text:
Smartmatic poll machines come into question
posted November 16, 2020 at 01:00 am by Rey E. Requejo
Doubts on the integrity of the 2022 automated national and local elections may again be questioned if the Commission on Elections will depend on the vote-counting machines provided by Smartmatic after former Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York claimed that the Smartmatic's VCMs being used in the Philippines—and recently in the United States—were vulnerable to poll fraud.
In an interview with the Fox Business Channel, Giuliani, in his capacity as lawyer of reelectionist US President Donald Trump, claimed that the Smartmatic vote-counting machines were "hackable."
He said Dominion, the company that provided the automated vote-counting system used during the most recent presidential election, was owned by Smartmatic through an intermediary company referred to as Indra.
He claimed that the Smartmatic vote-counting machine was basically developed and designed to commit fraud in the process of vote-counting, particularly for the Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez.
He claimed that Smartmatic had been behind the electoral frauds in many countries, without actually mentioning the Philippines, which has been using its system for over a decade.
Giuliani also hinted about the origins of the Dominion- Voting System and the company's alleged connection with Smartmatic, one of the most questioned automated voting companies, primarily because of the affiliation of the people behind the company to Chávez.
He accused Smartmatic of manipulating the recent US presidential election in key US states, adding that its Dominion Voting System was using machines designed to allow human intervention.
Asked what he meant by human intervention, Giuliani said "hackable."
"There no such machine as un-hackable," said Giuliani who cited 2019, when the secretary of state in Texas denounced what was aptly referred to as "irregularities" and refused to use Smartmatic's Dominion "Suite 5.5" voting system.
Smartmatic's Dominion nevertheless was able to take part in the election system covering at least 28 states, which included the territories currently under dispute: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Giuliani said Smartmatic's not-so-impressive record compelled its top corporate honchos to consider using other company names, or an intermediary, if only to ensure an unhampered operation to make a fortune out of "internal arrangements" outside the legally binding contracts they were sealing and signing.
In the case of the US, Giuliani said, Smartmatic used Canada's Dominion Voting System, a company that sells voting machines and software in the US and Canada.
Dominion, he added, was owned by Smartmatic through an intermediary company named Indra." The company Giuliani referred to was Indra Sistemas S.A., a Spanish multinational company that offers consulting services on transport, defense, energy and telecommunications including elections.
During his interview, Giuliani said "the votes go to Barcelona, Spain," where he said the electoral fraud actually took place. But he did not elaborate on the company names that Smartmatic was allegedly using in other countries that it had dipped into.
He said Smartmatic was founded by three Venezuelans who were very close to the dictator Hugo Chávez back in 2003, adding that the company was formed to fix elections.
"That's the company that owns Dominion. Dominion is a Canadian company, but all its software is from Smartmatic," Giuliani was quoted during the interview.
He said three sources informed him that "the funding for Dominion came from Venezuela." He went on to say that Smartmatic was under scrutiny in the United States for having been present in key states during the elections and having operated for questioned elections in Venezuela for many years.
The company, which provides machines and technology, has been marketing its services in the United States since 2006. By 2015, it had already maintained and configured 58,000 counting and voting machines that had been sold to 307 jurisdictions in the country.
Smartmatic's long arms allegedly were also able to touch on the Philippine electoral system. It had in fact been the first and only company that had been administering automated elections in the Philippines since 2010.
From the 2010 presidential elections and many succeeding elections thereafter, Smartmatic earned a reputation of allegedly being notorious. Its vote-counting machines had disappointed many with technical glitches, casting doubt on voters and candidates alike.
The Commission on Elections has used Smartmatic VCMs, previously known as precinct count optical scan machines, since the first automated elections in 2010. Despite the controversies surrounding the Smartmatic system, the poll body went on to buy 97,000 VCMs that were used in the 2016 elections.
Smartmatic-Comelec Conspiracy Lawyer Glenn Chong, former congressman of Biliran, thinks the machines are either manipulated or simply not usable. Chong, who in 2019 ran for a Senate seat, lamented how his votes were counted after his team delivered their report on the election results.
"It is the worst election ever. In Camarines Sur, my scores counted the same as the precinct numbers. In precinct 11, the machines counted 11 points; in precinct 12 it said 12; and 13 votes in precinct 13," he said.
Topics: national and local elections , Commission on Elections , Smartmatic
Mass for cops
Abra solon victim of police harassment
Not quite a fiesta


text:
How is Wise regulated in each country?
Wise Australia Pty Ltd is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and holds an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) and Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) authorised as an Authorised Deposit Institution (ADI) limited to a provider of purchased payment facilities ("PPF licence"). Our ASIC licence number is 513764. We're also a reporting entity with the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC).
Belgium and the European Economic Area (EEA)
Wise Europe SA, is a Payment Institution authorised by the National Bank of Belgium, incorporated in Belgium with registered number 0713629988 and registered office at Avenue Louise 54, Room s52, 1050 Brussels, Belgium, with passporting rights across the EEA.
Wise Brasil Corretora de Câmbio Ltda. is an exchange brokerage firm authorised by the Central Bank of Brazil, incorporated under CNPJ 36.588.217/0001-01 and with registered office at Avenida Paulista, 2537, Andar 10, Conj 102, Bela Vista, São Paulo - SP, CEP 01311-300. Wise Pagamentos is a payment institution, issuer of electronic money pursuant to and as provided on BCB Resolution No. 80 of March 25, 2021, registered with the CNPJ/MF under No. 40.571.694/0001-31, with offices in the City of São Paulo, State of São Paulo Avenida Paulista 2537, 10 andar, cj. 102, Bela Vista, CEP 01.311-300. Wise Pagamentos is part of the prudential conglomerate led by Wise Corretora.
Wise Payments Canada Inc. is registered with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) as a Money Service Business (MSB) with registration number M15193392. We also have an MSB license with the Authorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) under license number 902804.
Wise Payments Ltd is regulated by the Customs and Excise Department (CCE) of Hong Kong and is licenced as a Money Service Operator (MSO) with licence number 15-01-01584.
TransferWise Ltd. is approved by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for facilitating outward remittances from India under the guidelines set out by RBI in the FED Master Direction No. 19 2015/2016.
PT Wise Payments Indonesia is licensed by Bank Indonesia as a Fund Transfer Operator under license number 21/304/DKI/B/14-001.
Wise Payments Japan K.K. is regulated by the Kanto Local Financial Bureau (registration number 00040) and licenced as a Funds Transfer Provider.
Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. is regulated under the laws of Malaysia as a licensed remittance, money-changing and e-money issuance business.
TransferWise operates as a foreign entity and is supervised by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA).
Wise Asia-Pacific Pte. Ltd. is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) as a major payment institution under the Payment Services Act 2019 (PSA).
Wise Payments Limited is authorised as an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) by the UK Financial Conduct Authority with registration number 900507.
Wise US Inc. is registered with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and renews its registration annually. It is licensed as a money transmitter in the states listed here, and supervised by regulatory authorities in each of those states.
In other US states and/or territories, money transmission services are offered by our partner financial institution Community Federal Savings Bank, which is supervised by the Office of the Comptroller of Currency.
Wise Nuqud Ltd is regulated by the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) under authorization number 190011.
🙂 Yes
🙁 No
Who is the FCA?
What's your privacy policy?
Watch out for phishing
Is it safe to keep money in my Wise account?
What is 2-step login?
Company and team
Mid-market rate
Send money abroad
Swift/BIC codes
IBAN codes
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Wise is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011, Firm Reference 900507, for the issuing of electronic money.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Guns And More Guns-On 3Q
By Michael Liss for 3Quarksdaily.com
I don't know a lot about guns.
I live in New York, which has comparatively restrictive gun laws, I don't own any, I don't hunt (and didn't grow up hunting), and I wasn't in the service. I don't have the emotional bonds that others who grew up around them might. The entire sum of my personal experience was several years of summer-camp riflery practice: .22 caliber single-action rifles that might have been previously used in the Boer War. We marched them over to a "range" consisting of a shack with mattresses on the floor, a lot of tree-stumps, and a contraption with pulleys and clotheslines to move the targets, and competed for NRA sharpshooter patches.
That is just about my last firsthand memory of guns, so, to reiterate, I just don't know very much about them. I also can't tell you about makes, models, types; whether a particular firearm is an "assault weapon"; or which one (or six) John Wick would pick. As I can't speak knowledgeably about guns themselves, I'm going to stay in my lane as a lawyer who writes about history and politics, and talk about guns and gun control in that context. In doing so, I expect to irritate virtually everyone who reads this.
First, the Second Amendment exists. It doesn't matter whether you or I agree with it—it's there. We can argue about what the Framers intent was when they wrote it, or the intent of the voters of the States that ratified it, but you can't wish it away. This is not an endorsement of unlimited guns in every hand and every place, and it is certainly not a moral judgment. It is just a reflection of reality. When government acts restrictively on guns, it takes something from gun owners, and the entire legal analysis from that point forward hinges on whether it is taking too much.
Second, only the Supreme Court can authoritatively tell us what the Second Amendment means. In 2008's District of Columbia v. Heller (applied to the States in 2010's McDonald v. City of Chicago), it did that. Heller, for the first time, split off the "militia" from the gun, and recognized an individual's right to possess a firearm for traditional purposes such as self-defense. On the other side of the equation, Justice Scalia, who wrote the Opinion, was clear that Heller was not a blank check: "Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose: For example, concealed weapons prohibitions have been upheld under the Amendment or state analogues. The Court's opinion should not be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms."
Again, it doesn't matter what any of us think, or wherever we might be on the spectrum. Heller indicates the potential guardrails. The debate over gun ownership is essentially over, and the focus has shifted towards the Constitutional viability of what I'm going to label "who what where" limits. The Court could hold the Heller line, and give some leeway to governments in "who what where" restrictions, or it could take an activist approach, invalidating initiatives that many people would find reasonable. We won't know until relevant cases come before it.
Third, the only ways to change what the Second Amendment says (or, what the Supreme Court says the Second Amendment says) are either to amend the Amendment, or change minds and/or Justices. The chance of amending it has got to be close to zero (the math is almost impossible, a 2/3 vote in both houses of Congress, and ratification by 38 out of 50 states). As to possible changes in or to the Supreme Court, suffice it to say the Second does not appear to be in imminent danger.
Fourth, public opinion (which generally supports more restrictions) is not a leading indicator of substantive future legislation. As painful as it is to acknowledge, even mass murder doesn't really move the needle. Tragedy spurs talk, not action. At first glance, this would be counterintuitive; in a democracy, you would expect elected officials, ostensibly answerable to the public, to reflect broadly held views. Yet, there is a good argument that elected officials do reflect the views of their constituents, even when failing to enact any restrictions at all. Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia notes an intensity gap between the Second Amendment purists, who often are single-issue voters, and those who support more restrictions, but place those desires into a broader context of multiple policy interests and/or simply Party preference. To put it bluntly, it doesn't matter if 80 percent of the country says it supports universal background checks—if most of those within the 80 percent are not prioritizing the issue, they are effectively agnostic.
Nothing better shows that than the web of current legislation, particularly on the issue of who can carry (data from the Giffords Law Center). Let's talk about some numbers:
All 50 states allow some form of concealed carry, and only California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island are may issue states, where local authorities have significant discretion in the granting of permits. All the rest either are without restrictions or are shall issue, where, unless the applicant is under a disability (usually a felon or someone adjudicated as mentally ill), there is no discretion.
All but five states (California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and South Carolina) generally permit people from openly carrying handguns in public places—and 31 of those allow the open carrying of a handgun without any license or permit.
You might assume there would be more restrictions on long guns? Not materially. 44 states permit the carrying of a long gun in public. And, as to "what" someone might walk around with, there are some very serious long guns out there, whether they can be called "assault weapons" or not. Take a look at this fascinating interactive display put together by the New York Times, and marvel at the creativity of the gun-manufacturing industry in reimagining what might have been restricted. Now think about crafting effective legislation around them.
In light of Heller, it seems just about anyone can own and carry. "Who" can't? Only those relative few who are statutorily prohibited from owning them. But, while felons and the mentally ill can't legally carry a gun, oddly enough they can easily (if illegally) buy one, without doing anything exotic, and without the seller doing anything illegal. This is the so-called Gun-Show Loophole, which exempts private sales from the requirement of doing federal background checks, so long as the seller doesn't know or have reasonable cause to believe the purchaser is disqualified.
Now we've talked about "who" and "what"; let's talk about "where."
"Where" is a little more complicated. Federal law prohibits a person from knowingly possessing or attempting to possess a firearm in a federal facility, including post offices, the Capitol Building, and in "sterile areas" of airports. Guns may be carried onto planes, provided they are unloaded and stored away from the owner. The federal law known as The Gun-Free School Zones Act ("GFSZA") also prohibits any person from knowingly possessing a firearm at a place the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is a "school zone." Except, there's one rather large loophole that renders the Act mostly toothless: individuals with same-state-issued concealed carry permits are not prohibited from taking their guns into a school zone.
Of course, states can (and often do) have their own "where" regulations, just as they have some variations in their "carry" regulations. Perhaps this is the template for a possible 10th Amendment solution, provided, of course, that the more restrictive states don't exceed Heller limits? It's a clever argument with a lot of superficial appeal (if you can ignore the porousness of borders). But a closer look at extant legislation, across the states, shows a pattern with a purpose—a patchwork quilt of regulations, and an enormous number of exceptions, all fostered by gun lobbyists, who, like the tech people at the gun manufacturers, stay ahead of the curve.
An excellent example of the sophistication of the gun lobby is a long-time NRA goal, smartly packaged as a "national driver's license for guns." This is the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2019, introduced as H.R. 38 in the House, which already has over 150 cosponsors. A similar Senate bill, S.69, introduced by Texas Senator John Cornyn, has 37 cosponsors. The concept is deceptively simple. If one has a concealed carry permit (or is qualified and comes from one of the seven states that do not require a permit), one can concealed carry anywhere. The bills also authorize that person to ignore the GFSZA and carry or possess a concealed handgun in federally owned lands that are open to the public.
What is wrong with a little federally mandated reciprocity? Amongst like-minded states, maybe nothing at all. But the devil is in the details. Reciprocity takes away a state's ability to apply its own licensing criteria to out-of-state residents. A guy from Texas with a concealed carry permit who might never have qualified in New York would be free to go visit the Big Apple, gun in holster, and hang out near a schoolyard, no further questions asked. So much for the 10th Amendment.
Last week in 3 Quarks Daily, Scott F. Aikin and Robert B. Talisse wrote about the pejorative use of the word "politicization" by those who want to stifle discussion as a means of maintaining the status quo in the gun debate. It can be a very effective tactic, when even persuadable people feel an urge to let the victims' families have a chance to bury their dead. But if each incident is followed quickly by another, when do you talk about it? And how do we separate politicization from politics when politics (the threat of the ballot box) is only the point of leverage the public has?
We have to engage in politics, but it has to be realistic politics. There are many people in this country who are true believers in the Second Amendment. El Paso is not going to shake them; if anything, it will reaffirm their sense that they need their guns. They believe it, and they expect those who represent them to support them. I suspect that any Whip Count in either the House or Senate would show a sizable contingent of un-movables. Still, they must be engaged with respect, acknowledging the genuineness of their feelings. There is something that is often missed in the debate: not everyone who wants to own guns adopts the caustic approach of the NRA.
One more truth: There is no one solution that is going to prevent the possibility of mass murderers getting their hands on tools of mass murder. Even if you tighten the Gun-Show Loophole, there will still be black-market guns, untraceable guns, and "ghost" guns manufactured from parts bought (legally) off the internet. The goal of more regulation has to be the reduction of gun-related deaths. In this country, for certain, it will never be the total elimination of them.
With that as a backdrop, is there a reasonable possibility of meaningful, material change? Only if there is enough pressure on the rest of the electeds from the people they care about (their constituents and campaign contributors, not a bunch of liberals from New York and California) to make them perceive risk either to their jobs, or to party control of the Senate and/or Presidency.
There might be faint signs of that now. Orwell's Winston Smith said, "if there's hope, it lies in the proles" but for things like this, if there's hope, it lies in the suburbs. The 2018 Midterms showed a worrying drift of the formerly reliably Republican suburbs towards Democrats. Those folks are likely to support "who" background checks and more "where" restrictions—such as schools, libraries, and other public buildings where they and their children are likely to go. The unknown factor is how much pressure they will bring to bear on the candidates.
More importantly, for Republicans, what does the Wild-Card-in-Chief want? He is entirely focused on 2020, he likes meetings where he can be the closer, and he has an intense grip on his base. If he gave a Trumpian thumbs-up on something like universal background checks (Ivanka is field-testing the idea), it could give other Republicans cover against the hurricane. The problem is, they also know the President can be a little inconstant. None of them want to get ahead of him (or rely on him staying ahead of them) and find themselves alone on a rapidly melting sheet of ice. While it's never safe to predict anything with Trump, I suspect the only thing he's going to back unequivocally is Rick Scott's "Red Flag" (mental illness) concept.
So, we are likely stuck right now. There will be plenty of speeches and editorials, many meetings in which people on both sides of the aisle make good faith efforts to craft solutions, and no momentum towards anything that actually does much. The status quo, all of it, will remain, unless and until the public insists on action. But "insist" has to be more than just a show of hands to a pollster. It's an urgency that clearly communicates to often-feckless officeholders that ignoring it may very well have them looking for new employment.
Is the public ready? It is going to have to be, because that is how you get things done in our system. If it's not, then we wait. And wait.
As I said at the outset, I don't know much about guns, but I know that.
Guns And More Guns first appeared on August 19th, 2019
at 3Quarksdaily.com at
https://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2019/08/guns-and-more-guns.html
And please follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SyncPol


An army chaplain tells of the time he was asked to preach at a church some 20 miles from the base. He took his family along, but had neglected to tell his six-year-old daughter where they were going.
After a few miles on the road, she asked, "Dad, when we get to where we're going, where will we be?"
A good question! And one all of us should try to answer for ourselves. Think of your life's journey. When you get to where you're going, where will you be? One year, five years, or even 20 years from now, if you keep heading in the same direction you are heading and keep doing what you are doing, what will your life look like? Not only vocationally and financially, but what kind of person will you have become? Do you have a pretty clear picture of the way you would like things to turn out, or will you be as surprised when it happens as everybody else?
It has been my experience that most people do not spend much time with these questions. But as Henry David Thoreau once said, "In the long run, we only hit what we aim at." To live aimlessly is to waste this precious gift of life. But to live with direction is to live fully.


text:
Q: Does it make sense to call finish() in onDestroy()? I'm trying to debug an issue with our app. Our app is using a framework (Phonegap) which is essentially doing the following weird thing:
@Override
public void onDestroy()
{
  super.onDestroy();

  finish();
}

This seems wrong to me, but I'm not an expert in android programming. Based on my understanding of the activity lifecycle, onDestroy is often invoked as the result of calling finish(), but never the other way around.
To clarify, the only reason onDestroy is being called in the first place is because it had in fact already been torn down by an earlier call to finish(). Is it correct to call finish() again in onDestroy?

A: Generally speaking, calling finish() will trigger a call to onDestroy() somewhere down the line, but it is not guaranteed.
Your app process could be terminated between the call to finish() and the invocation of onDestroy(), or the battery could run out and so on.
Therefore, as is also stated in the documentation, calling finish() will generally lead to onDestroy(), and you need not be calling it from within onDestroy().
You can also use isFinishing() to determine if the Activity is already in the process of finishing.

A: That is correct. finish() is totally unnecessary in there. The activity is already being torn down.
On the other hand, I don't think this should cause problems. The framework is pretty lenient with finish() calls (I used to have two on the same activity and I didn't discover it for months). :)
Going further back, do you suspect another problem you're experiencing might be related to this?

A: You can still call onDestroy() in the Activity, but the way you override the onDestroy method will cause an exception SuperNotCalledException. That is because you cant destroy Activity without calling its super.onDestroy();.
Button b = (Button) findViewById(R.id.button1);
    b.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {

        @Override
        public void onClick(View v) {
            MainActivity.this.onDestroy();//calling the onDestroy()
        }
    });

problem:
@Override
public void onDestroy()
{
  finish(); //will finish but will catch an exception "SuperNotCalledException"
}

@matiash
the way I did it
@Override
protected void onDestroy() {
    super.onDestroy();
    Log.d("I am called", "I am called");
    finish();

}

The fact that this implementation will work but only when you add the super.onDestroy();

A: OnDestroy will be called when configuration changes or if the activity is restarting (due to call to  recreate ) , so in some cases it does make sense to call finish().

A: onPause() isFinishing(), it would know in onPause if the activity is being finished

A: You had better clean up before onDestroy() because there is a very distinct possibility that onDestroy() will not be called at all. From the docs for onDestroy():

Note: do not count on this method being called as a place for saving
  data! For example, if an activity is editing data in a content
  provider, those edits should be committed in either onPause() or
  onSaveInstanceState(Bundle), not here. This method is usually
  implemented to free resources like threads that are associated with an
  activity, so that a destroyed activity does not leave such things
  around while the rest of its application is still running. There are
  situations where the system will simply kill the activity's hosting
  process without calling this method (or any others) in it, so it
  should not be used to do things that are intended to remain around
  after the process goes away.

As a side note to the OP and the others posting here, you should all check out the Android lifecycle and read the API docs for the lifecycle callbacks. There's a lot of fuzzy understanding of the lifecycle methods on SO, apparently, because these threads keep popping up.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Use the Drift and Stability of Data to Build More Resilient Models – InApps 2022
Read more about Use the Drift and Stability of Data to Build More Resilient Models – InApps at Wikipedia
Data Drift and Stability
Tooling to the Rescue, Kinda
Towards Resilient Models, Not Reactive Tooling
Prioritizing Data Stability
A Change in Mindset, a Change in Methodology
Time to Evolve
Use the Drift and Stability of Data to Build More Resilient Models – InApps is an article under the topic Software Development Many of you are most interested in today !! Today, let's InApps.net learn Use the Drift and Stability of Data to Build More Resilient Models – InApps in today's post !
You can find content about Use the Drift and Stability of Data to Build More Resilient Models – InApps from the Wikipedia website
Anindya Datta
Anindya Datta is a leading technologist and innovator with core contributions in best-in-class large-scale data management solutions, artificial intelligence, and internet technologies. As Founder, CEO, and Chairman of Mobilewalla, Anindya has combined the industry's most robust data set with deep artificial intelligence and data science expertise to help enterprises better understand, model, and predict consumer behavior.
When building predictive models, model accuracy, measured by metrics like area under the curve (AUC), has traditionally been the primary driver of model design and operationalization. While this leads to high-fidelity model construction at training and testing time, performance in production often degrades, producing results far worse than expected.
As machine learning (ML) matures within organizations, resiliency often overrides raw predictive accuracy as the defining criterion for operationalizing models. Increasingly, ML practitioners are leaning towards operationalizing decently performing, predictable production models rather than those that exhibit high performance at test time but don't quite deliver on that promise when deployed. This preference for resilient models is evidenced by articles from Unite.ai, Rapidminer, the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon, and Towards Data Science, but how do we get there?
Of the many reasons models in production behave differently than when trained and tested, one of the most significant and frequently observed, is changes in the properties of the data that anchors them. The original data used to create the features on which the model was trained differs from those that power the model in deployment — a phenomenon called data drift. Data drift, which happens when real-world environments contributing data change in unexpected and unplanned ways, is arguably the primary cause of non-resilient models.
Read More: How Facebook Tweaked Browsers to Reduce Server Requests by 60 Percent – InApps 2022
The impact of drift on model resiliency is universally acknowledged, but existing solutions to mitigate this demonstrate only modest effectiveness. Virtually every enterprise ML software toolkit today includes mechanisms to determine data drift, manifested as a drift function like: drift_pkg(distribution1, distribution2) à {Drift_Metric}
Large cloud providers have also provided for data drift reporting within their ML suite of offerings; for example, Microsoft Azure Machine Learning's dataset monitors, and Amazon Web Services' SageMaker's Model Monitor.
These are useful tools, but their biggest drawback is that they are reactive. When a deployed model misbehaves, these tools are invoked to check drift, revealing how the data fed into the underperforming model differs from the data used to train it. If drift is detected, the model is corrected (primarily through retraining).
Correction is fine and necessary, but it doesn't address the most critical ML engineering problem of all — how do we build resilient ML models from the start? Achieving resiliency means building models that have predictable behavior, and seldom misbehave. Without resiliency, operationalizing ML models will remain a major challenge — modelers will continue to build models that underperform in production, requiring frequent correction. The continual need to re-engineer these models will raise organizational questions over the operational utility of ML/AI.
I believe that it is time to reconsider how drift is used in ML workflows and envision novel ways to incorporate drift into the model-building workflow to prevent, not react to, model misbehavior. To do this, we introduce the notion of data stability.
Data drift represents how a target data set is different from a source data set. For time-series data (the most common form of data powering ML models), drift is a measure of the "distance" of data at two different instances in time. The key takeaway is that drift is a singular, or point, measure of the distance of data.
We believe resilient models should be powered by data that exhibits low drift over time — such models, by definition, would exhibit less data-induced misbehavior. To manifest this property, i.e., drift over time, we introduce the notion of data stability. While drift is a point measure, stability is a longitudinal metric. Stable data drifts little over time, whereas unstable data is the opposite. We provide additional color below.
Read More: Decentralize and Escape the Social Media Rat Race – InApps 2022
Consider two different attributes: the daily temperature distribution in NYC in November (TEMPNovNYC) and the distribution of the tare weights of aircraft at public airports (AIRKG). It is easy to see that TEMPNovNYC has lower drift than AIRKG; one would expect lesser variation between November temperatures at NYC across various years, than between the weights of aircrafts at two airports (compare the large aircrafts at, say JFK, to ones in a smaller airport, like Montgomery, Alabama). In this example, TEMPNovNYC is more stable as an attribute than AIRKG.
Data stability, though conceptually simple, can serve as a powerful tool to build resilient models. To see this, consider the following simple expression of data flow in ML:
data à features à model
Base data ingested into the modeling workflow is transformed to produce features, which are then fed into models. Stable data elements are likely to lead to stable features, which are likely to power stable (or resilient) models. Let's assume a scale of stability values — 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, where 0 indicates "unstable," and 4 denotes "highly stable" and each data attribute could be assigned a stability value. These assignments, provided to modelers during the feature engineering process, help them build features, and in turn models, that have known stability characteristics. Knowing how stable each input attribute is, modelers will choose stable data elements, while avoiding unstable ones, to build stable features, which, in turn, will power resilient models. Supposing a modeler deliberately chooses less stable data to construct a feature; would alert MLOPs that downstream models (i.e., those using this feature as input) need to be monitored more closely than others. MLOps can now anticipate rather than react.
I realize that this is a substantive departure from extant methodologies. The current data pipeline for feature construction and model building doesn't incorporate how "drifty" specific data items are or factor in the notion of data stability. Instead, it's an ad hoc process, driven primarily by modeler intuition and expertise, incorporating analytic procedures (such as exploratory data analysis or EDA) whose primary objective is to provide the modeler insights into the predictive power of individual data and features. The primary reason for constructing and eventually using a feature is its contribution to the model's accuracy. The significant drawback of this approach, as we know now, is that high predictivity shown at model testing doesn't always translate in production, frequently driven by different properties of data than was determined at training and testing. Thus, unstable models.
Read More: InApps Podcasts – InApps 2022
Based on my experience, it is time for an approach informed by data stability. The modeler doesn't need to sacrifice predictive power (i.e., model accuracy) but should be able to trade-off model accuracy and stability, building resilient, "accurate-enough" models with predictable behavior.
A final technical challenge that needs addressing to manifest this approach is that ML toolsets, including drift computation packages, need to adapt to measure data stability.
In our earlier example of TEMPNYC and AIRKG analysis, it is made easy by the simple semantics of attributes — the modeler can intuitively estimate stability. However, in the real world, both ingested data and the features created out of them have complex, nuanced semantics that don't lend themselves to intuitive assessments. Here, point estimates of drift can be quite misleading to the modeler. To understand data stability, we need to longitudinally capture drift and mathematically determine the long-term change in distributional properties. Existing tools don't naturally enable that.
One can argue that the point drift metric can be adapted to reach this goal through repeated explicit calls, but that would require complex workarounds instead of being natively supported within an ML toolset. It ends up creating potential issues at scale that aren't practical in the real world.
At Mobilewalla we have a dedicated team of data scientists working with one of the world's largest data sets. We also work with some of the most sophisticated data science teams around the globe who use our solutions. We have seen first-hand the challenges with models brought on by drift and stability and built our own solutions to address them.
Anovos, an open-source project we have built, addresses some of the core inefficiencies in the feature engineering component of the predictive modeling workflow by introducing the notion of data stability as a priority. It's built for scale, enabling users to feature engineer with terabytes of data, not gigabytes, and built with data drift and stability at its core. Get started today at anovos.ai and join us in the #oss-anovos channel at the MLOps Community Slack.


text:
Documents allege former SLO Co. public works director 'ruffled feathers,' 'favored young female employees'
New documents obtained by KSBY News detail allegations that may have led to the resignation of San Luis Obispo County Public Works Director Daniel "Colt" Esenwein earlier this month.
After a little more than a year on the job, Esenwein submitted his letter of resignation on May 5 to County Administrative Officer Wade Horton.
SLO Co. focusing on department stability following public works director's resignation
Without providing specifics, Horton told KSBY News two days later that the County had "looked into concerns raised by staff, and he (Esenwein) resigned shortly thereafter."
Documents released by the County Tuesday following a Public Records Act request show employees within the Public Works Department felt Esenwein favored young female employees and his attitude was disruptive and hostile.
While much of the information in the 11 pages of documents released is redacted to protect the privacy and confidentiality of those involved, according to the county, what is shown details claims of a work environment that reportedly included cussing, yelling, and a style that upset staff and elevated them into defense mode.
"____ says ____ is worried people – good people – are going to leave because they are unhappy. ____ said people are borderline getting asked out on dates," one report showed.
While it was not clear who wrote the report or when, other notes described Esenwein as "ruffling feathers."
Part of the report said Esenwein was in a meeting "where he talked about 'bending over and taking it,' 'grabbing your ankles' and other sexual descriptors to emphasize how he does business." Someone said they had "witnessed very brutal situations where staff gets "interrogated and humiliated."
In an email dated April 10, 2019 with the subject "More Info About Colt," bullet points for topics such as "Communication," "Inappropriate," "Morale" and "Leadership" were provided.
The writer claimed Esenwein "Talks out loud around office about who is likely going to get next job," "Tells people they/we suck," "Rarely visits field staff/doesn't know names," "He comes to meetings and sits on his phone. Then he calls people out for looking at their phone," and is "Called creepy by most staff."
The following day, April 11, an email titled "Re: New Event" was sent, however, it is not known what was said as every word in the body of the email sent at 10:51 a.m. was redacted.
Thirteen minutes later, in another email with the same title, all but 25 words were redacted. What is shown says, "We were talking about ____ __ ____ ___ _____ ____ that Colt completely ignored __ __ then said "but he was all over _______ flirting with ___ ____ ______. _ ____________________________________ replied "No __ hated it and was grossed out. _ __________________ __ _________________ __ ___________."
Esenwein resigned less than a month later after spending 17 days on leave.
In an email dated May 6, Horton tells the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors he accepted Esenwein's resignation that day and that "His actions and leadership style were not aligned with my expectations of a County Department Head." Horton said he appreciated the "courage it took for staff to come forward and express concerns."
Esenwein was reportedly paid $12,027 while on leave.
The former director's annual salary in 2018 without benefits was $181,875 and with benefits was $285,140, according to Horton, who adds that Esenwein was not given a severance package.
The allegations in the documents represent one side of the story. KSBY has reached out to Esenwein for comment but has not yet received a response.
Prior to coming to San Luis Obispo County, Esenwein served as the assistant public works director for the County of Santa Cruz. SLO County officials said Esenwein brought more than 17 years of industry experience to the county and was a key member of SLO County's leadership team.
Horton adds that he does not plan to initiate another recruitment right away. "At this point department stability is more important, so that the team can continue their good work for our community," he said. "The path forward will be determined later."
Deputy Director John Diodati is serving as interim Director for the department until further notice.
Daniel Esenwein


Sorry atheists, we have some bad news.
It turns out the secret to living to 100 is being a Mormon.
Identical twins Boyd and Ralph Henderson are, of course, best friends, and have been inseparable since they were born a century ago in 1918.
The brothers both married their high school sweethearts and have 14 children, 71 grandchildren and 128 great-grandchildren between them.
Boyd and Ralph were born in Arimo, Idaho, US, and fought together during the Second World War in North Africa and Europe.
But while their special bond has kept them young, the siblings reckon the true secret to their longevity is their Mormon faith.
Following the religion has kept them in good shape because it teaches worshippers not to consume alcohol, smoke tobacco or even consume caffeinated drinks.
It means they have never touched a drop of alcohol in their lives, but it didn't stop them celebrating their big day at a blowout bash along with 300 guests.
Boyd said: 'My twin brother and I were raised together, went to church together, and we were taught to treat people right.
'We've been raised the same way – to be honest and we've tried to live our lives that way.
While at war the pair got married to their high-school sweethearts – Boyd's wife Ethel, and Lena, Ralph's wife – and they stayed together for the remainder of their lives.
When Ralph was drafted in 1940, Boyd followed suit to show his brother support, even though his number wasn't up.
Ralph and Boyd are taking it easy in retirement after running a successful sawmill business for more than 50 years in Pocatello.
Ralph's son Jason, an investment advisor, said: 'When they came back from war they were productive citizens in the community.
Ralph and Boyd aren't content with reaching 100 and are now looking forward to their 105th birthday in 2023.


text:
Q: Which parameter data type is used in the Integrate geoprocessing tool for ranking? I'm trying to figure out which parameter data type is used in, for example, the Integrate geoprocessing tool.
It looks like this:

I'd like to use it in a geoprocessing tool I'm making, but can't figure out which data type it is.

A: In the looong list of types there is GPValueTable which has an example here:

def getParameterInfo(self):
    param0 = arcpy.Parameter(
        displayName='Input Features',
        name='in_features',
        datatype='GPValueTable',
        parameterType='Required',
        direction='Input')

    param0.columns = [['Feature Layer', 'Features'], ['Long', 'Ranks']]


text:
Joan Ko
No compunctions about eating dessert first
The right wing of the Greens
It may not surprise you that my political views are closest to the Greens (although my economics are a bit more liberal).
This podcast from ABC's Background Briefing show is fascinating: No love lost in the Greens. The blurb features a bit of clickbait (earbait?): 'You might not know it, but the Greens have a right wing.'
This is how the program characterises the 'left' and 'right' of the Greens (my interpretation).
Left: Activist, principle-driven, pressure group, uncompromising, change politics, revolution
Right: Get things done, offer a candidate to the mainstream, win political influence, change from within
This division goes back to the earliest days of the party. The 'left' side of the Greens resisted the national organisation, the trappings of respectability as a political party. Instead, their focus has been on grassroots activism and direct action (so haha, now that the Coalition Government has co-opted this term).
The 'right', championed by former Greens leader Bob Brown, focuses on making inroads into mainstream politics. With the selection of Victorian Senator Richard di Natale as national Greens leader, the pragmatic side of the Greens is once again determining the party's vision and strategy.
I now understand why people think the Greens are a single issue party. In the past, and perhaps today in New South Wales, the Greens haven't presented as a viable party of Government. It was/is a 'protest party'.
One of my university lecturers once said that there is a role for all kinds of change agents: the ones that work from within the establishment and the ones that put pressure from the outside.
Rather than fight each other, these people can help each other. The people within a group arguing for change can find their efforts boosted by external activists. Activists can find change happening suddenly when they apply pressure to a platform spring loaded by an internal ally.
I am not activist by nature: my instincts are to teach, to empathise and to help. I might have the same values as an activist, but I can't sustain the passion (fury) to fight. So my toolkit looks completely different, in all likelihood more similar to a pragmatic Greens member or even the progressive sides of Labor and the Liberal party, than the 'left' wing Greens.
Brick, gold or green?
Let's nip those biases in the bud
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Halloween is one of my favorite holidays – I love decorating and doing activities with friends!
Every Family has their holiday traditions, and I especially love mine. Homemade Easter Bread, Feast of the Seven Fishes for Christmas, and cookies on almost every holiday. We always made my Grandmother's recipe. Mom would make them a few days ahead and freeze them so we would be all set to decorate.
As little girls, KB and I had to have a plethora of frosting colors and sprinkles to adorn our cookies. This year for Halloween, I asked my girlfriends, Thelma and Lolo to bring their kids over so we could do cookies. I love keeping the holiday cookie tradition alive – especially since my Grandmother is no longer with us and my Mom lives a few hundred miles away. It is definitely one tradition I will be doing with Baby L&C when she is old enough… almost 6 weeks until due date by the way!
Thelma's daughter, Little E, is almost 5 and Lolo's son is almost 3. We had such a good time making cookies, even though our attention span was very short. They loved all the frosting colors and the special sprinkles I bought for the occasion. I haven't seen that many eyeballs on one cookie in a while!
After cookie decorating, we made Frankenstein Pudding Cups. I saw the idea on Pinterest a while back and thought it would be fun for them to make – and eat. It was really simple and took only a few minutes to do. The kids loved getting their fingers in the Oreo crumbs.
– In a large mixing bowl, mix the Instant Pudding, cold Milk and Food Coloring for 2 minutes.
Isn't cooking decorating so much fun!!!! Love the Frankenstein Pudding Cups!!
Yes! We always decorate cookies for the holidays. Love it!


text:
iucr > world > meeting reports > Portugal > lisbon
ECM-17 Lisbon - fast forward
Speakers at the microsymposium on Time Resolved Crystallography. Frontrow (left to right): M. Wulff, R. Neutze, H. Kack and J. Hajdu, back row: F. Schotte, E. Weckert, D. Bourgeois and T. Ursby. (Photo W. L. Duax)
Time resolved studies made possible by synchrotron radiation were a popular topic at the 17th European Crystallographic Meeting in Lisbon. In his opening lecture, P. Coppens described in situ studies of small molecule reactions and detailed analysis of electron density distribution in reaction intermediates. A session devoted to studies of protein dynamics included detailed examination of the steps of biotin formation (H. Kack, Sweden), the movement of Fe ions toward the heme plane in hemoglobin nanoseconds after an excitatory laser flash (T. Ursby, ESRF, France), the do's and don'ts of effective Laue technology (D. Bourgeoise, Grenoble), and stroboscopic diffraction from a specific step in the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin (F. Schatte, ESRF). These presentations were just a warm up for the real fireworks when R. Neutze decribed using a combination of X-ray and laser pulses to generate a wave front reaction path through a crystal that is captured in the diffraction image so that the texture of the wave can be observed and the underlying reaction elucidated. Just as a "Mexican wave" can be seen to pass across a cheering section so a change in structure can be seen to move across a single crystal. For the time being the best candidates for application of this technique are inorganic structures with small unit cells. This Brilliant Session on Brilliant Sources moved from today's state of the art use of synchrotron facilities to the future exemplified by E. Weckerts discussion of diffraction without crystals. He hopes to study the structure of small molecular clusters with X-ray free electron laser diffraction from a single molecule of a rhinovirus or a small cluster of molecules. A discussion of the smallest usable crystal and the relative merit of X-ray versus electron diffraction closed the session.
W.L. Duax


Shannen Doherty says her insurance company is only looking out for themselves after her home was damaged in the Woolsey Wildfire.
Doherty says her home suffered severe smoke damage from the Woolsey Fire that swept through Malibu last November, and is currently unable to live at the property.
However, she says State Farm only offered two weeks of coverage for a temporary residence while the house was cleaned up, which Doherty says is ridiculous.
She also says the entire ordeal has been "incredibly distressing," especially as she undergoes "invasive cancer treatment, including chemo and radiation therapy.
The star was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and has been very open about her treatment.
Doherty is requesting indemnification for all losses currently covered under her State Farm policy, and damages for the alleged wrongful denial of benefits.


text:
Greatech seeks to raise RM73mil from IPO
KUALA LUMPUR: Greatech Technology Bhd is aiming to raise RM73.05mil from its initial public offering (IPO), alongside plans to expand its operations to the United States and China.
The Penang-based industrial automation solutions provider is planning to take their expertise and technology to the Silicon Valley and Shanghai.
Executive director and chief executive officer Tan Eng Kee said the company is also looking to explore areas such as the east coast of the US as well as Arizona.
"US is happening.
"Whatever new technology there is comes from there and I believe we need to put our foot in the US.
"If you talk about the trade war, looking at the unemployment rate in the US, it is still much better than other regions.
"We are going to open an office and have some engineering applications for the US market.
"A small portion (of the proceeds) will be for China where we'll incorporate a company in Shanghai," he told a press conference after the launch of Greatech's prospectus here yesterday.
The expansion plans are expected to commence in the second half of the year.
Out of the RM73.05mil that it plans to raise, RM18mil will be for business expansion, development and marketing.
A huge chunk of this will be parked in the United States.
Meanwhile, the other proceeds will be RM5mil for capital expenditure, RM36.55mil for working capital, RM8.5mil for the repayment of bank borrowings and IPO expenses.
Greatech is slated for listing on Bursa Malaysia's ACE Market on June 13 with a market capitalisation of RM381.86mil.
The IPO will see an offering of 119.75 million new ordinary shares, out of which 18.78 million are open to the public, with the IPO price of 61 sen each.
"We discovered a niche in the process automation segment and focussed on it and this has proven to be fruitful for our group.
"We are well positioned to benefit from increasing adoption of automation worldwide to achieve higher productivity and greater efficiency.
"Diversification into new sectors such as the battery segment for energy-efficient vehicles (EEV) is also of essence for us to remain competitive in the global marketplace," Tan said.
Greatech recorded a revenue of RM219.58mil last year, an increase of RM93.91mil from 2017.
The company's revenue in 2016 was only RM22.7mil.
The significant increase in 2017 and 2018 was mainly due to its production line systems, which contributed 71% and 84% respectively.
The profit after tax (PAT) has been increasing since 2015 but its PAT margin is on a decreasing trend since 2016 until last year at 26%, 20% and 14%.
Tan said the company is targeting a 10% to 15% growth in revenue this year.
The company's order book as at April 15 was RM91mil.
Some 90% of the company's products are exported, mostly to American companies.
Some are exported directly to the US itself in places such as Buffalo and Ohio.
Greatech's major share of customers are from Vietnam, US and Malaysia. In 2017, 40% of its clients are from Vietnam.
This increased to 63% last year.
Asked if it would consider opening facilities in Vietnam, Tan said the company's focus on its manufacturing hub will still be in Penang.
This is due to its advantages compared to other countries in terms of talents and costs.
It currently has around 120 automation engineers in Penang.
The second half this year will see Greatech's new Bayan Lepas facility becoming operational while construction of its Batu Kawan facilities will commence.
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2019/05/14/greatech-seeks-to-raise-rm73mil-from-ipo/


text:
Q: Google Chrome hanging on certain big pages I have a Thinkpad x260 laptop with Windows 10 64 bit and latest Chrome. I have noticed that Chrome has big problems with displaying certain pages with large tables - it hangs for several seconds (or even minutes) before they are fully rendered. Unfortunately one of them is a website I am developing for a customer, so it is crucial for me to fix this. The pages work without problems in other browsers (Firefox, Edge, MSIE) and also in Chrome on my colleagues' computers, so there must be some problem with my setup which produces these problems. However, I cannot figure out what is happening. Here's what I have tried so far:

*

*I looked on the "Timeline" in Chrome Developer Tools. When rendering one of the offending pages, it shows that many seconds are spent in idle state (but the browser is not idle at that time, it is hanging and unresponsive) and also many seconds are spent on "Other" (that's what the timeline calls it - "Other") and very little time on actual scripting and rendering.

*I installed a virtual Windows 10 machine under Hyper-V and installed Chrome there. The pages work without any problems in the virtual machine, which confirms to me that it's my software setup that causes the problems, not my hardware.

I tried to eliminate various possible causes but nothing helped:

*

*Ran Chrome as another user.

*Disabled GPU acceleration in Chrome.

*Disabled all plugins and extensions in Chrome.

*Uninstalled anti-virus and anti-malware software.

*Updated graphic card drivers.

*Changed all the GPU- and rendering-related options in chrome://flags/

*Tried the "netsh winsock reset" command.

I am practically out of solutions short of reinstalling Windows and all my software, but it would mean losing several days of work on setting up the computer. Therefore, I would appreciate any suggestions on where to look for the problem cause.


To know that Jesus is alive is pure joy! Imagine their shock at seeing him right there with them. They held onto him and wouldn't let go – they fell to their knees and worshipped him! They rejoiced to know it was true! They rejoiced in his presence – they could do nothing else!
This strange parable of Jesus may prompt some questions. Like, "Why didn't five of the young women bring enough oil?" "Where could they buy more in the middle of the night?" "Couldn't they have shared lamps with the other five?" "Might they have just stayed close and huddled under the five lamps that were lit?" "Isn't this a missed opportunity for some trail angels to show up with some oil?" Seems like a good idea. The five were foolish to leave – since it was at that moment the bridegroom showed up. They missed out. They're off getting oil, and not focused on the main thing.
God's invitation is to something more than entertaining. God extends an invitation to come and die, to give our lives, to live for others, to serve the least and the last, the dirty and disturbing, hurt, angry, and broken creations all around us. God extends an invitation to visit hospitals, clean toilets, do taxes, bake bread, teach children, buy diapers, listen more, give more, and sometimes take on more than we think we can bear because it lifts up someone else.
If we are like those workers in the parable who show up all day, working in the hot sun, we might grumble – we might feel entitled to a little extra thanks, maybe even some bonus pay, something that says we are just a little more appreciated than those who showed up late to finish the job. Just like how those of us who have grown up in the church our whole lives, who have been faithful and supportive of the church might be offended by the awful sinner who on his deathbed longs for the love and grace of Jesus in their last moments. God welcomes each one home. Does God's generosity offend us?
This dust we will receive on our foreheads in just a few minutes is a reminder of our mortality – a powerful symbol that can serve to focus our hearts and actions as we enter the season of Lent, on the things we do and don't do, but most of all our need for a savior. These ashen marks are messy and dirty, but they are intentionally shaped into a cross. It's for a reason. Through the cross of Christ, we are welcomed, dusty as we are, into newness of life, granted forgiveness, gifted grace and mercy, and welcomed into the Kingdom of heaven. We who start as dust and finish our earthly existence as the same, are named holy and righteous in Christ Jesus.


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text:
var fs = require('fs');

module.exports = function ( app ) {
    fs.readdirSync(__dirname).forEach(function ( file ) {
        if (file === 'index.js') { return; }
        var name = file.substr(0, file.indexOf('.'));
        require('./' + name)(app);
    });
};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
995 (127). Maskerade / Masquerade in Vienna (1934, Willi Forst)
alsolikelife December 23, 2009
Screened December 22 2009 on .avi downloaded from the Website that dare not speak its name in Brooklyn, NY TSPDT Rank #955 IMDb Wiki (German)
Considered the pinnacle of '30s Austrian cinema, Maskerade embodies much of the best of 30s European filmmaking, in which the camera dances to a distinctly musical rhythm of movements and countermovements. It sits comfortably among the '30s films of Rene Clair, Max Ophuls and Jean Renoir, as well as Ernst Lubitsch's work in Hollywood. Compared to most of those films, its topic may seem relatively fluffy: an artist creates a minor scandal by painting a masked nude suspected to be an aristocrat's fiancee; when he names an innocent girl in an attempted cover-up, it leads to unexpected romantic entanglement. Willi Forst takes a well-worn continental costume milieu as a starting point, doing everything he can to breathe life into it. The camera darts with ease through ballroom scenes, connecting the eyelines of characters as they scope each other's movements. He laces the film with clever tricks both visual (dialogues filmed in silhouette) and aural (a montage of citizens making animal sounds while reading the gossip pages). Driving everything is a buoyant soundtrack of 19th century waltzes and opera, whose lilting rhythms can be found in the film's pacing even when the music subsides. The film itself feels like a symphony of varied movements: robust allegros, minuet-like montages, and a climactic rondo that brings everything to full circle. Overall, life is presented as an irresistible society ball, governed by status, gossip and decadent desire.
The following citations were counted towards the placement of Maskerade among the 1000 Greatest Films according to They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?
Friedrich Luft, Sight & Sound (1952) Hans Schifferle, Steadycam (2007) Ludwig Gesek, Sight & Sound (1982) Kazakh Cinematheque World Poll - 100 Best Films (2006) They Shoot Pictures Recommended Films
It is unfortunate that we should have seen "Escapade" before having had an opportunity to admire "Masquerade in Vienna," the Viennese film which Metro copied in 1935 when it sought an introductory vehicle for Luise Rainer. "Escapade," we now realize, was a rather bad imitation. Like most copies, it tended to exaggerate the distinctive qualities of the original, understating one, overemphasizing another and throwing the entire theme slightly out of focus. "Masquerade," which opened yesterday at the Fifty-fifth Street Playhouse, has none of "Escapade's" defects. It steers a deftly guided course between farce and drama and it emerges as a frivolous, yet tender, romantic comedy.
Willy Forst's direction has kept his narrative spinning gayly, and an engaging cast, headed by the charming Paula Wessely in the Rainer rôle, has enlivened it with a series of deftly executed character studies. Miss Wessely, more self-contained than Miss Rainer, is wholly attractive as the shy little person innocently drawn into the spicy scandal of the lady in the mask. Particularly captivating is she in the scene where she timorously enters the artist's studio, expecting to find cushions, incense and drugged wine, and is, instead, subjected to a growling bullying by the conscience-stricken painter. I cannot find much virtue in Anton Walbrook's portrayal of the artist Heideneck, but Walter Janssen is knowingly comic as the badgered conductor whose wife has been indiscreet, Peter Petersen is excellent as the gruff Dr. Harrandt, and Olga Tschekowa, Julia Serda and Hilde von Stolz are faultless.
- Frank S. Nugent, The New York Times, January 26 1937
Maskerade (Masquerade) (1934), secured his reputation as a significant director and gave him the international recognition he did not quite have as an actor. It also made an instant star of Paula Wessely in her lead debut. A foremost figure in German language motion pictures and theatre for five decades and the wife of Attila Hörbiger, Laurence Olivier considered her to be the greatest film actress of the twentieth century, and Bette Davis was known to have studied her performances. Her role as the impoverished but morally upright art student Leopoldine in the decadent atmosphere of turn-of-the-century Vienna, set the tone for the female lead (along with Luise Ullrich in Lieder) in the Viennese Film, and it also typecast Wessely as the innocent or "good" woman for most of her work in the 1930s and '40s. The centrepiece of Maskerade is Leopoldine's meeting with the society painter Heideneck (Adolf Wohlbrück) at a lavish carnival ball. Its strikingly romantic-decadent, even erotic mood can be credited to the soft camera work of Franz Planer and to the seductive music arranged and composed by Willi Schmidt-Gentner. Maskerade received an award for best screenplay at the Venice Film Festival and ultimately proved to be so successful internationally, that Hollywood "borrowed" the story for a new, but less welcomed version entitled Escapade in 1935, with Luise Rainer.
- Robert von Dassanowsky, Senses of Cinema
Anton Walbrook, young and elegant, plays the artist who sketches the wife of a prominent Viennese surgeon in nothing but a mask and a muff, and then is forces to invent a model. Paula Wessely is the girl he invents. Walter Reisch's light, romantic screenplay is an almost perfect example of writing for the screen.
- Pauline Kael, 5001 Nights at the Movies. Macmillan, 1991. Page 470
ABOUT WILLI FORST
A specific blend of historical and aesthetic sensibilities melded into a unique style in Austrian cinema during the early sound period in the 1930s. It soon became known as an entirely new and geographically focused genre in European cinema, the Viennese Film. The artist responsible more than any other for this concept was Willi Forst. He began his career at age 16 as an actor on the provincial stages in the Austria–Hungary and the German Empire, and appeared as a featured performer in the post World War I operetta theatres of Vienna and Berlin. His early career in Austrian silent film ranged from being an extra in Michael Kertesz's (Michael Curtiz) monumental Sodom und Gomorrha (1922) to a notable second lead in Gustav Ucicky's Café Elektric (1927) opposite a pre-Blue Angel Marlene Dietrich. He made his sound and singing film debut in Atlantic (Germany 1929) and soon became known for his distinctive velvety voice and "charming Viennese" persona (1) in German films usually directed by Geza von Bolvary. He subsequently appeared in two of the best Austrian comedies of the early 1930s: with the first-lady of the Viennese stage, Hedwig Bleibtreu, in Karl Hartl's Der Prinz von Arkadien (The Prince of Arcadia) (1932), written by his future production partner Walter Reisch; and in what Forst considered the best learning experience for his future role as director, So ein Mädel vergisst man nicht (Unforgettable Girl) (1933) directed by expressionist film actor-turned-director Fritz Kortner. Forst actively developed his reputation as a great screen lover, but his directorial debut in Leise flehen meine Lieder (The Unfinished Symphony) in 1933 brought to Austrian and Central European cinema one of its greatest filmmakers and influential industry figures, whose lack of presence in the international film "canon" of important directors today is one more casualty from the negligence that has greeted Austrian cinema since the collapse of its commercial film industry in the 1960s. International attention to New Austrian Film since the 1990s has also helped bring Austria's film heritage art to the fore, and Willi Forst is now gaining a very belated "comeback" with world cineastes.
-Robert von Dassanowsky, Senses of Cinema Great Directors Biography
Willi Forst to date is the greatest talent in Austrian film history, with the possible exception of Billy Wilder, who had to emigrate.
Together with Walter Reisch, an Austrian scriptwriter in Berlin who had tailored nearly all of Willi Forst's German roles for him, Forst coauthored the screenplay for the Schubert film Leise flehen meine Lieder (1933). Thus was the "Viennese film" born, with its inimitable blend of music and action. The film was romantic, but Forst did not dwell on a sugary Biedermeier image, but also showed the poor living conditions and class barriers. In 1934 he produced and directed the big production, Maskerade (1934), the film which launched Paula Wessely on her way to film stardom and Hans Moser as comic. This social comedy set in turn-ofthe-century Vienna featured the big ball scenes of which Willi Forst became the unsurpassed master, and a frivolous love story ending very conservatively: the famous painter (Adolf Wohlbrück) chooses not the jaded, elegant society lady (Olga Tschechowa) as his wife, but the plain, wholesome poor girl (Paula Wessely), thus reflecting the contemporary ideological attitude toward women in the Austrian corporate state. Beginning with this big success Forst as actor, director, screenwriter, and producer dominated the Austrian filmmaking scene for the next fifteen years. In life as in film, he was the quintessential elegant Viennese gentleman. As a film maker he aimed at perfection.
- Gertraud Steiner Daviau, Film Reference.com
ABOUT WIENER FILM
Wiener Film (German; plural: Wiener Filme; literally, "Viennese film") is an Austrian film genre, consisting of a combination of comedy, romance and melodrama in an historical setting, mostly, and typically, the Vienna of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Wiener Film genre was in production between the 1920s and the 1950s, with the 1930s as its high period.
These films are always set in the past, and achieve a high emotional impact by their oscillation between extreme emotional states, between hope and suffering, for example, or pleasure and loss. Most of them are set in the Vienna of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when as the capital of the multiracial monarchy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire it had its greatest social and cultural significance. The protagonists belong to a variety of social classes, which adds to the interest of the relationships between them. The concepts of honour and morality of the period are often of great significance in the development of the plots. The Wiener Film is almost always happy, life-affirming and relaxed. Music and song feature prominently, either in the form of orchestral and musical scenes or as interpolated songs by the characters. Humour often arises from misunderstandings, mistaken identity, misadventures and the resultant efforts to restore order, with often farcical consequences.
Dramaturgically the Wiener Film generally contains several principal characters and several more subsidiary characters, all of whom recur frequently throughout the film as the action develops. They do not always all know each other, but are nevertheless connected by the plots and sub-plots running in parallel. The action mostly centres on love affairs great and small, often with elements of the comedy of mistaken identity. The films are generally unchallenging in terms of the contemporary socio-political issues and environment (for some rare exceptions see below).
The first films that can be classed as Wiener Filme were created in the 1920s, in the days of the silent film. The genre trached its full potential however with sound film, when the specifically Viennese dialect (see below), verbal dexterity and the characteristically Viennese acid wit (Wiener Schmäh) were able to come into their own and made the genre popular not only in Austria but also in Germany. Willi Forst's production Leise flehen meine Lieder, a biography of Franz Schubert, was so successful that an English-language version was made, under the title Unfinished Symphony. Willi Forst is one of the most significant directors of Wiener Film, and made what is generally reckoned to be the best of the genre, the 1935 film Maskerade.
In greatest films, greatest movies, TSPDT Final 100 Tags 1930s cinema, anton wolbrook, austrian cinema, comedy, maskerade, masquerade in vienna, paula wessely, romance, vienna, weiner cinema, willi forst
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Read about civil rights issues as they relate to The Arc's public policy.
On February 14, the Senate confirmed Attorney General William Barr with a vote of 54-45. The Attorney General is a cabinet level position in charge of the Department of Justice, which is responsible for enforcing federal civil rights laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act.
On February 7, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to favorably report the nomination of William Barr to be Attorney General. The Attorney General is a cabinet level position in charge of the Department of Justice, which is responsible for enforcing federal civil rights laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. Visit the Committee website for more information or to view archived video of the hearing.
On January 15, Representative James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) reintroduced the Disability Integration Act (H.R.555/S.117). The Disability Integration Act requires states to offer community-based options. Additionally, it requires states to address the need for affordable housing. ADAPT and other advocates held a briefing on the day of introduction.
On December 7, President Trump nominated William P. Barr as Attorney General. Barr previously served as Attorney General from 1991 to 1993. The Attorney General is a cabinet level position in charge of the Department of Justice, which is responsible for law enforcement efforts and is responsible for enforcing federal civil rights laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act.
On October 10, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a proposed rule that will greatly expand the what is known as the "public charge" test. The public charge test allows for denying entry to or permanent residency in the United States based upon the likelihood an individual will need government benefits. Currently, the only benefits considered are cash benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), comparable state and local programs, and institutional long-term care (including through Medicaid). Under the proposed rule, an individual could be considered a public charge for using or applying for a broader range of benefits including most Medicaid programs, housing assistance, or food assistance. The Arc opposes the proposed rule because it will result in discrimination against legal immigrants with disabilities. Read The Arc's full statement here.
On October 6, the Senate approved the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court by a vote of 50 to 48. Read The Arc's statement on Judge Kavanaugh's appointment here.
Last week, the Senate Judiciary held a four-day hearing on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. The first three days involved questioning on Judge Kavanaugh himself. The fourth day involved additional witnesses, including Elizabeth Weintraub, Advocacy Specialist at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, and Jackson Corbin, a 13-year-old with Noonan Syndrome. Ms. Weintraub testified about the importance of self-determination to her as a woman with intellectual disability and Judge Kavanaugh's ruling in Doe Tarlow v. District of Columbia, in which he concluded that people with intellectual disability who have "never been competent" do not have a right to even have their wishes heard or considered in medical decisions (see and share video of her testimony). Jackson's testimony related to the importance of the Affordable Care Act to his mother, his brother, and himself, all of whom have Noonan Syndrome, which comes with multiple pre-existing conditions. Visit the Committee web site (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4) for more information or to view archived video of the hearing. The Arc opposes Judge Kavanaugh's nomination.
On July 25, President Trump issued a proclamation commemorating the 28th Anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA is the primary civil rights law for people with disabilities. It passed Congress with bipartisan support and was signed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. Read the statement here.
On July 17, the Senate approved H.R.6042 without amendment by unanimous consent. This bill delays by one year electronic visit verification (EVV) requirements for tracking when personal care services are provided to people with disabilities. The bill also expresses the sense of Congress that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) should hold at least one public meeting and solicit ongoing stakeholder input on its recently-issued guidance. The House of Representatives passed this bill last month. The bill now awaits President Trump's signature. The Arc applauds passage of this bill which gives advocates more time to work with CMS and state Medicaid agencies to ensure EVV is implemented in a way that doesn't place an undue burden on providers and protects the privacy of beneficiaries.
The Senate is expected to vote as early as today on a bill to delay by one year Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) requirements for tracking when personal care services are provided to people with disabilities. The bill also expresses the sense of Congress that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should hold at least one public meeting and solicit ongoing stakeholder input on its recently-issued guidance. The House of Representatives passed its version of the bill (H.R.6042) by voice vote last month. Learn more about this bill here. The Arc urges advocates to contact their Senators as soon as possible.


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Q: Error handling in perl api I am trying to extract data from website using Perl API. I am using a list of URIs to get the data from the website.
Initially the problem was that if there was no data available for the URI it would die and I wanted it to skip that particular URI and go to the next available URI. I used next unless ....; to come over this problem.
Now the problem is I am trying to extract specific data from the web by calling a specific method (called as identifiers()) from the API. Now the data is available for the URI but the specific data (the identifiers), what I am looking for, is not available and it dies.
I tried to use eval{} like this
eval {
    for $bar ($foo->identifiers()){
        #do something
    };
}

When I use eval{} I think it skips the error and moves ahead but I am not sure. Because the error it gives is "Invalid content type in response:text/plain".
Whereas I checked the URI manually, though it doesn't have the identifiers it has rest of the data. I want this to skip and move to next URI. How can I do that?
I got a reply from one of the experts that:
When Perl hits an error, like most languages, it runs out through the calling contexts in order until it finds a place where it can handle the error. Perl's most basic error handling is eval{} (but I'd use Try::Tiny if you can, as it is then clearer that you're doing error handling instead of some of the other strange things eval can do).
Anyway, when Perl hits eval{}, the whole of eval{} exits, and $& is set to the error. So, having the eval{} outside the loop means errors will leave the loop. If you put the eval{} inside the loop, when an error occurs, eval{} will exit, but you will carry on to the next iteration. It's that simple.
But really the error  I get is invalid content type in response: text/html at mycode line 41 and the line 41 in my code (my program) is really to the data from web. I know there is no error in the code because it works fine for previous uris. Now, how do I fix this error and move ahead to next uri? my program stucks at this error.

A: I'm now assuming your code looks something like this:
while (<IN0>) {
    my $currentURI = $_;
    chomp($currentURI);
    my @tags = $c->posts_for(uri =>"$currentURI");
    ... do something ...
}

To handle errors, safely, use something like this (assuming eval()):
while (<IN0>) {
    my $currentURI = $_;
    chomp($currentURI);
    my @tags = eval {        # Use eval to make this safe, $@ will contain any error
        $c->posts_for(uri =>"$currentURI");
    }
    my $error = $@;
    if (defined($error)) {
        warn($error);        # If eval failed, warn and skip to next line
        next;
    }
    if (! @tags) {
        next;                # Assuming no tags means go to next line in input
    }
    ... do something ...
}

All eval really does here is guarantee that Perl errors which can be handled leave the eval block in the normal way, although if that happens, @tags will be empty, and $@ will contain the error. The remaining logic warns (and skips the input line) if $@ was set. You likely want to skip the line anyway if there are no tags.