal. This award, as its description runs, is given to members of staff 'who have made a distinctive and long-running contribution to the University […] and consistently performed above-and-beyond the call of their duties.' With characteristic modesty, David says that he believed a mistake had been made when he opened the Vice-Chancellor's letter, informing him of the award; those of us who have worked with David on the Branch Committee, however, are very clear there is no error here.
David will receive his award at the graduation ceremony of the School of the Arts, English and Drama on 19 July – and he can be assured of an enthusiastic reception from students and visitors at what is always one of the liveliest of the University's graduations.
The next newsletter will appear near the end of July and will include a tribute to Matthew Inglis, our outgoing Branch Chair. In the meantime, do continue to contact us with your views and suggestions with regard to UCU activities on campus. The Committee's contact details can be found here; we hope you will also follow us on both Facebook and Twitter.
LUCU Committee, 28th June 2018
CategoriesNewsletter TagsNews, Training
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Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance is onerous, with heavy penalties that include more than large dollar fines, but serious jail time in a Federal "country club" penitentiary and shades of The Shawshank Redemption. Enacted in 2002, we have been living with SOX for over a decade and companies subject to SOX have been getting better at managing the associated costs which have declined as a percentage of revenue.
But, have companies gotten better at actual compliance with SOX?
The burning issue with this is that trust is not a control.
SOX requires both the CEO and the CFO to certify and vouch for the adequacy of the firm's internal controls.
Part of the assessment of SOX compliance will be the potential for material impact upon financial statements.
Now you have a degree of compliance with SOX – you have a policy and you have a control.
You have nothing to worry about, right?
How do you know the IT Manager and IT Director are actually following the controls?
How do you know they perform the backups and testing when the policy and control require?
The IT guy signs a piece of paper that says, "We did the backup and test and everything is A OK!" – if you trust that this is satisfactory, you are are failing because trust is not a control.
The reality is you have zero evidence the policy was complied with, or the control executed upon, at the time it was supposed to be. For this reason, you fail your SOX audit because you cannot demonstrate compliance, even if in fact you were and controls were executed upon.
Being in compliance with SOX and demonstrating compliance are not the same thing; you could be compliant in the above scenario, but that was simply because you trusted subordinates in the IT Department to actually be doing what they told you they had done. However, you did not see the execution, nor have a non-repudiable record that proves what is claimed actually occurred when it was supposed to.
This is a big problem that keeps CFOs and CEOs awake at night, because they are literally trusting their personal liberty and bank balances with subordinates to follow the rules.
The IT Department is so snowed under with work and projects, that getting to get the weekly backup done just slides down the list of priorities.
A week goes by and in short order this becomes several months without backups let alone testing. People know it needs to be done and should be done, but it's just one of those things that they have good intentions to follow, but there is always something more pressing that takes up the time and resources.
Months pass by, and sometimes we have backups done, sometimes we don't.
Now a SOX audit notice comes down the pike, and suddenly a lot of people in IT are sweating and scrambling around. Perhaps they're making the documentation look right, perhaps they're going to come clean and hold their hands up and hope they don't get fired, who knows. If it's the former, maybe the fake documentation and audit trail will pass the audit inspection, and after the relief of passing this time, and they really mean it, IT is going to follow the backup schedule religiously (like they said last year).
As long as the reality of non-compliance is not exposed by the audit or a real life need for data recovery of financially impactful information which you no longer have occurs, then everyone is free to keep passing go and collecting $200.
The worst case scenario is the CEO and CFO end up being fined millions of dollars and get shipped off to a "Club Fed" penitentiary, while desperately trying not to remember how that guy escaped in The Shawshank Redemption.
So, how do you ensure that controls are actually being executed upon, and what is being reported up to you is truthful and reliable?
Taking our IT server backup example, let's create a weekly task within HighGear that all servers identified as containing data which could impact financial statements are to be backed up.
The task is created each week on the appointed day and time, assigning the task to a named IT contact, perhaps with a designated backup person (their manager for instance).
They are notified of the backup task by email and within the Lean BPM platform.
If the task is incomplete after 48 hours, an email notification is automatically sent from the system to the IT Manager or whoever in authority needs to be notified.
If the backups are completed, then a time stamp is created along with who completed the backups within the system which provides a tamper-proof audit trail backed by a sign-in to a secure system which acts as a digital signature for SOX. If the tapes are stored offsite, the responsible person can take a photograph of the dispatcher receipt, or have one automatically e-mailed into HighGear which further proves compliance with the control as well as when this occurs.
You now have policy, control and proof that the backup took place on a set day by a named (and accountable) individual and that tapes are safely offsite.
If the backup did not take place on the preset timescale, you also have notification and escalation procedures in place to ensure this is brought to more senior attention who will ensure it gets done, and if not, their superior is notified and on and on all the way up the hierarchy.
Likewise, the IT Director will each month receive a notification via HighGear, that they are to recover 2 sample files from the previous month's backups, and test the data to ensure successful backup and recovery is in operation.
Again, this recurring monthly task can be escalated if not done within set time parameters, and remember, all of this is being tracked by the audit trail recording who does what and when. If this compliance task is not performed, automatic notifications and escalation processes can take over to make sure it does not get lost between the cracks.
To ensure that recovery of files has absolutely been carried out, the IT Director could be required to attach the two sample files to the task created within HighGear to show which files were recovered and that they do in fact work.
This enforces compliance with your controls, but how do you demonstrate this when you need to?
HighGear has powerful reporting capabilities, allowing reports to be automated and produced according to your parameters and schedule. For instance, a list of all weekly backups for the year can be automatically created at year-end for the auditors (or they can simply log into the system themselves and pull whatever reports and information they require directly).
In addition, HighGear logs every keystroke and interaction within the platform by anyone who uses it. This includes general users and administrators, but the audit trail will also log when workflow triggers an action, such as escalating an item to a more senior level if deadlines are getting close or even missed.
Because everything is logged within the platform, it becomes a much simpler task to audit the reports.
The auditor can select which backups they wish to delve into and the information and proof that the backups and restores took place, and just as importantly you can prove this happened when you said it did. More than this, all the associated evidence and documentation, such as proof of offsite dispatch of backup tapes, or a copy of a restore file, are held with each associated task as further evidence that controls were followed.
You now no longer need to worry about trust being used as a control, because HighGear is keeping everyone honest.
Establishing policies and controls are a prerequisite for SOX compliance, but these deal with the requirements at a superficial level.
In practice, you must demonstrate that your internal controls are being followed and this means evidence of who executed a control, when they took the action(s), and what the outcome was, plus what happens with the exceptions such as missing a deadline or finding an issue.
Trust is not an adequate control for SOX purposes – indeed, for any auditor, trust is never a control.
HighGear as a Lean BPM platform enforces compliance and execution upon your controls, and escalates non-compliance on a timely basis to ensure action can be taken to remain in compliance.
Lean BPM also makes audit preparation and reporting much easier and simpler, ensuring that the right work is being done at the right time by the right people, and creating a secure log of all activities for auditors is readily available whenever you need it.
HighGear's Lean BPM ensures controls and policies are followed according to your preset rules. More importantly, it allows you to quickly and effectively demonstrate that what is claimed to have been done did, irrefutably happen when it was supposed to.


There are plenty of Pomodoro apps out there, but only a few great ones. If you are a fan of the Pomodoro technique, you probably should be using one of these iPhone apps.
The following list is my selection of 3 great Pomodoro Timer apps, designed for iPhone.


From the Arts Calendar in The State Newspaper's Sunday, October 4, 2009 Life and Style section by Otis R. Taylor, Jr.
Sacrifice, redemption and faith. The themes swell in Jason Amick's solo exhibition "Jason Amick: New Works" which opens Friday at Gallery 80808. The paintings, monotypes and etchings have remarks of spirituality. One particular image, "Tobit," a 4-by-6 inch monotype, depicts the face of a man. He is withered, his features contorting. At first glance, the face is one of pain. On another, the man seems at peace, relaxed. The shadows in the work present myriad readings of the piece. Many of the 20 to 30 pieces in the show, Amick said, are inspired by the Bible, with "Tobit" specifically encouraged by the Book of Tobit in the Catholic and Orthodox Scriptures. Tobit was a blind old man who had become a burden on his family. He had only one prayer, a single wish. "My version in the monotype of Tobit depicts him with his blindness and his mental state of wishing for death," Amick said. "His soul has been beaten down, but he's come to accept his fate. "Tobit is a good man who seems to be unfairly punished. The Book of Tobit grapples with why bad things happen to good people, which is a question that I think nearly everyone can relate to." The Bible has been a source for Amick's work for more than a decade, as he has tried to discern the relationship between faith and reason. "I found myself playing the role of devil's advocate in my past work as I weighed in as both a religious person and a naturally skeptical person with an interest in science," said Amick, a University of South Carolina graduate. "This latest body of work abandons the conflicted and skeptic-sided view of faith." Another image, "Isaac," a 9.5-by-14.5-inch oil on panel, features Isaac lounging, arms stretched, on what appears to be logs or a raft. Isaac, the only child of Abraham and Sarah, and the father of Jacob and Esau, did not leave Canaan because God forbade him. In this painting, is he pondering his faith, his sacrifices, his obedience? Like a lot of the stories in the Bible, this work is left to interpretation.


PATIENCE VIRTUE was for years the Headmistress of the Saint Swithin's Home for Wayward Boys and Girls. Doctor Clockwork first witnessed her striking ability to discipline her Charges with a FIRM YET GENTLE HAND during a Picnic Outing in Oxfordshire, and at once he invited her to join his Expert Staff, thinking he might put her Skills to better use as a CUSTOMER SERVICE PROFESSIONAL. Though she hesitated to abandon her fledglings, Miss Virtue is above all a creature of COMMON SENSE, and, as such, easily found a solution by turning the youngsters into the care of her colleague, a Mister Fagin of South London.
Admittedly, she initially had to be somewhat Diverted from her Tendency to mete out rewards and punishments alike by promising, or threatening, relatively larger or smaller portions of Gruel. Now, however, she has come into the full flower of her abundant natural Talent. Grown Ladies and Gentlemen may benefit from her Approach to any PROBLEMS OR COMPLICATIONS they might encounter in their Transactions, with a MINIMUM of FUSS AND NONSENSE!


Princess Margaret, Ernst Kitzinger, and Mildred Bliss in the Gardens, 1965. Dumbarton Oaks Archives (AR.PH.BL.001).
As you may already know, Princess Margaret, accompanied by her husband, the Earl of Snowdon, will be paying a three week visit to the United States in November during which she will spend a little over two days in Washington. Both the Princess and Lord Snowdon have a great interest in the arts and would be very pleased and grateful, if they could visit you at Dumbarton Oaks and see the pre-Columbian art collection which is housed there.
The visit took place on November 17, 1965, and in addition to visiting the Pre-Columbian Collection, the royal couple took a tour of the gardens led by Mildred Bliss and Ernst Kitzinger, then Director of Byzantine Studies (see photographs above and below).
Princess Margaret came to visit right after the Garden Library and the Pre-Columbian were finished. She came up in a Rolls Royce. That is one of the very few times I've see the front doors leading to the oval room open. She wasn't a very big woman. She had a hairdo about like this, and one of the first things that she did was go into the oval room and change her shoes. She couldn't walk through the garden with high heels.
Correspondence and images regarding the royal visit as well as Don Smith's interview are preserved in the Dumbarton Oaks Archives.
Ernst Kitzinger Shaking Hands with Princess Margaret and Mildred Bliss Speaking with Lord Snowdon. Archives, AR.PH.BL.022, Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. Ernst Kitzinger, Mildred Bliss, and Joan Southcote-Aston. Archives, AR.PH.BL.023, Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. Princess Margaret, Lord Snowdon, and two Unidentified Women. Archives, AR.PH.BL.024, Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. Princess Margaret, Ernst Kitzinger, and Mildred Bliss. Archives, AR.PH.BL.025, Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.


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Home » Sections » Economy/Investment » Opinion: Papua New Guinea adjusting its tariff strategy in APEC year
Opinion: Papua New Guinea adjusting its tariff strategy in APEC year
11 Sep 2018 by Rohan Fox 1 Comment
In an environment of rising global protectionism, Papua New Guinea is also increasing some tariffs, according to Rohan Fox, Stephen Howes and Maholopa Laveil. But on three quarters of imports, where there is no domestic production, no tariffs apply.
Devpolicy's Rohan Fox
The first sign that Papua New Guinea would be taking a more protectionist trade policy came in late 2015, with the banning of a number of fresh fruit and vegetable imports from Australia.
That ban was short-lived, but this last year has seen a major reversal in trade policy. For the last two decades, PNG has been following a policy of tariff reduction.
Tariff reductions
As part of its negotiations with the World Bank and IMF, the country introduced a Tariff Reduction Program (TRP) in 1999, which set out tariff reductions to 2006.
Despite some opposition, the TRP was upheld by a 2003 review, and the 1999 plans were broadly implemented. Another review in 2007 resulted in a further round of reductions out to 2018.
The reductions planned and/or achieved are shown in the table below.
It is important to note that most tariff lines (three-quarters) in PNG are in fact zero, with no tariffs being applied on imports of most goods for which there is no domestic production.
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'The tariff reductions were implemented over the last two decades as planned.'
The table below shows the tariff rates for those goods that are subject to tariffs.
Since 1999, there have been three tariffs—'intermediate', 'protective' and 'prohibitive'. All have fallen significantly.
Tariff rates under PNG's TRPs. Source: Devpolicy
Devpolicy's Maholopa Laveil
With a few exceptions, the tariff reductions were implemented over the last two decades as planned.
The unweighted average of the three tariff categories fell from 42 per cent in 1999 to 18 per cent in 2015.
The Import and Export Customs Tariff Act of 2012 legislated a series of tariff changes that would come into effect immediately, with further reductions to come into effect on January 1, 2015, and yet more to be implemented on January 1, 2018.
However, in August 2017, the TRP was suspended. In legislation accompanying the 2018 budget (November 2017), about 250 tariffs lines were increased, and over 600 decreases were abandoned.
'Examples of protectionist measures from the past in PNG are instructive.'
On average, the tariff increases were moderate (about 7 per cent), but there were some substantial increases.
In particular, a 25 per cent tariff on milk—which had been duty-free—was introduced to support the new Ilimo Dairy Farm. The table below shows a sample of the increases.
Selected tariff increases. Source: Devpolicy
Protectionist measures
Examples of protectionist measures from the past in PNG are instructive.
The ANU's Stephen Howes. Source: BAI
Ramu Sugar was initially partly government-owned, and has received generous protection since its inception in the 1980s.
PNG Halla Cement was also partially government-owned and received support in the 1990s.
Neither business lived up to expectations. Ramu Sugar provided no dividend in its first 10 years of operation. The government stake in Ramu Sugar was eventually sold to New Britain Palm Oil, who converted 2500 hectares of the land from cane sugar to palm oil.
Despite now being over three decades old, and hardly part of an infant industry, it is said that domestic sugar production still wouldn't be able to survive without large tariffs—now 30 per cent on sugar imports.
After seven years of poor performance, the PNG government sold its 50 per cent share in PNG Halla Cement to Japanese company Taiheyo.
The privatised company is said to be profitable now, though it still benefits from a 10 per cent tariff, and has a monopoly on the cement market in PNG. It has also had difficulty meeting demand in the past.
While PNG is not the only APEC economy to be turning protectionist, it is ironic that, having reduced tariffs for almost 20 years, PNG baulked at the final tariff reductions due in this APEC year.
It is certainly a departure from past economic policies, which emphasised outward orientation.
And administrative costs will be higher for a less uniform system: the new changes have introduced new tariff rates of 12.5 per cent, 20 per cent and 25 per cent, in addition to the older ones of 10 per cent, 15 per cent and 30 per cent.
Now that the TRP has been abandoned, businesses will lobby for further tariff increases.
On the positive side, the tariff increases are mainly moderate, and may be justified given exchange rate overvaluation.
However, they will harm exporters. A more direct and efficient method to help domestic producers of both imports and exports would be to correct the over-valuation by devaluing the Kina.
This was first published in devpolicy. It is based on the ANU-UPNG 2018 PNG Survey.
Filed Under: Economy/Investment, Opinion/analysis Tagged With: Australian National University
Konopa Kana says
Interesting, The Tariff Reduction Policy Protectionist Strategy is a good instrument that the Government can use across the SME spectrum especially with Agriculture and Tourism business . More specifically on Textile, Fashion, Music, Culture, Artifacts, Dance and Play and Traditional Designs


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Q: Google Scripts Generated VLOOKUP Formula Does not Calculate Properly I am writing formulas to cells programmatically.
The following line of code:
formulaCells.setFormulaR1C1('=iferror(VLOOKUP(R[0]C[3],AutoCat!A:B,2,FALSE),"Requires Category")');
Adequately writes this formula into all the cells in the target Google Sheets file represented by formulaCells
=iferror(VLOOKUP(D2,AutoCat!A:B,2,FALSE),"Requires Category")
But the problem is that the formula defaults to the error flag "Requires Category" when it is written by Google Scripts, but if I write the very same formula manually into Google Sheets, the actual item identified by the VLOOKUP results.
This is so frustrating!
If I hover over the Google Script generated formula, the true solution from the VLOOKUP even appears in the flyover, but for some reason, does not appear in the cell.
Please help! Why will a Google Scripts generated formula not calculate properly wen the same formula entered manually will?

A: OK, after thinking I'd exhausted my mental resources on this, I tried one last thing, and it actually worked.
For some unknown reason, though the formula is accurate, Google Scripts generated formulas do not play well with a VLOOKUP which searches an unlimited range for a solution. So even though the VLOOKUP was finding the correct solution, it was not displaying it as the formula result.
I fixed this by creating in the Google Sheets file a named range of the data the VLOOKUP would search called AutoCategory, and then inserted that named range into the Google Scripts generated formula, and BOOM! the formula started working.
Here is the final code in Scripts:
formulaCells.setFormulaR1C1('=iferror(VLOOKUP(R[0]C[3],AutoCategory,2,FALSE),"Requires Category")');
And here is the final formula which is generated in Google Sheets:
=iferror(VLOOKUP(D2,AutoCategory,2,FALSE),"Requires Category")

A: setFormulaR1C1 requires R1C1 notation, which you provided with R[0]C[3], but AutoCat!A:B is A1 notation.
You could switch to setFormula() and pass in only A1 notation, but I think that using named ranges is a very good practice when combined with Google Apps Script.


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Thomas Guy
Person Male Born 1644 Died 27/12/1724
Categories: Benefactor, Medicine, Politics & Administration, Race Issues
Founder of Guy's Hospital. Born 7 Pritchard's Alley, Fair Street, Horsleydown. This is now the section of Tower Bridge Road between London City Mission and Tower Bridge Primary School. A bookseller, in 1668 he bought a newly-built shop in Lombard Street, at the junction with Cornhill. Both streets used to extend further westwards and met almost in front of the Mansion House.
Made his fortune by investing in the slave trade, and came out of the 'South Sea bubble' of 1720 a wealthy man. He was a governor of St Thomas' Hospital and in 1721 he began to build another hospital, opposite, which was completed about the time of his death, Guy's Hospital. He died at home which seems still to have been the shop that he bought before he made his fortune, but he did have a reputation for being tight-fisted. Never having married he left much of his estate to Guy's Hospital.
CI - 8 - Books
This carving depicts the two Brontë sisters meeting Thackeray, but rather fai...
Great Maze Pond - Guys - 3 Guy
In the photo the memorial is partly hidden by the rubbish bin.
Keats House at Guy's - bust 2 - Thomas Guy?
We are not certain of the identification.
Queen Mother visits Guy's
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother unveiled this stone to commemora...
C. F. K.
Could this be? No, surely not. Could it be.... Charles Foster Kane? Funded t...
Sir Henry Wellcome
Born Wisconsin, USA, moved to London in 1880 for business reasons. Pharmacist...
Liz Villiers
H. T. M. Bell
Dr John Waggett
At Elsevier Ruth Richardson writes: "That year {1882}, Dr John Waggett MD FRC...


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Itame grossbecki är en fjärilsart som beskrevs av Barnes och Mcdunnough 1913. Itame grossbecki ingår i släktet Itame och familjen mätare. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Mätare
grossbecki


We've been meaning to share this post about revamping a new-to-us gun lamp (you heard that right), but are just getting to it now — you might notice we got this done a little bit before we were able to paint the front room judging from those bright red walls that are no more in the background of some of these shots. OK, we admit we did this in April and have no excuse — please forgive us!
Growing up, I remember this floor lamp at my maternal grandparents' house and marveling at the fact it was an actual gun, but it wasn't until it was at my mother's house (after both grandparents had passed) that I really began to learn more about it and take interest. It turns out, my grandfather handmade this lamp by recycling a rifle he probably used to hunt with.
If you look closely, you'll notice the stand/base of the lamp is the rifle, the bulb protruding where the gun would be fired and the shade is made from a stitched hide. I sometimes forget how crafty my grandfather actually was and think much of my own creative nature may have been passed down from him. I remember he had an entire 2 car garage set up as an immaculate workshop with industrial tools of all sorts. He made all sorts of things, including necklaces from shark teeth my sister and I would find along the James river when we were little.
When my mother recently asked me if I'd like to have the lamp, I jumped at the chance. Somewhere along the line with normal wear and tear, the mechanisms inside of it had broken and I knew just the man with electrical skills for the job :) It turns out Tim was able to replace the light socket to bring the lamp back to working order and shorten the cord while at it fairly simply — so of course we wanted to share here on the blog!
I'll let him explain things from here on out.
First things first — this lamp is pretty cool and no paint-visor was required. After studying the socket it was pretty evident I'd need to just replace the entire thing, which is a fairly easy thing to do with a little know how — so don't throw away those broken lights or pass an amazing one up at a yard sale/flea market if you think it just needs a little electrical updating.
Safety Alert: of course make sure all electrical cords are unplugged before taking on a project like this.
I could see right away the lamp was originally made with a 3-way lamp socket, which was exciting to me since it would be able to provide multiple levels of light. You can find an affordable basic replacement socket kits (like this) at any local hardware store — for this project, I picked one up especially made to fit with 3-way lamps.
First I needed to remove the bad socket completely. To do so, I pulled up on the switch barrel to loosen it further from the base it was sitting in and gently loosened the screws on either side of the switch to unwind the exposed copper wires attaching the cord.
Here's the old switch — see that little silver colored tab in there? That's how you can tell it's a 3-way switch my friends.
Once the socket was completely removed and I had the cord free, I asked Mary to come over and tell me exactly how short she wanted me to make it (we consult each-other on these things). She took the opportunity to try to pick up the lamp and fake shoot it — I think it surprised her how heavy this thing actually is, the base being cast iron.
After telling me how short she wanted it, I cut it to length and added about 6 inches extra since I knew it'd work out better in the end a tad longer (shhhh).
Once the cord was snipped, I strung the base of the new socket through so it would sit at the top of the rifle and then separated the two sides and stripped the plastic coating about 1 inch to expose the copper wiring — can you see how we are basically just putting it back together exactly the way we took it apart only with a new socket?
I then twisted the exposed wiring on either side screw of the new lamp socket.
Tip: You always wind the wire around the screw in the direction you are going to tighten it — otherwise it will just unwind itself.
Once I got the wires attached to the new socket, I put the brass drum back on top of it and strung the cord back down the base of the lamp until it met and fit into the base of the new lamp socket.
After a twist to secure it, I crossed my fingers, screwed in the new 3-way bulb, and and tested 'er out!
We were in business with this lamp again! So simple.
A gun with a giant halo of light blasting out of it... In reality, it really does look more defined than this.
We're both thrilled to have this little piece of history in the house — not only does it provide a much better toned down light setting for our family room (other than the one setting ceiling fan we have), it reminds us of our family and how they've been DIY'ing for generations before us.
Hopefully you can also see how easy it could be to turn other objects you may have laying around into functioning lamps. So long as you have the hollow hole to string the cord through and something to ground the socket base, you could soon be making lamps of your own.
Have you taken on a recent restoration project or had something passed down to you that you remember from childhood? We'd love to hear!
that's such an awesome lamp!! it's sort of subtle until you look down. i love it!
Couldn't agree more — you can almost miss it unless you do a double-take!
So. Cool. That is just too much fun!
Thanks Jenn!! We had a lot of fun fixing this lamp.
What fun! Nice use for an all rifle. Maybe even sheds light on the issue of gun ownership!
Great point Steve — it's definitely a treasure and we love how it was recycled!
what you've done is so cool!. good thing that you share this.
Ruined what looks to have been a good Swiss 96/11.


Goodness, this week feels like is slipping away fast, not helped by the fact that here in the UK we had a long weekend off work, with a bank holiday Monday.
I am sharing a drop dead, gorgeously cute card with you today. And its a case of a similar one I found on Pinterest but sadly one that doesn't go to a website, so I cannot link to it as a source but if was pretty much identical apart form the Unicorn.
Yiikkeeesss !!! Isn't it gorgeous and FUN ?? I simply love the dreamy sponged background with the textured dots and my Happy Unicorn floating all over it.
The colours inks I have used are Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight and Pool Party.
The sentiment was stamped in Versamark ink, onto vellum cardstock and heath embossed in white powder. Magical effect, it looks so gorgeous in real life especially as the Unicorn has shimmer added to it.
I did a Facebook Live Video for this project if you would like to have a look and while you are there don't forget to subscribe to my page.


text:
Search for Names, Places, Biographies
Introduction, Timelines, Glossary
Biographical search for traces
Search for Names, Places and Biographies
Already layed Stumbling Stones
search by street
search by Bezirk bitte wählen Wandsbek Altona Hamburg-Mitte Hamburg-Nord Eimsbüttel Bergedorf Harburg
with biographies only
with Soundstones only
Sorted by Name (ascending)Name (descending)Street (ascending)Street (descending)
Margaretha Rothe * 1919
Heidberg 64 (Hamburg-Nord, Winterhude)
HIER WOHNTE
MARGARETHA ROTHE
JG. 1919
IM WIDERSTAND
WEISSE ROSE
VERHAFTET 1943
GEFÄNGNIS LEIPZIG
TOT AN HAFTFOLGEN
KRANKENHAUS LEIPZIG-DÖSEN
http://www.abendblatt.de/politik/article1357472/Margaretha-Rothe-1919-1945.html
(Margaretha Rothe Kurzbiographie Hamburger Abendblatt)
http://www.uni-hamburg.de/Aktuelles/stolpersteine_einladung.html
(Feierstunde anlässlich der Verlegung von zehn "Stolpersteinen" für die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus an der Hamburger Universität )
www.garten-der-frauen.de
(Im Garten der Frauen auf dem Ohlsdorfer Friedhof in Hamburg befinden sich einige Grabsteine von und Erinnerungssteine für weibliche(n) Opfer(n) des Nationalsozialismus, für die in Hamburg Stolpersteine verlegt wurden.)
Margaretha Erna Frieda Hedwig Rothe, born on 13 June 1919 in Hamburg, died on 15 Apr. 1945 in Leipzig of the effects of imprisonment
Until Easter of 1937, Margaretha Rothe attended the Lichtwark School. Her teacher, Erna Stahl, a very committed pedagogue, strove to uphold the school's progressive teaching (reformpädagogische) tradition even after 1933. For this reason, she was transferred to a different Hamburg secondary school at Easter of 1935. She invited her former students to literary evenings at her home. In this reading circle, silent opposition against Nazism prevailed, though participants avoided political discussions. One of the participants, Heinz Kucharski, founded his own circle of friends in which Margaretha Rothe, Traute Lafrentz, and others did critical readings of the Nazi press, making efforts to get their hands on uncensored information from abroad.
Margaretha Rothe passed her high school graduation exam (Abitur) in 1938 at Klosterschule and began studying medicine in Hamburg. During this time, she got to know Alexander Schmorell, who studied in Munich and belonged to the "White Rose" resistance group.
Hamburg University was closed for several months in the fall of 1939, and Margaretha Rothe joined Heinz Kucharski and Traute Lafrentz in going to the University of Berlin, where they also had contacts to opposition circles. For the 1940 summer semester, Margaretha Rothe and Heinz Kucharski returned to Hamburg. Using a children's printing kit, Margaretha Rothe prepared leaflets that she distributed in subway stations and phone booths. Using the headline of "Against Hitler and the War" ("Gegen Hitler und den Krieg"), she published the broadcasting schedule and frequencies of the "Deutscher Freiheitssender" ("German Freedom Station"). From Traute Lafrentz, who continued her studies in Munich, she received the leaflets of the "White Rose," which she typed and duplicated, so that her circle of friends was able to distribute them.
From 1941/1942 onward, the circle of friends, later called the "Hamburg branch" of the "White Rose," met in the basement of Anneliese Tuchel's bookstore on Jungfernstieg. The meetings were betrayed. In Nov. 1943, Margaretha Rothe was arrested and taken to the Fuhlsbüttel Gestapo prison. She shared this fate with 30 other persons. According to the investigation file, they were charged with "preparation to high treason, undermining of military strength, aiding the enemy, and listening to and disseminating news from enemy stations." Margaretha Rothe was described as the "seditious center of a loose association of enemies of the state." During the investigation, she endured dreadful prison conditions. In Nov. 1944, she was taken to the Cottbus women's prison; she was scheduled for indictment before the "People's Court" (Volksgerichtshof).
On 10 Feb. 1945, she was taken, along with 300 other prisoners, in cattle cars to the Leipzig-Meusdorf prison. Seriously ill, she was admitted to the St. Jakob Municipal Hospital in Leipzig-Dösen on 6 Mar. 1945. There, she received attention and care in the private ward during the last five weeks of her life, dying of the effects of pulmonary tuberculosis on 15 Apr. 1945, at the age of 26.
In commemoration of Margaretha Rothe, a high school in Barmbek bears her name, and in Hamburg-Niendorf, a street was named after her. The Garten der Frauen ("Garden of Women") at the Ohlsdorf cemetery features a memorial stone for Margaretha Rothe.
Translator: Erwin Fink
Kindly supported by the Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung, Hamburg.
Stand: October 2018
© Stolperstein-Initiative Hamburg-Winterhude
Quellen: Ursel Hochmuth, Gertrud Meyer, Streiflichter aus dem Hamburger Widerstand 1933–1945, Frankfurt 1980; Rita Bake, Wilfried Rottmann, Wer steckt dahinter? Hamburgs Straßen, die nach Frauen benannt sind, Hamburg 2000; http://www.politisch-verfolgte.de (eingesehen 2.9.2007); http://www.garten-der-frauen.de/gedenk.html (eingesehen 2.9.2007).
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The stumbling stone pictured above was laid on March 29th, 2005 and thus became the 1000th Stumbling Stone in Hamburg. The picture was taken by Gesche Cordes.


Inspiration - Excess fat bulbs that just about everyone has used for general lighting in bedrooms since childhood these are known as incandescent light bulbs. These lamps had been the conventional a long time because of the natural, warm light they produce and their undeniable low price. These bulbs are also very easy to include at a dimmer control as compared to other lamp types.
Illumination with incandescent bulbs is they consume few times more energy compared to a alternatives. This in addition to a much shorter lifespan (up to 1,500 hours) than its competitors makes incandescent bulbs a high-priced option. This has concluded in a worldwide movement to ban their use before 2014 as a energy. Some countries, including those invoved with the European Union, previously begun this ban.


text:
Q: Mysql Find multiple rows from each group I have a table with 3 columns, student_id, section_id, and marks, each contains integer values, with student_id being the primary field with unique values. Now I was need to write queries for the 3 scenarios below (PS: this is for learning purposes only, so it would be great if you can show me some alternate logical approaches if possible):

*

*Find the student who ranked 3rd in each section.

*Find the student who ranked 2nd,3rd,and 4th in each section.

*Find the student who ranked 4th in each section if there is any with the constraint that if there are multiple students with same marks in a section, then the next ranks are skipped. So let's say 3 students got the same marks which would rank them 2nd in a section, then the 3rd, and 4th ranks are skipped, and the next student to score less than them would be ranked 5th.

For the first one I tried:
SELECT * FROM `students` s
 WHERE s.student_id=
(
  SELECT student_id
    FROM students
   WHERE s.section_id=section_id
   ORDER BY marks DESC
   LIMIT 2,1
)
 GROUP BY section_id
 ORDER BY marks DESC

This works though I am not sure about optimization.
For the next one I tried using IN cause otherwise I can't fetch more than one row in the sub-query, but it says mysql doesn't support LIMIT in IN clause, is there any way to modify this query for the second scenario?
And lastly, I have no idea what to do about the third one.
I created a test table at http://sqlfiddle.com/#!2/6442fb/1
Any help appreciated.

A: Unfortunately MySQL still lacks support for analytic functions. Specifically RANK() and RANK_DENSE() would be very helpful. One way to emulate them is by using user variables:
SELECT student_id, section_id, marks
  FROM
(
  SELECT s.*, @n := IF(@s = section_id, IF(@m = marks, @n, @n + 1), 1) rank,
         @s := section_id, @m := marks
    FROM students s CROSS JOIN (SELECT @n := 0, @s := NULL, @m := NULL) i
   ORDER BY section_id, marks DESC
) q
 WHERE rank = 3
 ORDER BY marks DESC;

SELECT student_id, section_id, marks
  FROM
(
  SELECT s.*, @n := IF(@s = section_id, IF(@m = marks, @n, @n + 1), 1) rank,
         @s := section_id, @m := marks
    FROM students s CROSS JOIN (SELECT @n := 0, @s := NULL, @m := NULL) i
   ORDER BY section_id, marks DESC
) q
 WHERE rank BETWEEN 2 AND 4
 ORDER BY section_id, marks DESC;

SELECT student_id, section_id, marks
  FROM
(
  SELECT s.*, @n := IF(@s = section_id, @n + 1, 1),
         @rn := IF(@m = marks, @rn, @n) rank,
         @s := section_id, @m := marks
    FROM students s CROSS JOIN (SELECT @n := 0, @rn := 0, @s := NULL, @m := NULL) i
   ORDER BY section_id, marks DESC
) q
 WHERE rank = 4
 ORDER BY marks DESC;

Here is SQLFiddle demo


text:
Q: Using files from filebox in filebox2 I am building some code that loads all files from your current location and shows them in listbox1 .
Then in the second listbox I want to get the filesize of all files that were loaded in listbox1 . As of now the code gives back the filesize of all files inside the folder .
Here is my code so far :
    private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        DirectoryInfo dinfo = new DirectoryInfo(".");
        FileInfo[] Files = dinfo.GetFiles("*.xml");
        foreach (FileInfo file in Files)
        {
            listBox1.Items.Add(file.Name);
        }
    }

    private void button2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        DirectoryInfo dinfo = new DirectoryInfo(".");
        FileInfo[] Files = dinfo.GetFiles("*.xml");
        foreach (FileInfo file in Files)
        {
            listBox2.Items.Add(DecToHex(file.Length));
        }

        string filename = "original.txt";
        string listboxData = "";
        foreach (string str in listBox2.Items)
        {
            listboxData += str + "\n ";
        }

        File.WriteAllText(filename, listboxData);
    }

    private void button3_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        DirectoryInfo dinfo = new DirectoryInfo(".");
        FileInfo[] Files = dinfo.GetFiles("*.xml");
        foreach (FileInfo file in Files)
        {
            listBox3.Items.Add(DecToHex(file.Length));
        }

        string filename = "changed.txt";
        string listboxData = "";
        foreach (string str in listBox3.Items)
        {
            listboxData += str + "\n ";
        }

        File.WriteAllText(filename, listboxData);
    }

A: You have to iterate through the items in ListBox1, create the FileInfo variables from the file paths and add the information you wish to the other ListBoxes. Sample code:
string curDir = Environment.CurrentDirectory;  //By assuming that ListBox1 stores just file names and that the target directory is the one where the application is located
foreach (string item in listBox1.Items)
{
     if (item != null && item.Trim().Length > 0)
     {
         string curPath = curDir + @"\" + item;
         if (File.Exists(curPath))
         {
             FileInfo file = new FileInfo(curPath);
             listBox2.Items.Add(DecToHex(file.Length));
         }
     }
}


text:
How Does Discord Make Money?
By Albert Fang April 7, 2018
What is Discord?
Discord is a chat service. People can use voice or text, one on one or in groups. The app has been aimed at gamers primarily, but many people also use it for day to day chat. People say that is is very similar to Slack, another chat service popular with small business. They have taken ideas from a combination of other chat services, streamlined them and made the whole experience much simpler and easier for the end user. Commonly people will say that it is a lighter program than Skype or other popular communication applications. In addition, it works on all popular available platforms and the app and services are free to use.
How Does Discord Make Money
Discord is a fairly new company, it was fortunate to start off with some pretty decent coffers. They are currently implementing a new subscription pack a new way to make money called Discord Nitro. It is a set of what they call extra perks, that will make you look super stylish. They are selling it as a way to thank or contribute to all that the application has to offer its users. Nitro will allow users to upload Gif avatars, they will have access to special emoticons, increased file upload size and they will be given a badge to show that they are a Nitro user. The cost is $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year, the group surmises that this should make money for the time being.
Discord now has a partnership with Spotify, this feature allows a user to stream music to their chat friends on the application. It works internally so the music streams to another person through a Spotify application within Discord, rather than just through the audio feed. A feature like this is unique and offers listeners control over the music separate to that of the chat they are currently in. They also are constantly updating and pushing updates out to users.
When they send emails out to users they include a fun fact about gaming or the company at the bottom of the email. In one email they revealed that they named their logo Clyde. they have about 80 employees and has raised $70 million in funding. The average number of users is 14 million per day.
Discord, like so many other companies, came about to solve the problem of playing a game that the founders had developed under Hammer & Chisel. They found that many available chat or VoIP services were either too invasive or resource demanding and this is how the new company was born.
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Sunaina 3 years ago Reply


Paperback edition; The Book Depository.
I recently finished, The Promise I Kept, Adele Rickerby's memoir about the personal journey that led her to adopting a child from a Romanian orphanage in the aftermath of the downfall of the Ceausescu regime. It is a well-crafted story that is accessible to most readers and can be read cover to cover in two-three hours. People will take out of the story different things, depending on their own life journey and interests. I found the insight into the inner world of the mother and evocative descriptions of the characters and places she experienced along the way most satisfying. I am happy to recommend it to the many who are fascinated by personal memoirs and accounts concerning adoption.
Adele Rickerby's, The Promise I Kept, is a superb story of what the can be accomplished when one sets a goal and has the burning desire to carry one through the innumerable obstacles. Due to certain health issues, she is not able again to conceive another child. But her desire to be mother again does not die and she decides to pursue the adoption process.
Adele's story of wanting to be mother again, despite all the immediate roadblocks that were presented to her in Australia, should had been enough to discouraged anybody from trying, but the burning desire inside her, carried her far away from the borders of this country to a land that just having been freed of a despotic ruler and was trying to find itself. Among all this chaos Adele is there, going through every and other hurdle that comes along in this journey, from mindless and corrupt bureaucracies, inhumane proposals, and much more, she is finally able to come back home with her new daughter.
An interesting story about a courageous women who singlehandedly travel on the other side of the world and struggle through a bureaucratic maze to finally achieve her dream to adopt a child. A must read for anybody who contemplate adopting a child oversea!
A very interesting wee read about a young woman on a mission to the eastern block, to adopt a child. If we cast our mind back to that era it was certainly was a troubled time both politically and socially in the 'block'. Between being thrown off trains because of her New Zealand citizenship, and not able to speak the language, she faced and conquered many problems and challenges with patience and doggedness . The corrupt 'officialdoms' backstreets and dangers are compensated by the sheer generosity of strangers. All these faced by a smallish woman with the burning desire for another child, despite a failing marriage at home. A very compelling read.
Available as an Amazon kindle edition.
A must read book for those of us who adopted from Romania, or anywhere. It's about a mother's perseverance and how she found conditions and the baby she adopted. It's about hope and what happened in Romania post-Ceausescu. It is haunting and if you were in the same position, would you be brave enough to just go with your gut and do what is right for the sake of a child?
Thank you Otto, for your very kind and encouraging words.


text:
Q: Can the subtitle of an Area 51 proposal be edited during the commitment phase? I created a "Dermatology and Dermatopathology" proposal at:
http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/22278/dermatology-and-dermatopathology
With that being said, I wanted to know if during the commitment stage a moderator might be able to edit the subtitle of the proposal to something a bit more inclusive. If this is possible, I wanted to know if someone would change...
"Proposed Q&A site for expert dermatologist and dermatopathologists"
...to...
"Proposed Q&A site for expert dermatologist and dermatopathologists, researchers, medical students, wound care specialists, nurses, and other skin enthusiasts"

A: Sounds reasonable. Done.

Dermatology and Dermatopathology
Proposed Q&A site for expert dermatologist and dermatopathologists, medical students, wound care specialists, nurses, and other skin enthusiasts


Is your organization designed to innovate? Is design at the center of your strategy?
Why so much talk about innovation?
"Innovation is central to our strategy." "We're investing in innovation." "We've got to get better at innovation!" Sound familiar? If the 'i' word hasn't permeated the business-speak of your organization, it's only a matter of time.
As far as organizational mantras go, 'innovation' is about as hot as they come. Over the last decade or two, innovation as a strategy has moved from implicit to explicit, from obscure to prominent, from accidental to critical. It's become central to organizational strategy, something that investors are looking for and executives lose sleep over. So much sleep that many organizations have appointed Chief Innovation Officers (someone to lose sleep on their behalf).
The interest isn't only at corporate headquarters, either. Entire magazines and journals are devoted to the subject, and many existing media outlets have dedicated whole sections to the topic. Books and websites (and, yes, blogs) on the topic have exploded. Business school courses on innovation are becoming more and more popular, and there are now entire academic programs devoted to the topic. Innovation consulting firms have sprouted up with all types of services, among them the ever-popoular innovation workshops and retreats for working professionals.
Obviously, innovation isn't new – individuals and organizations have been innovating quite happily for ages. So what's with all the new press and attention?
On the surface, it may seem somewhat like a fad, or a passing fascination with the topic. Or maybe a little like "lean manufacturing" or "six-sigma" – something that we hear about for a while and then becomes institutionalized and recedes from view.
I believe instead that the business world's fascination with innovation is indicative of a fundamental shift in how organizations create value – a shift away from value creation through operations, and a shift towards value creation through innovation.
What's the difference? When an organization is primarily focused on operations, it's focused on doing more and more of what it's already doing – increasing sales, driving down costs, improving production, etc. In contrast, an organization that's focused on innovation is focused on doing things it hasn't done before.
Essentially, its the difference between having impact through existing offerings (products/services/brands/etc), and having impact through the continual creation of new offerings. (Note that I did not say 'having impact through new offerings.' New offerings quickly become existing offerings. Rather, what matters is having impact through the continual creation of new offerings, not the new offerings themselves.) Said another way, do we make money by creating something great, or do we make money by being creators of great things?
Still foggy? Answer the following question: What is your organization's value engine? Is it your production lines, your sales force, your distribution channels, your brands, products or services? If so, then your organization is more operations-focused in its value creation. If instead it's your pipeline of new ideas, your creative minds, your new approaches and processes, your innovation teams and programs, your R&D efforts, then your organization is more innovation-focused in its value creation.
You might be thinking: "But you need both! Both are critical." This is absolutely correct. But keep in mind that organizations also need HR and IT and Accounting. These activities and groups are also critical to making money and meeting objectives. However, most of the time they are considered support functions, not centers of value creation. In other words, they're not the means by which organizations compete and succeed in the marketplace.
I submit that operations is the same boat. Or at least it is slowly getting into that boat as individuals and organizations realize that greater value is created through continual innovation than through well-executed operations. To be clear, I'm not suggesting that operations isn't important or is on its way out – at the end of the day, companies have to bring home the bacon and operations is how this gets done. But it's through innovation that organizations ensure there's always something that operations can bring home the bacon with.
In future posts, we'll explore this fundamental shift in more detail, discussing the tricky balance between operations and innovation and how to shift more and more value creation to innovation (without dropping the operations ball).


This time last century, the only assistance that someone with hearing loss could use was an ear trumpet. While ear trumpets increased volume of sound, most people would still have major issues of clarity. Now 100 years on, there have been many advances in both medical solutions and hearing aid devices. Hearing loss can now be managed to ensure that it need not greatly affect the lives of most people with the condition.
Modern hearing solutions rebalance wearers' hearing and are incredibly effective in noise. They also come in sizes so small that they are practically invisible.
Hearing aids are also available in an extensive range of colours and sizes, including some models so discreet that they are practically invisible.


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HARARE – Zimbabwe's mining sector is on an exponential growth trajectory with the sector expected to earn $3,5 billion this year from increased production.
Last year, the country earned $2,6 billion from mining.
The latest figures from the Chamber of Mines show that the 2017 earnings will be easily eclipsed by strong production in gold, diamonds, chrome, coal, nickel and lithium.
Impressive performances in the sector have been anchored by gold output which stood at 21 tonnes as at 31 July, earning Zimbabwe more than $850 million. Authorities are targeting a record 35 tonnes by year-end.
Diamond production is also on the up, with expectations that output will reach three million carats in 2018 up from 1,8 million last year.
Platinum production is on the rise, and is expected to get even stronger in the next few years due to new ventures at Karo Resources and Great Dyke in Mhondoro and Darwendale respectively.
The Mines and Mining Development Ministry expects mining growth to be sustained in the next five years, culminating in the sector earning $12 billion by 2023.
In an interview with State media last week, Mines Minister Winston Chitando said, "The mining sector in 2017 recorded gross revenues of around $2,6 billion and we expect this figure to go to $12 billion by the year 2023, and this is underpinned by growth in most minerals.
Minister Chitando said President Mnangagwa's vision for a middle-income economy by 2030 had primed the mining sector to pursue ambitious but realistic targets, such as gold output of 100 tonnes by 2023.
He said gold was thus far the star performer.
"Gold has been impressive. We have reviewed upwards our target for gold output this year to 35 tonnes from the 30 tonnes that we had initially set," said the minister.
Minister Chitando said while platinum production would be maintained at about the same levels produced last year, output would significantly rise once the Karo Resources project was onstream.
Responding to questions from the media, Chamber of Mines Zimbabwe chief executive Mr Isaac Kwesu lauded Government for implementing policies that stimulated production.
"This performance is largely attributed to an improved operating environment, patches of improved access to working capital, and timeous allocation of foreign currency by (the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe) to import raw materials.
"It is against this that majority of key minerals have posted significant output growth led by gold (percent), chrome (34 percent), diamonds (32 percent), coal (22 percent), and lithium (55 percent). Only output for (platinum group metals) related minerals was subdued during the comparable periods," he said.
Data from the Chamber of Mines shows diamond output increased to more than 1,5 million carats this year compared to 1,08 million carats in the first half of 2017.
Chrome improved from 594 954 tonnes to 691 882 tonnes, while nickel jumped from 6 922 tonnes to 7 366 tonnes.
Lithium rose from 19 153 tonnes to 29 259 tonnes, while coal production improved from 874 796 tonnes to 1 117 133 tonnes. Cobalt and granite production are also up.