text:
layout: default
permalink: /examples/repositories/refs/tags.html
title: Tags
---

# Tags

Allows you to get a list of tags.

### Prepare:
{% include auth.md var_name="tags" class_ns="Repositories\Refs\Tags" %}

### Get a list of tags:

```php
$tags->all($account_name, $repo_slug);
```

### Get an individual tag:

```php
$tags->get($account_name, $repo_slug, $tag_name);
```

### Create a new tag:

```php
$tags->create($account_name, $repo_slug, $tag_name, $hash);
```

----

#### Related:
  * [Authentication]({{ site.url }}/examples/authentication.html)
  * [BB Wiki](https://confluence.atlassian.com/display/BITBUCKET/src+Resources)


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RealNetworks will stop selling DVD copying product
By Meris Stansbury
In a move that will prevent educators and others from making backup copies of DVDs they show in class, RealNetworks Inc. said March 3 that it will stop selling technology that lets consumers copy DVDs to their computer hard drives, reports the Associated Press—settling a handful of lawsuits filed against the company by Hollywood's six major movie studios. Under the settlement terms, RealNetworks is barred from selling its RealDVD product or other similar technology. The Seattle-based digital entertainment company also will pay $4.5 million to the studios for litigation costs and refund purchases of about 2,700 customers who bought the product. The movie studios sued RealNetworks in 2008, arguing that RealDVD is an illegal pirating tool that would stop consumers from buying movies on DVD that they instead could rent, copy, and return. RealNetworks lawyers argued the software had piracy protections that limited a DVD owner to making a single copy, and they said RealDVD gave consumers a legitimate way to back up copies of movies legally purchased. U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel ruled in favor of the studios in August by granting a preliminary injunction against RealDVD, pending a full trial. And in January, she dismissed a RealNetworks counterclaim alleging antitrust violations. RealNetworks was appealing the injunction against selling RealDVD; as part of the settlement, it will withdraw the appeal…
Click here for the full story
Meris Stansbury
Meris Stansbury is the Editorial Director for both eSchool News and eCampus News, and was formerly the Managing Editor of eCampus News. Before working at eSchool Media, Meris worked as an assistant editor for The World and I, an online curriculum publication. She graduated from Kenyon College in 2006 with a BA in English, and enjoys spending way too much time either reading or cooking.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Pope Francis and climate politics
A Vatican document links a hot planet to world poverty and the need for change. Its immediate impact may be on the United States presidential race.
Paul Rogers
The encyclical of Pope Francis on climate change and many related themes, long surrounded by controversy and leaked to the press on the eve of publication, was formally released by the Vatican on 18 June 2015. The final version, hardly changed from the one seen earlier, places much emphasis on human responsibility both for climate disruption and for wider ecological damage.
Laudato Si ("be praised"), On the Care of Our Common Home, is in the tradition of a small number of noted encyclicals dealing with issues far beyond the internal evolution of church thinking. In its desire to highlight (as one report says) "the threat that a warming planet, rising sea levels and more extreme storms pose to his community's poorest and most vulnerable", it is widely seen as a progressive document from a pope who, in his previous life as an Argentine cardinal, was considered a conservative on most issues.
There are two earlier examples of unusually forthright encyclicals. The first was Rerum Novarum ("of revolutionary change"), Rights and Duties of Capital and Labour, which came from Pope Leo XIII in May 1891. It was prompted by the degraded state of working people in many industrialising countries, and largely concerned with economic issues. The document was progressive only in parts, and supported the right to private property; but in noting the duties of employers and the rights of labour to organise, it became known as the "workers' charter". Such points may seem mild now but in their day provoked not a little anger among ruling elites.
The second example arrived more than seventy years later, in April 1963. This was Pacem in Terris ("peace on earth"), from the elderly but surprisingly progressive Pope John XXIII. The main focus was on human rights, but its timing - two years after the Berlin wall began to be erected, and six months on from the Cuban missile crisis - drew attention to its commitment to the need for improved relations between states, not least in the form of east-west détente.
John XXIII had been elected to the papacy in 1958 after numerous ballots. The former Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli had been one of fourteen children from a poor family, and reached the top job at the age of 76 and to the surprise of most Catholics. He was expected to be a caretaker after the twenty-year papacy of the austere and rigid Pius XII. But his short rule brought more than mere stability: it led to remarkable changes and reforms, culminating in the Second Vatican Council which started in 1963.
The Catholic church had huge problems at the time, many of them stemming (as they do now) from issues around sexuality. Beyond these the 1960s were notable for the rise of a strand of progressive thinking in parallel with the liberation-theology movement across much of Latin America. In western countries, many young Catholics were becoming markedly politicised, and decades later substantial numbers of them retain the outlook they acquired then - even if they may have long since given up the practice of their faith.
It was said in the mid-1960s that if you subtracted the Jews, Quakers and Catholics from the ranks of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the movement would be set back many years. That strand of radical Catholicism has persisted, often in dedicated peace movements such as Pax Christi but also in more formally linked groups such as the many Justice and Peace Commissions.
Fear and hope in America
For these groups, Francis's words will be especially welcome. Many ex-Catholics too probably feel quite a warmth towards him. But Laudato Si will likely have a very particular impact on one political community at a very specific time: conservative American Catholics as the presidential-election campaign for 2016 approaches.
This is already shown by the reaction to the pre-publication leaks, as Republican presidential hopefuls took issue with Francis while treading the narrow line between criticising his words without alienating Catholic potential voters. Their problem stems from their own deep doubts over, if not outright denial of, climate change. But an added concern is that Laudato Si links environmental issues to the state of the world economy and today's wide socioeconomic divisions. In this respect the encyclical both strikes at the heart of the denialist community and implies deep suspicion of dominant neoliberal ideology itself.
Moreover, an added worry is the possible reaction of some American bishops. An early instance is the announced plan of the Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, to undertake a series of sermons and homilies on climate-change issues and the demands of the encyclical. This is significant in two quite different ways. One is that Florida is particularly susceptible to sea-level rise and extreme-weather events; the other is that two of its most senior politicians, Senator Marco Rubio and former governor Jeb Bush, are Republican contenders for the White House - and Catholics.
In terms of its worldwide influence and its support for a movement that is far more confident than ever before, this encyclical may already be regarded as the most notable event in the current papacy. But its most powerful significance may lie with the specific impact on just one part of the United States's political scene. Perhaps this was one of the main intentions all along.


Staying active even during your vacation? We can help you continue your workout by schedule, and in the best conditions!
Our fully armed fitness center is one of the biggest ones in the area and is conveniently located next to the rooms and the beach.
We've made sure you have enough space and air to exercise on new equipment and are pleased to offer a range of cardio tools as well.
You can always consult our trainer, who will definitely make your workout much easier at a new place. You may also attend a group of exercising classes – reduce your stress, meet new people and always stay in shape.
Guests can also enjoy yoga classes, water aerobics, spinning, kickboxing, muscle conditioning, Pilates, and even lessons of Tae Kwon Do and Tai Chi.


Julie Castro Abrams is the CEO and chair of How Women Lead, a robust network of over 3,000 women dedicated to promoting diverse women's voices and propelling women's leadership forward. She is a small business expert, active angel investor, and advisor to startups. Previously she was the leader of Women's Initiative for Self-Employment, launching scores of women's companies that boast unprecedented success rates. Currently on the advisory board of LENDonate, a new marketplace for nonprofit borrowers, she is currently working on incubating How Women Invest, aimed at tackling the inequity of angel investments for women-owned businesses in the country.


The Miami Dolphins are hoping to get better results in the next NFL season with the changes they plan to implement in training camp. Despite the remarkable leadership of Ryan Tannehill, several factors remain problematic for the team. This encouraged reports of possibly getting cheaper contracts to build a better lineup surrounding their leader.
The Chicago Bears' decision to unload Jay Cutler from their roster raised questions especially in light of the quarterback shortage in the NFL these days. While some experts feel that this was a good decision, others think that the team may have made the wrong move. Nevertheless, a Jay Cutler contract is currently up for grabs in the league with the Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers reportedly interested in the quarterback.
Rumors are rife that the Miami Dolphins might also be interested in signing a Jay Cutler contract this NFL season. Strengthening the offensive lineup of the team seems to be one of the priorities of the front office and coaching staff in the offseason. At the moment, no official comment has been given by the parties tagged in this NFL rumor. In fact, head coach Adam Gase clarified that there remains no talks regarding the possibility of a Jay Cutler contract in the team.
"I had a very brief text message exchange with him [this offseason] just saying that if he needs anything to holler at me," shared Gase of his connection with Jay Cutler. "I guess it was more if you're going somewhere and you need to know about it -- any organization or coaching staff -- just holler at me and I'll give you what I know. I've never brought up anything about coming with us [to Miami] because I like our situation. I love Jay, but I do like the situation we've got going on right now at our place."
While these statements seemed to have discouraged others, some fans of Jay Cutler found comfort in the earlier comments of the Miami Dolphins head coach. Their belief was further bolstered by the fact that Ryan Tannehill remains uncertain with his health concerns coming in the training season.
"I think he's a starting quarterback in the NFL," described Gase of Jay Cutler. He further noted, "To me, he was an athletic quarterback that can throw the ball. When you got to third down you could call the worst play possible and he would get the conversion. He made a lot of things that we did look really good. I think he has a lot to offer a team."
What do you think? Should the Miami Dolphins consider a Jay Cutler contract? Will the former Chicago Bears quarterback be a good fit with the Ryan Tannehill team?


Spotlighting a silk satin pattern, this stunning ethnic-inspired print long dress is cut from exquisite silk that awakens your glam fierceness. Its full length and wide sleeves give you a distinct look that you can elevate with unique accessories to evoke your glam wild chic both in the city or by the pool.
The item is one size 130cm / 51.2" in length.


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TARPAN Partners
Jan Chalupa
Jan specialises in private equity and venture capital. Prior to founding TARPAN Partners, he worked in management positions in European financial institutions, mostly in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. Jan has experience in managing individual projects at various phases, including greenfield projects and restructuring. His expertise includes structuring and managing portfolios and funds, investment banking, capital markets, private banking and insurance.
Michal Kuděj
Michal specialises in corporate finance, investment structures and restructuring processes. He co-founded TARPAN Partners in 2010. Since 1991, in his various roles he has acted as a consultant on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and other business combinations, and has also traded on the capital market and invested into new projects. Recently he has been involved with major restructuring projects both as part of insolvency proceedings and outside them. In 2016, he became a member of the academic board of the Harry Pollak Centre for Restructuring and Insolvency, part of the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Economics, Prague, where he covers corporate crisis and insolvency and its resolution. In addition, he teaches turnaround management for the Faculty's Department of Strategy. He also teaches turnaround management for the Faculty's Department of Strategy.
Tomáš Kozubek
Tomáš specialises in financial and operational project management. He formerly worked for McKinsey & Company, providing consultancy for the senior management of large corporations, and before that as a project manager in corporate finance and private equity. He has more than 20 years of experience with creating and implementing strategies, restructuring, M&A and the optimisation of company functions.
Luděk Skoupil
Luděk applies the experience he has gained in private equity and risk capital, where his long-term focus has been questions of corporate governance, creating and managing structures and M&A. Prior to joining TARPAN Partners, Luděk worked in senior positions in international companies operating in financial services, private equity and risk capital, where he specialised in legal issues and risk management.
Michal Palata
Michal specialises in investment projects and consulting on strategy, corporate finance and restructuring. Previously he worked for Enterprise Investors, one of the largest private equity funds in Central Europe, and McKinsey & Company, a global consulting firm for senior management. Michal has experience in strategic and operational planning and management, developing and restructuring companies, and motivational structures and mergers and acquisitions. His experience covers a number of sectors, including retail, financial services, consumer goods, energy and media.
René Köszegy
René Köszegy has been a part of the TARPAN Partners analytical team since 2016. He specialises in finance-related analytical work in multinational companies. Prior to joining TARPAN Partners, René worked at Accenture and Molson Coors, studied international business at the Faculty of International Relations of the University of Economics in Prague, and completed a study programme in Vienna.
Irena Grůšová
Irena specialises in company administration and project management. She works with both the TARPAN Managers and TARPAN Partners teams. During her career, she has been involved in a number of large projects for multinational companies operating in finance, medicine and construction, including the MEDICEM Group, OVB Allfinanz, Credit Suisse Life & Pensions Česká republika and Indu Light Praha. She has a master's degree in international relations and European studies from the Metropolitan University Prague and completed study placements in the United States and Germany. She joined TARPAN Partners in 2016.
The content of this site is for informational purposes only; in particular, it does not constitute any recommendation or advice. These pages are generally accessible for reading. Any other use of this site (especially copying, quoting, or other use of the content) is only permitted under the prior written consent of TARPAN Partners s.r.o.
© All Rights Reserved | 2018 TARPAN Partners s.r.o.
TARPAN Partners s.r.o.
City Empiria
Na Strži 1702/65
fax. + 420 277 007 050
e-mail: info@tarpanpartners.com


The end of summer is right around the corner—and while we hate to say goodbye to "working from home", afternoons at the pool and the freedom that the season brings, we can't help but be a little excited for the sharp renewing feeling of fall. There's something motivating about the back-to-school season: a fresh mindset, new opportunities, new goals and a great excuse to renew your beauty supply. Savor your last few weeks of summer and make your back-to-school transition easier by stocking up on these fall must-haves.
Keep your #hairgoals going and be that girl "with the good hair" on campus with your favorite Aveda litre set. Litre sizes save money & plastic, not to mention time—hey, you've got other things to do. This gives you 24+ free washes and saves 20% per ounce vs. purchasing regular sized bottles, so one in every five washes is free (see…math). Litres come in Shampure, Damage Remedy, Smooth Infusion, Invati, Dry Remedy, Be Curly and more.
Those beach waves you've been rockin' all summer are the perfect style for your busy fall mornings. Texture Tonic will help you achieve piecey, natural looking waves with the power of salt (magnesium sulfate) and cane sugar; working together to create defined texture and soft, touchable hair with a natural shine. PRO TIP: Spritz Texture Tonic on damp hair the night before and twist it into a ballerina bun. Uncoil in the morning, shake out your waves, scrunch while sprtizing with Texture Tonic and go!
Elizabeth Taylor was on to something when she said "Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick and pull yourself together." While we can't help you with the drinks (invitations are warmly accepted), we do know that a great shade of lipstick is an instant upgrade to your look. Aveda's Feed My Lips Pure Nourish-mint Lipsticks are created specifically to compliment your hair color with shades sophisticated enough for the classroom (or office) and bold enough for an evening out. Certified organic cupuaçu fruit butter and botanical oils nourish and soften the lips with a hint of mint and vanilla too for a pleasant taste.


Wooden lodges with self catering for up to 4 in a tranquil woodland setting.
Quality self catering cottages for up to 4 in a peaceful woodland setting.
Long term self catering accommodation at Eversleigh Woodland Lodges.
Eversleigh Lodges have been providing quality lodge accommodation and self catering cottage holiday accommodation near Ashford in Kent for many years now. Many of our guests keep coming back because of the high quality accommodation, the excellent service, and the great Kent location. We gained official recognition for the quality of our accommodation with a 3*English Tourist Board Gold Award in 2014.
Eversleigh Woodland Lodges are a group of six pine lodges and two brick luxury cottages, which were renovated and upgraded to offer a higher standard of self catering holiday accommodation in 2015. We have a heated indoor swimming pool availabile for all our lodge and cottage guests.
The location is superb, with the lodges and cottages sharing a woodland clearing near the quiet Kent village of Shadoxhurst, near Ashford. We provide an ideal base for touring and visiting the many attractions within easy travelling distance or for just relaxing and enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the Kent countryside.
In addition to offering self catering holiday accommodation we also offer longer stays starting from £950 PCM.


text:
CM_LosAngelesScreeningOfTheWeinsteinCompanysTheImitationGame_Keira Knightley_058.JPG
LOS ANGELES, CA, USA - NOVEMBER 10: Keira Knightley arrives at the Los Angeles Screening Of The Weinstein Company's 'The Imitation Game' held at the Directors Guild of America Theatre on November 10, 2014 in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Celebrity Monitor)
USA, United States, United States Of America, California, CA, Los Angeles, City Of Los Angeles, Los Angeles - California, West Hollywood, Hollywood - California, Event, Red Carpet, Arts Culture and Entertainment, Red Carpet Event, Editorial, Arrival, Attending, Celebrities, Arts, Culture, Entertainment, Premiere, Film Premiere, Movie Premiere, Screening, Full Length, Headshot, Posing, Portrait, Smiling, Eye Contact, Fashion, Looking At Camera, 2014, Los Angeles Premiere, Movie, Film, Film Industry, The Weinstein Company, TWC, The Imitation Game, The Imitation Game - 2014 Film, The Imitation Game - Movie, Horns - Film, ArcLight Cinemas, ArcLight Hollywood, People, Directors Guild of America Theatre, DGA Theatre, Chanel, Keira Knightley


text:
The Big Night
If you would like to nominate a colleague to be a judge, or to put yourself forward to join the jury, please email awards@prca.org.uk.
The 2019 Jury is listed below.
Ruth Allchurch
WE-UK
Ruth Allchurch is General Manager of WE-UK part of global communications agency, WE Communications. In her current role, she is responsible for building WE-UK's consumer expertise, whilst developing on the agency's strong digital, technology and health offerings. She will accelerate WE's drive into a full service agency steeped in consumer and digital capabilities, as well as advocating the agency's intellectual capital (Brands in Motion) in market.
Before joining WE UK, Ruth most recently served as managing director of the consumer brand practice for Burson Cohn & Wolfe. Prior to this, she was managing director of FMCG and retail-focused PR agency Cirkle, where she led a 45-strong team with blue chip clients. Previously, she was head of brand PR for Diageo Western Europe for eight years.
A graduate from University of Birmingham, Ruth is also chair of the PRCA Consumer Group and highly active within Women in PR (WIPR) committee. Ruth has won a slew of awards including Consultancy Head of the Year (PRCA 2015) and Best Agency Outside London (PR Week Awards 2017).
Penny Anderson
Penny Anderson has been the Client Director for the Kantar PR agency division for over 10 years and has a total of 25 years in the industry. She oversees the smooth delivery of all Kantar services including global media & social monitoring, analysis planning and demographic data to Kantar's PR agency clients.
Victoria Biggs
Victoria manages all aspects of Trainline's public profile, leading the teams responsible for Trainline's corporate, brand and product communications across traditional, social and paid media. She has more than 20 years' experience shaping narratives, creating content and delivering impactful campaigns for some of the world's most innovative companies including Netflix, PayPal and eBay. Keen to support women in the tech and creative industries, she is an active mentor within and outside Trainline.
As well as her in house experience at Trainline and previously, at eBay where she was UK PR director, Victoria has spent 15 years in UK and global communications agencies including Freud Communications, Burson-Marsteller and MSLGROUP.
Marco Bilello
Marco is Head of Communications at Twitter UK and is responsible for creating impactful brand and consumer campaigns that drive conversation while also managing the reputation of the business across all issues and crisis related comms. He has over 15 years of in-house and agency experience and was previously a technology journalist.
Chris Blackwood
Third City
Chris was made joint-MD of Third City in 2018 after seven years leading its fintech and professional services team. He was award PRWeek Young Professional in 2012 for his data-driven approach and has since delivered award-winning social and digital campaigns for the likes of Wellcome, ABI and National Army Museum.
George Blizzard
The PR Network
George is Co-Founder of The PR Network, an alternative PR agency built on a virtual agency model. George has spent the last 14 years delivering strategic programmes for clients including Dropbox, Snapchat, Vodafone and Workday. Now a Top150 PRWeek agency with global reach, The PR Network ran campaigns in over 32 countries in 2018 alone!
Prior to The PR Network, George ran EMEA campaigns for blue chips including: Apple, Sun Microsystems and Openwave, whilst at Bite Communications. George set up the business with former Bite colleague and fellow PRCA judge Nicky Regazzoni in 2005.
Operating a successful job share for over 14 years both Nicky and George are passionate advocates of flexible working and active supporters of working mums wanting to achieve successful careers in PR and are often found on the speaker circuit talking about their experiences.
George and Nicky are both on the committee for Women in PR, a PRCA working group, where they run the WPR/PRWeek mentoring scheme which helps more women attain leadership positions in the PR industry.
George and Nicky are co-chairs of the PRCA's Virtual PR Agency Group, a group set up this year alongside 12 other companies to formalise the virtual PR agency model.
Both sit on the PRCA Council.
Chris Calland
Ogilvy UK
Chris is a Client Partner and Head of Crisis & Issues in the PR & Influence capability of Ogilvy UK. A corporate affairs and reputation management expert, he has 13 years' experience in advising clients across a range of sectors including healthcare, life sciences, defence, telecoms, property development, education, FMCG, travel, professional services and not-for-profit. He is Chair of the PRCA Crisis Communications Group and also sits on the PRCA PR & Communications Council.
Fergus Campbell
Fergus has spent 15 years working in communications and marketing roles for a variety of brands and businesses in the UK and abroad, both in PR agencies (Blue Rubicon and Golin) and now in house at Gumtree – part of the eBay Classifieds Group. In his role at Gumtree he is focused on building the profile and reputation of the business within the UK, and rebutting misperceptions of the brand, by building proactive consumer and corporate campaigns.
While these activities are broad in nature – ranging from creating physical activities which bring the sharing economy to life, or showing tech-savvy audiences how a mature trading platform like Gumtree can help you get a job, declutter your home, or find a new flatmate – consistent to all is a fundamental belief that Gumtree is in the business of helping people. Fergus also sits on a number of industry groups and associations.
Jenny Caven
As Director of External Affairs at Slimming World Jenny is responsible for increasing recognition of Slimming World. She leads in-house teams building strong relationships with a network of stakeholders focusing on creating strategic alliances. She believes passionately in helping to inspire and motivate people to develop healthier lifestyle habits for better physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. She's worked as a journalist, advertising copywriter, PR and corporate communications professional in a career that spans too many years.
Richard Cook
Champion Communications
Richard Cook is the founder and managing director of Champion Communications, an award winning B2B PR company, based in central London. With over 20 years' experience, working with some of the world's largest and most exciting fast-growth businesses, including Rackspace, MasterCard, the Mobo Awards and NetApp, Richard is currently focussed on leading the team at Champion as they build and implement strategies that help Champion's client's grow. Richard is a Co-Chair of the PRCA Technology Committee and a member of Tech UK. Richard is also a mentor at the Prince's Trust and has been a guest lecturer at the London College of Communications.
Jill Coomber
Allison+Partners
Having grown, and co-owned, an international PR and digital marketing agency for over 20 years, Jill and the team joined forces with global agency Allison+Partners in September 2018. Now Managing Director for Consumer Marketing, Europe, Jill continues to be inspired and driven by a fervent belief in the power of great marketing and communications.
James Crawford
PR Agency One
James in managing director and founder of PR Agency One and has a broad range of PR experience spanning B2B, consumer, healthcare, insurance and decades in agency. He is an expert in measuring conversion from brand, reputation and organic search.
Misha Dhanak
Misha is a founder of The Romans, one of the most awarded agencies of the last five years. Prior to that, she was MD at Citizen Relations, a Board Director at Shine and Head of PR at Paramount Pictures (HZ).
Lizzie Earl
Lizzie Earl is the founder and MD of creative PR firm Munch, PRWeek's 'New Consultancy of the Year' 2018. Munch offers big agency thinking with a boutique approach and clients range from household names – including Coca-Cola, Eventbrite, Fairtrade, National Lottery and TEDx – through to innovative challenger brands.
Liz Edwards
TUI UK & Ireland
Liz Edwards is Head of PR at TUI UK & Ireland and is responsible for creating impactful integrated brand PR campaigns, alongside managing the business reputation during crisis and issues.
Prior to joining TUI, Liz worked at Merlin Entertainments for 12 years in various PR management roles.
Jane Fordham
Jane Fordham Consulting; People. Culture. Equality
An experienced consultant and trainer, Jane focusses on diversity and inclusion, culture and wellbeing, having spent 15 years at Golin, helping to build a brand known as a progressive employer. Clients now include WE Communications, the PRCA, Ticketmaster, Centrica and The Civil Aviation Authority.
Chloe Franses
Franses
Chloe Franses is CEO and Founder of Franses, an award-winning purpose-led strategic and creative PR consultancy with clients spanning entertainment, sport, luxury and cause. Chloe founded Franses in 2016 after recognising early the irrefutable shift towards conscience economics. With 22 years' experience working with brands, charities and NGOs Franses specialises in building engagement, audience, reputation, authenticity and legacy for businesses – through action and purpose. Franses works with multiple high-profile clients from Bentley and Formula E to Britvic and The Big Issue and has created stand-out campaigns including "Pearson's Project Literacy", which helped eight million people around the world learn to read and write. In December 2018, Chloe won NatWest's Every Woman Award – awarded to inspirational women in business.
Dan Gerrella
Liz Male Consulting
Dan is associate director at Liz Male Consulting, a specialist communications and marketing consultancy for the construction and property sector. He has worked both client-side and in agency, supporting organisations in the UK and internationally. This has included everything from targeted stakeholder consultations through to larger campaigns that support business growth, deliver change, and enhance corporate reputation.
Daniel Glover
Dan is one of the most respected figures in the industry having won pretty much every major creative award. He is co-founder of The Academy and was previously Creative Chairman at Mischief and Executive Creative Director at Engine working across the group's advertising, PR, experiential, digital and social media agencies.
Tom Glover
Tom has nearly 20 years of international communications experience, working in-house and in agency in the technology, media and digital sectors. He has broad expertise across all areas of external and internal communications, but remains particularly passionate about technology and developing new creative ways to tell stories and grow the value of brands. Tom has previously worked with and for Orange, Microsoft, Computer Associates, Seagate, Adobe, Pearson and The Financial Times.
Fiona Goldsworthy
Brands2Life
Fiona is Deputy MD of the Business & Technology Practice at Brands2Life and also heads up Brands2Life Global, a network of partner agencies across the world. She has over a decade of experience in developing and executing award-winning communications and marketing programmes for global and local brands.
James Gordon-MacIntosh
Hope&Glory
James is a founder and Creative Planning Director at Hope&Glory, the agency that he helped start at the end of 2011. So far things seem to be going adequately.
Emma Hazan
Emma Hazan is the Global Head of Consumer at Hotwire. She is responsible for the strategic direction and growth of the consumer side of the business across Hotwire's offices globally. With close to 20 years' experience, she has led award-winning work for brands including Visa, HomeAway, GoPro, Shazam, Bic and Hostelworld.
Niki Hunter Ekins
Splendid Communications
Niki Hunter Ekins is MD & Head of Client Partnerships at Splendid Communications, who utilise a bespoke People First Creativity approach to deliver business success for clients. With over 15 years' experience Niki leads a team of 45 experts across industry leading clients such as Greggs, Tesco and William Grant.
André Labadie
André is MD of Brands2Life's Business and Technology practice. He is focussed on building better stories with bigger impact for the largest brands in the tech industry as well as some of its most exciting scale ups.
Claire Lamb
Skout PR
Claire's 25+ year career in PR began in tech where she worked for some of the world's biggest brands. Claire also spent several years working as deputy editor for Hong Kong's biggest circulating monthly magazine and went on to establish the region's first green PR practice. As a director at Skout she puts her limitless enthusiasm into everything she does from business planning and client strategy – to everything in between.
Paul Lucas
Paul is a Director in the Brand team at Edelman. He has 20 years of integrated consumer PR and marcomms experience under his belt covering planes, trains, automobiles and everything in between. He has worked across European and global campaigns, as well as UK activation for brands as diverse as Heineken to Haribo and First Direct to Tesco. Prior to Edelman, Paul was a Director at consumer PR & social agency, Fever and founder of Brando, now Citizen Relations. At Edelman, Paul leads the #MakeTheFuture programme for Shell.
Shayoni Lynn
Shayoni Lynn is head of communications for Cardiff University's alumni relations, fundraising and strategic partnerships programmes. She specialises in data-driven communications and behavioural science.
Shayoni has a track record of success delivering campaigns with measurable outcomes and organisational impact. Her programme at Cardiff University is pioneering and puts strategic thinking, audience insights, and measurement and evaluation at the heart of all activity.
A former journalist, Shayoni has been working in public relations for nearly 10 years; she has worked in both public and private sectors. Shayoni is Head of Engagement for PRCA Cymru and also sits on committees for GCS South West and Wales and CIPR Education and Skills.
Alex Michael
Alex has worked within integrated creative agencies for over 16 years, with the past decade seeing a strong focus on Social, Digital and Content. He has worked with world famous brands to deliver award-winning campaigns and communications across a number of channels, including launching famous youth brands Pot Boodle and Peperami on Social and leading the development of content-led integrated campaigns for the likes of Dove, Toblerone, PG Tips, Actimel and Nationwide.
Gemma Moroney
50 words?
Six about me: Still just wanna make great work.
The rest about more important stuff: Employ more varied kids. Employ more varied not-kids-anymore. Screw AVEs. Don't let your work break your head…or theirs. Read FLEX. Don't settle. Remember Amara's law.
Alice Newsham
Citypress
Alice is a director at Citypress, PRWeek's Best Agency Headquartered Outside London and a Sunday Times Top 100 Company To Work For. She's also a trainer at the PRCA.
Joan O'Connor
The Coca-Cola Conmpany
A brand and communications specialist Joan has worked across multiple sectors both in house at The Coca-Cola Company as well as in consultancy. Joan's current remit is developing brand PR campaigns and advising on communications strategies for multiple brands and non-alcoholic drink categories across Europe to drive positive reputation, brand awareness and trust. Joan is currently Vice Chair of the PRCA Consumer group.
Jenny Ousbey
Jenny began her career as a political journalist and has successfully led high-profile national and global campaigns in-house and agency-side. Prior to launching OVID she successfully built up an award-winning healthcare and pharmaceutical communications practice at another agency.
She is a former adviser to a government health minister, and has advised a wide range of stakeholders: from global pharmaceutical companies; NHS organisations; healthcare charities; private equity; the independent sector and digital start-ups.
Jenny is a trustee of Carer's Network and the MS Trust; and has worked with many health charities in a pro bono capacity over the years.
Will Painter
WP Communications
Will began his career in PR as a technology and business communications specialist, working across brands including the likes of Microsoft, Coca Cola Enterprises, Logitech, and Ericsson. Following this, Will went on to become a highly commended and trusted PR practitioner working at Ogilvy as a director of brand storytelling and media strategy, delivering award winning campaigns for consumer, corporate, CSR, and technology brands including the Ford Motor Company, IBM, and Vodafone.
Will launched WP Communications in February 2018 out of a passion to provide big agency impact on a nimble, flexible basis working with start-ups, scale ups, SMEs and large enterprises. As part of the new model, the company harnesses a specialist network of highly trained PR specialists and industry collaborations to maximise ROI.
Sarah Parmar
Sarah is Head of Consumer PR at Tesco and over the last year has established a clear role for the channel introducing a bespoke measurement and evaluation model to demonstrate effectiveness. Sarah has led successful, integrated campaigns, most recently for Christmas 2018 and Tesco's centenary celebrations.
Lindsay Paterson
CoachingConsultants
Lindsay is the founder and CEO of CoachingConsultants, providing specialist one-to-one leadership and business coaching to the public affairs and communications industry. She was previously a member of the senior leadership team at Interel, the global public affairs consultancy, where she led on innovation and global integration. She has worked in varied communications roles with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the European Commission, the Law Society and as a solicitor.
Jo Patterson
Jo is Managing Director of Porter Novelli, London.
With more than 25 years FMCG and retail experience, she specialises in delivering integrated, insights driven, multi channel campaigns.
Driven by creative ideas that generate business results, she has particular responsibility for the agency's brand and corporate reputation teams, and led Porter's central strategy and creative team for four years. Prior to that she was Consumer Head of Practice.
At PN she's delivered UK, EMEA and global PR campaigns for brands including P&G, HP, Glenfiddich and NIVEA. She was a board director at the RED Consultancy where she led accounts including Yellow Pages, Johnson & Johnson and SMA Nutrition.
Lynda Redington
Lynda founded the purpose driven communications agency, Another Word. With 25 years' experience, Lynda has worked on some of the worlds most recognised brands including The Body Shop, Costa Coffee and Bupa. She has driven integrated communications programmes, delivering positive reputation and commercial benefit to clients.
Nicky Regazzoni
Nicky is Co-Founder of The PR Network, an alternative PR agency built on a virtual agency model. Nicky has spent the last 14 years delivering strategic programmes for clients including Dropbox, Snapchat, Vodafone and Workday. Now a Top150 PRWeek agency with global reach, The PR Network ran campaigns in over 32 countries in 2018 alone!
Prior to The PR Network, Nicky held director level positions at Citigate, Brands2Life and property specialist Phoenix. Nicky met George whilst both working at Bite and set up The PR Network together a few years later in 2005.
Liesl Smith
FreedomPay
Liesl has over 20 years' experience in business marketing and communications and is a critical member of FreedomPay's ambition to grow globally and dominate as the leading digital consumer commerce platform. FreedomPay is a technology payments solutions company based in Philadelphia serving predominately large, corporate enterprises. Liesl led the marketing and communications at Verifone for its European business which included Russia and the Nordics. In addition, she was responsible for global communications at Western Union's B2B unit across several key markets including U.S, Canada, UK, France, Germany and APAC. Liesl has won numerous awards including RTS accolades during her time at the BBC as a Multi-Media Editor and more recently has been listed several times in the PRWeek Power Book: The definitive guide to the most influential people in PR. Liesl is also a member of the European Association of Communication Directors and the Strategic Marketing and Branding Forum.
Andrew Soar
Andrew is Creative Director at Ogilvy, an agency he moved to this year, following a history of delivering award-winning campaigns for brands operating in a crowded digital and consumer marketplace at Unity, Manifest and Shine.
Damon Statt
Damon who appears in 2019 PR Powerbook of the most influential people in PR is responsible for overseeing creative output and ensuring Mischief continues to rock conventions, earn attention and produce work that people want to talk about.
Matt Stokoe
Clarion Communications
Matt is a Managing Partner at WWP consumer PR and digital agency Clarion. With over 19 years' experience, Matt is involved with all aspects of the agency from driving new business, to client strategy & planning to delivering creative campaign across consumer, corporate and B2B big brand clients.
Emma Thwaites
Thwaites Communications
Emma is founder and CEO of Thwaites Communications, specialising in data, science and emerging technologies. As a former Cabinet Office Director of Strategic Communications, BBC news editor and now business owner, Emma has 30 years' experience working with organisations including the Open Data Institute, Arup, and give of the 11 Catapults.
Magin Trewhella
Magin's agency experience has seen him working on clients including adidas, Red Bull, Vauxhall, Tiger and Levi's amongst many others. Magin also has a wealth of in-house experience, spending five years at global spirits co-leader Pernod Ricard, as Head of Marketing on whisky, gin and cognac, before re-joining John Doe as Managing Director in 2018.
Leanne Tritton
Founder and managing director of ING. Leanne has worked in Australia, the USA and the UK. Over the last 20 years, she, along with her team has built ING into the recognised leader in PR and Communications for the built environment. The agency's work covers architecture, design, regeneration and property. ING's clients are based all over the world and the team currently speaks 16 languages.
Danny Whatmough
Weber Shandwick
Danny Whatmough is Managing Director, Integrated Media and Weber Shandwick overseeing teams across media relations, social media, influencer marketing, paid media and search. Through his career he's worked with HSBC, Kellogg's, Pernod Ricard, Nespresso, Rimmel, Unilever & Vauxhall. He is chair of the PRCA's digital group and in demand as a commentator and speaker. Danny's first book – Digital PR – was published in November 2018.
Tess Willmott
Sauce Communications
Recently appointed MD at restaurants, food, drink and travel specialist agency Sauce Communications, Tess's career has spanned both in-house and agency roles within luxury hospitality in London and Hong Kong, world class food and drink festivals and leading consumer brand agencies. With an overall mission to build on the existing reputation and business growth of Sauce, Tess has been integral in re-shaping structure and fine-tuning ways of working across the agency – to deliver exciting work for clients and an engaged, fulfilled team.
Caroline Addy
Milk and Honey PR
Caroline began her PR career in 2010 working on high profile campaigns across a variety of consumer sectors, including food & drink, not-for-profit and entertainment. After moving to Sydney for four years, her focus turned to all things technology and innovation where she represented global tech giants Cisco and GitHub, amongst others.
Having crafted first-class campaigns and relationships on both sides of the world, Caroline's experience has made her a bit of a chameleon, with the ability to adapt at the drop of a hat. Caroline has learnt from the best in the industry and is passionate about inspiring her team to believe in themselves, be brave and continue raising the bar.
Shelley Frosdick
The PHA Group
Shelley has over thirteen years of experience working with consumer brands in the retail, lifestyle, charity and health space. From delivering reliable, powerful media relations strategies to creating and delivering campaign activations, Shelley is an expert when it comes to appealing to consumers via the media, both online and offline.
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Hapag-Lloyd Aktiengesellschaft, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a liner shipping company worldwide. The company engages in the shipping of containers by sea; and provision of door to door transportation services. Its vessel and container fleets are used for the transportation of general and special cargo, various dangerous goods, and coffee, as well as reefer cargo comprising pharmaceuticals. The company also offers bilateral EDI, a directly connected electronic data interchange; operates an e-commerce portal that provides services related to transportation process, as well as services to manage customer's supply chain data and connect to their carriers through one interface; and provides security information and verified gross mass services. In addition, it provides container transportation services to the United States government organizations. As of December 31, 2017, the company fleet comprised 219 ships with a total capacity of 1.6 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU). It owned or leased 1,435,345 containers with a capacity of approximately 2,348,602 TEU for shipping cargo. The company was formerly known as Hapag-Lloyd Holding AG and changed its name to Hapag-Lloyd Aktiengesellschaft in August 2013. Hapag-Lloyd Aktiengesellschaft was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.
Sign-up to receive the latest news and ratings for HLAG and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter.
What is Hapag-Lloyd's stock symbol?
Hapag-Lloyd trades on the ETR under the ticker symbol "HLAG."
What price target have analysts set for HLAG?
14 Wall Street analysts have issued twelve-month price objectives for Hapag-Lloyd's stock. Their predictions range from €20.00 to €43.00. On average, they anticipate Hapag-Lloyd's share price to reach €32.17 in the next twelve months. This suggests a possible upside of 15.7% from the stock's current price. View Analyst Price Targets for Hapag-Lloyd.
What is the consensus analysts' recommendation for Hapag-Lloyd?
14 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Hapag-Lloyd in the last year. There are currently 1 sell rating, 6 hold ratings and 7 buy ratings for the stock, resulting in a consensus recommendation of "Hold." View Analyst Ratings for Hapag-Lloyd.
Has Hapag-Lloyd been receiving favorable news coverage?
Headlines about HLAG stock have been trending positive recently, according to InfoTrie Sentiment Analysis. InfoTrie ranks the sentiment of media coverage by monitoring more than six thousand news and blog sources in real-time. The firm ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative five to five, with scores closest to five being the most favorable. Hapag-Lloyd earned a coverage optimism score of 2.6 on InfoTrie's scale. They also assigned media coverage about the company a news buzz of 3.0 out of 10, meaning that recent media coverage is unlikely to have an effect on the company's share price in the immediate future.
Who are some of Hapag-Lloyd's key competitors?
Some companies that are related to Hapag-Lloyd include Hamburger Hafen und Logistik (HHFA), Irish Continental Group (ICGC), Clarkson (CKN), Algoma Central (ALC), Ocean Wilsons (OCN), Global Ports (GPH), Sutton Harbour (SUH), Boston Carriers (BSTN), FreeSeas (FREEF), Logistec (LGT.B) and Stolt-Nielsen (SOIEF).
What other stocks do shareholders of Hapag-Lloyd own?
Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some companies that other Hapag-Lloyd investors own include Seabridge Gold (SA), Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM), iShares Silver Trust (SLV), LWP Capital (LWP), Anova Metals (AWV), Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW), GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft (G1A), Jenoptik (JEN), Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology (PFV) and Rhoen Klinikum (RHK).
Who are Hapag-Lloyd's key executives?
What is Hapag-Lloyd's stock price today?
One share of HLAG stock can currently be purchased for approximately €27.80.
How big of a company is Hapag-Lloyd?
Hapag-Lloyd has a market capitalization of $4.89 billion and generates $11.52 billion in revenue each year. Hapag-Lloyd employs 12,531 workers across the globe.
What is Hapag-Lloyd's official website?
The official website for Hapag-Lloyd is https://www.hapag-lloyd.com/.
How can I contact Hapag-Lloyd?
Hapag-Lloyd's mailing address is Ballindamm 25, HAMBURG, 20095, Germany. The company can be reached via phone at +49-40-30010.
MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Hapag-Lloyd and other stocks. Vote "Outperform" if you believe HLAG will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote "Underperform" if you believe HLAG will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.


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Q: NSString encoding issue I have xml string. It's wrong string. But after using NSLog and coping it from console, it became good string (I got good response from server). I build wrong string by this way:
NSString *soapMessage = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?><env:Envelope xmlns:env=\"http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/\" xmlns:xsd=\"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema\" xmlns:xsi=\"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance\" xmlns:enc=\"http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/\" xmlns:ns0=\"http://com.test/types/AstoriaObjectProperties\" xmlns:ns1=\"http://com.test/wsdl/AstoriaObjectProperties\" xmlns:ns2=\"http://java.sun.com/jax-rpc-ri/internal\"><env:Body><ns1:setObjectProperties env:encodingStyle=\"http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/\"><HashMap_1 xsi:type=\"ns2:hashMap\" enc:arrayType=\"ns2:mapEntry[2]\"><item xsi:type=\"ns2:mapEntry\"><key xsi:type=\"xsd:string\">id</key><value xsi:type=\"xsd:string\">%@</value></item><item xsi:type=\"ns2:mapEntry\"><key xsi:type=\"xsd:string\">annotations</key><value href=\"#ID1\"/></item></HashMap_1><HashMap_2 xsi:type=\"ns2:hashMap\" enc:arrayType=\"ns2:mapEntry[2]\"><item xsi:type=\"ns2:mapEntry\"><key xsi:type=\"xsd:string\">id</key><value xsi:type=\"xsd:string\">%@</value></item><item xsi:type=\"ns2:mapEntry\"><key xsi:type=\"xsd:string\">annotations</key><value href=\"#ID2\"/></item></HashMap_2></ns1:setObjectProperties>%@%@</env:Body></env:Envelope>", fileID, fileID, arrayNewXML, arrayOldXML];

When I sent this message to the server, I got an error in response.
But then I use NSLog to see soapMessage, I copy it, and use soap message from buffer. It looks like this.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><env:Envelope xmlns:env="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:enc="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/" xmlns:ns0="http://com.test/types/AstoriaObjectProperties" xmlns:ns1="http://com.test/wsdl/AstoriaObjectProperties" xmlns:ns2="http://java.sun.com/jax-rpc-ri/internal"><env:Body><ns1:setObjectProperties env:encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"><HashMap_1 xsi:type="ns2:hashMap" enc:arrayType="ns2:mapEntry[2]"><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">id</key><value xsi:type="xsd:string">0000001aWGA2070GYZ</value></item><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">annotations</key><value href="#ID1"/></item></HashMap_1><HashMap_2 xsi:type="ns2:hashMap" enc:arrayType="ns2:mapEntry[2]"><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">id</key><value xsi:type="xsd:string">0000001aWGA2070GYZ</value></item><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">annotations</key><value href="#ID2"/></item></HashMap_2></ns1:setObjectProperties><ns0:ArrayOfhashMap id="ID1" env:encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/" xsi:type="enc:Array" enc:arrayType="ns2:hashMap[1]"><item xsi:type="ns2:hashMap" enc:arrayType="ns2:mapEntry[7]"><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">$$$XD_AnnotationUser$$$</key><value xsi:type="xsd:string">AstoriaAdmin</value></item><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">Annotation Status</key><value xsi:type="xsd:string">waiting for decision</value></item><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">$$$XD_AnnotationID$$$</key><value xsi:type="xsd:string">00000043X951EE3073607F44F7D00000000000000951FF3076D000000590000003C647C7668696D696B2D6163733A433A5C50726F6772616D2046696C65735C4173746F72696120536F6674776172655C434D535C64617461626173655C63616231303030302E64627C31347C367C3263307C31303030303E00704B585000000000YZ</value></item><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">Annotation Comment</key><value xsi:type="xsd:string">comment</value></item><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">$$$XD_AnnotationDate$$$</key><value xsi:type="enc:dateTime">2012-09-18T10:22:40.000Z</value></item><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">Annotation Status Comment</key><value xsi:type="xsd:string">status comment</value></item><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">$$$XD_AnnotationName$$$</key><value xsi:type="xsd:string">Legal Review</value></item></item></ns0:ArrayOfhashMap><ns0:ArrayOfhashMap id="ID2" env:encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/" xsi:type="enc:Array" enc:arrayType="ns2:hashMap[1]"><item xsi:type="ns2:hashMap" enc:arrayType="ns2:mapEntry[7]"><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">$$$XD_AnnotationUser$$$</key><value xsi:type="xsd:string">AstoriaAdmin</value></item><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">Annotation Status</key><value xsi:type="xsd:string">waiting for decision</value></item><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">$$$XD_AnnotationID$$$</key><value xsi:type="xsd:string">00000043X951EE3073607F44F7D00000000000000951FF3076D000000590000003C647C7668696D696B2D6163733A433A5C50726F6772616D2046696C65735C4173746F72696120536F6674776172655C434D535C64617461626173655C63616231303030302E64627C31347C367C3263307C31303030303E00704B585000000000YZ</value></item><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">Annotation Comment</key><value xsi:type="xsd:string">comment</value></item><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">$$$XD_AnnotationDate$$$</key><value xsi:type="enc:dateTime">2012-09-18T10:22:40.000Z</value></item><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">Annotation Status Comment</key><value xsi:type="xsd:string">status comment</value></item><item xsi:type="ns2:mapEntry"><key xsi:type="xsd:string">$$$XD_AnnotationName$$$</key><value xsi:type="xsd:string">Legal Review</value></item></item></ns0:ArrayOfhashMap></env:Body></env:Envelope>

And after that I have response with no errors.
I seems, that NSLog fixed some problems with encoding. But how to solve this issues in my soapMessage?
I tried:
soapMessage = [soapMessage stringByReplacingPercentEscapesUsingEncoding:NSASCIIStringEncoding];
soapMessage = [soapMessage stringByReplacingPercentEscapesUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];
soapMessage = [soapMessage stringByAddingPercentEscapesUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];

That didn't help.

A: I just guest the encoding, and manually deleted some bad symbols:
 NSMutableData *soapdata = [[[NSMutableData alloc] initWithData:[soapMessage dataUsingEncoding:NSNonLossyASCIIStringEncoding]] autorelease];
   soapMessage = [[[NSString alloc] initWithData:soapdata encoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding] autorelease];
   soapMessage = [soapMessage stringByReplacingOccurrencesOfString:@"\\ufffc" withString:@""];
   soapdata = [[[NSMutableData alloc] initWithData:[soapMessage dataUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding]] autorelease];

And now it works!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Following from a project last year where Rigger.co.uk rigged a successful Mercedes viral video shoot at a disused warehouse in East London, we were asked to rig the next viral shoot, inside the UK's only full-scale wind tunnel.
The rig had to endure winds of 80mph and a biting chill factor. Time was of the essence as the shoot had to be rigged and completed ( and de-rigged )in one day. The potential for injury or damage in such wind tunnels is huge and therefore our health and safety credentials came to the fore. Despite the tight timescale and the exacting safety standards, the job was completed on time and on budget.
Rigger.co.uk Ltd recently rented equipment for a new Cbeebies series recording in Devon. Despite the original truss specification requiring black truss and changing (to silver) only a few days prior to rigging, the month long hire of 125 metres of truss, sixteen ways of lift, custom base-plates and twenty-six specials for moving lights was supplied from existing stock. Due to the lightweight construction of our modern truss system, the entire rig was delivered in a single 7.5 ton truck. Not only was this efficient means of delivery better for client, who saved on transport costs, but it was better for the environment too.
The Dragons Are In: BBC "Dragons' Den"
As part of the BBC's migration from London to Salford, Rigger.co.uk Ltd assisted with the relocation of the "Dragons' Den" set to MediaCityUK in Salford Quay. Rigger.co.uk Ltd has bases in both London and Manchester which facilitated the move with zero fuss. Due to the change of studios (but not the set) Rigger.co.uk Ltd generated comprehensive drawings of the set and all elements within the studio in CAD (working from designers hand-drawn plans). These technical drawings were completed free of charge as part of the comprehensive service we offer.
Rigger.co.uk recently completed a large-scale rigging stunt in Los Angeles, for a UK-based TV production company. The brief was to produce an elegant and concealed rigging solution for an upcoming show. The highly unconventional rig demanded a covert approach as the concept involved illusion. The rig utilised four ways of Fisher winches running on Navigator and a custom designed truss structure. The effect was successfully planned, installed, delivered on time and on budget and according to the clients precise specifications.
Rigger.co.uk recently relocated the BBC's "Saturday Kitchen" to its new home in an 1850's chapel just off Clapham High Street. The historic venue required close consultation with the building owner and lighting designer to ensure that calculated loads and custom fabricated brackets would not impose excessive loads to the building. Rigger.co.uk Ltd used a chemical fixing method suitable for the 160-year-old chapel walls resulting in a fast rig time with minimum impact to the fabric of the biolding. To ensure the integrity of our fixings we pull tested a fixing 100% overload prior to work commencing.
We installed a scaffold tube grid to five mother-trusses to ensure this new studio space can be utterly versatile, new fixtures may be added anywhere onto the rig, accommodating the changing demands of the production. The project has been a great success offering a full saturation rig with exceptional value for money. Happy with our service to date, the building owners have contracted Rigger.co.uk Ltd to de-rig the long standing installation from their old studio in Kennington and install a new bespoke system to the second studio on the premises in Clapham. Although plans have been completed for phase two, they will only commence once the client is ready and third-party contractors have finished all other building work. This has been made possible by Rigger.co.uk Ltd's flexible and sympathetic approach to our clients' demands.
Rigger.co.uk Ltd has been the sole rigging supplier to the BBC's main Children in Need show at BBC Television centre for the last two years, following on from this success Rigger.co.uk Ltd was the sole rigging supplier to another of the BBC's flagship shows, BBC Sports Personality of the Year was broadcast live from MediaCityUK – requiring a high level of rigging expertise and attention to detail the show was a success with all rigging delivered on time despite the complexity and time scales involved.
For a show like "Famous and Fearless", death defying stunts are part of the brief to keep Channel 4's audiences on the edge of their seats. Rigger.co.uk ensured however that no celebrities were harmed during the making of the show. The show was broadcast live from Liverpool Echo Arena where the studio audience meant that the highest levels of safety had to be met. Find out more about our company's commitment to health and safety.
We often have to come up with several different rigging solutions, but "101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow" was a new record for us. We provided rigging expertise and solutions to the show that saw contestants catapulted, dropped, hurled and sent flying on BBC One's Saturday night entertainment show.
After an extremely successful pilot shot on location near Cambridge, Endemol contracted Rigger.co.uk Ltd further to consult in Buenos Aires on the series. After a plot of land large enough was found, a colossal outdoor set was built based around a never been done before counterweight assisted moving studio, to save time repositioning cameras from one level of the giant towers to another (for different games to be played within each episode). The entire studio could be raised and lowered to different heights on the tower. An awesome project to be involved in of which we are very proud, in the interest of providing value for money Nipper completed the consultation via commuting a few days at a time to Buenos Aires, this was deemed more cost effective than having him on location for many consecutive weeks, and made him able to simultaneously service our domestic clients fully.
First choice for ITV's new flagship show for this July, Rigger.co.uk Ltd have recently had the satisfaction of installing an amazing looking set for Andrew Lloyd Webber's show. The winner of which will become the new "Jesus Christ Superstar". In addition to rigging the large flown elements of set, lighting, hothead cameras and sound equipment we have also supplied four ways of twenty metre per minute performance hoists which will be used to fly a variety of different elements during the live shows. We are proud to boast the entire series will be completed without the need for single hours overtime being charged to our client. Zero fuss, hassle free rigging completed on schedule and on budget.
After receiving the initial call the day before the long jubilee weekend started, we provided a bespoke designed crash mat rig so that two television presenters could experiment what strength wind would blow them over depending on their posture. The brief was to keep the two untrained presenters safe in wind speeds of a whopping 150kmph. The venue was the Dunton climatic wind tunnel owned and run by motor giant Ford.
The initial client suggestion was to restrain the two using PFPE to prevent them from injury but this wasn't the ideal approach as the experiment required them to actually be blown over. The restraining rig was scrapped early on and we proposed designing, supplying and building a squat crash mat rig that would break their fall at any wind speed.
The bespoke rig was designed and drawn at a preliminary site visit despite the client being absent, due consideration was taken during design so that the twelve-inch crash mats would not lift in the unconventional wind speeds. The rig was backstopped against the rear shutter of the wind tunnel eliminating the need for any ballast what so ever. After careful multiple solo tests in the 150kmph wind by Nipper, the presenters were chaperoned individually and given some basic training within the wind tunnel. The full 150kmph wind speed was achieved quickly by both presenters and they were soon adopting the experimental postures in full wind. Many of these resulted in them being forcefully blown into the crash mat rig, after hundreds of blow overs we recorded a count of zero injuries.
As always the rig was designed hoping to offer the best value for money. The planning considered all details including the cost of transport and labour, the entire rig (bar the third-party supply crash mats that we specified) was transported in one single standard builders van. The rig was assembled on site by Nipper with no additional local crew or riggers.
Not only did Rigger.co.uk Ltd design and supply all the location stunt elements for the series, including launching David Hasslehoff to a world record reverse bungee jump at Battersea power station, a twin slack-line rig between castle turrets, some moving elements for some super-cross stunt riders to jump through, a world record high dive (into a paddling pool) amongst others, but we also rigged all production elements for the arena portion of the show including an innovative back stage flown storage area where the massive volume of crash mats and props were stored on floating pods several metres above head height, thus doubling the usable floor space backstage. The series was a great success for Rigger.co.uk Ltd with all stunts completed to the designers and producers exact requirements with zero incident, all of which were delivered on time and on budget.
Rigger.co.uk Ltd was is company behind one of the the years most-watched televisions moments for the second year running.
Rigger.co.uk Ltd was in on the behind-scenes-action too suppling rigging equipment and services to ITV2's "Britain's Got More Talent".
Nipper' is an engaged managing director, meaning job Rigger.co.uk Ltd works on benefits from his personal management.


text:
Salaam TV online - Tv in diretta
Salaam TV
Paese: Iran
Salaam TV 0 su 5
Salaam TV is an independent satellite television channel committed to providing Shia Islamic programming. Salaam TV was established in early 2005 by Hajj Sheikh Mohammad Hedayati. The channel's launch date intentionally coincided with the Eid of Ghadeer. Salaam TV's producers assert that the channel is not affiliated with any political groups or external organizations, as it aims to provide apolitical Islamic programming.
Jaam-e-Jam 1
Iran - Generale
Jame Jam 1 (IRIB 1) is a television channel showing programs for Iranians living outside of Iran. This program is specially made to show memories of
Persian Bazaar TV
Broadcasting from California, Persian Bazaar Television (PBTV) aims to offer a wide array of Persian language programming, which inform and
SAT 7 PARS
Through SAT-7 PARS Farsi-speaking Christians both within and outside Iran can share their faith with seekers and encourage their fellow believers.
Mihan Tv
Mihantv is an Iranian Tv station located in Santa Ana California which has live show six days aweek and has been established in march 2009
PMC TV
Iran - Musica
PMC is #1 destination for Persian music videos, live performances and interviews with today's hottest celebrities. PMC is entertaining its viewers
MTC Melli TV
MTC is an independent Persian Television station broadcasting its programming all over the world bringing you entertainment from allaround the world.


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Q: How can I add emoji matching into this JavaScript regex? I have a working regex to match letters, numbers, punctuation in JavaScript:
var letters = /^[0-9A-Za-z\s\-_@#$*!&'''"""?,.:/=+<>~%^ ]+$/;
I want to add emojis to this. How can I modify the regex to match emoji as well?

A: I was able to figure this out by adding the Unicode representation of the emoji set into the regex (using sets of independent Unicode ranges), as follows:
var letters = /^([0-9A-Za-z\s_@#$*!&'''"""?,.:\/=+<>~%^ \u{1f300}-\u{1f5ff}\u{1f900}-\u{1f9ff}\u{1f600}-\u{1f64f}\u{1f680}-\u{1f6ff}\u{2600}-\u{26ff}\u{2700}-\u{27bf}\u{1f1e6}-\u{1f1ff}\u{1f191}-\u{1f251}\u{1f004}\u{1f0cf}\u{1f170}-\u{1f171}\u{1f17e}-\u{1f17f}\u{1f18e}\u{3030}\u{2b50}\u{2b55}\u{2934}-\u{2935}\u{2b05}-\u{2b07}\u{2b1b}-\u{2b1c}\u{3297}\u{3299}\u{303d}\u{00a9}\u{00ae}\u{2122}\u{23f3}\u{24c2}\u{23e9}-\u{23ef}\u{25b6}\u{23f8}-\u{23fa}-]+)$/gu;


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Today's author interview is with the truly great Sabrina Zbasnik author of The King's Blood. We asked her some silly questions and some rather serious ones. She gave us fun, informative answers in true Sabrina Zbasnik fashion which means that they are sharp smart answers that you're going to enjoy reading. So without further ado please enjoy our interview with Sabrina Zbasnik.
1. Do you prefer crushed or cubed ice? Crushed, that way it's much harder for the ice golem to reconstitute itself.
2. Do you kill bugs or set them free? I set most of them free. The only bugs I will hunt down mercilessly are mosquitoes and hornets/wasps. Then I go full Raid Rambo.
3. What is your favorite color? Blue, because Octeen hasn't been discovered yet.
4. If you could be a character in any fantasy novel ever written who would it be? I'll go with Granny Weatherwax in the Discworld novels because no one messes with Granny. She's the female version of Gandalf.
5. If you were in your very own fairy tale would you rather be the fire breathing dragon or the sword wielding heroine? You always go dragon.
1. Have you always been a fan of epic fantasy? Oh boy, right off the bat I'm gonna get myself into big trouble. Honest truth, I picked up the first Narnia book and hated it. It wasn't grounded enough in reality for my tastes. Because of that I avoided the classic/epic fantasy for a long time. I read Goosebumps like all kids my age and played around in horror type fantasy and was a huge sci-fi fan. Animorphs was my jam in middle school. But it wasn't until high school that I attempted Tolkien and fell hopelessly for the historically focused fantasy. Later, I found the magic of Discworld and loved the combination of science, humor, and fantasy. It was perfect for me. What I do like about fantasy, and genre in general, is that you can easily twist it to be allegorical. With classic historical fiction you're confined within human stereotypes, what people think happened in that time. With fantasy you can flip the script on something to highlight a strange or disturbing foible of human nature.
2. As a reader I can't imagine how you keep such a gigantic story straight as you write it. How do you go about it and are there post-its everywhere? The King's Blood took about four months to write the first draft. I always have the basic plot in my head before the first word is put down, focusing on the beats, what major obstacles will have to happen; but it's the little stuff that creeps up along the way that throws me. Like Isa's walking stick. It began more as a side joke, the witch with her wand that she can hit people with. But then I kept forgetting about it. There were drafts when she'd lose the damn thing for months, then suddenly it'd pop up again. That's what editing's for.
The worst is probably random names. I'd toss out the name of a place, a god, an old friend and then 40 pages later I make a reference back only I can't remember what it was. Then I lose a half hour combing through the manuscript to find the name before I can continue. Now, when I put down something like that, I jot it on the side in the research notes. With fantasy and genre one tends to use weird names in general, and my trick to spelling it properly from the get go is to add it to my word processor's dictionary. It's the spell check's problem now.
3. Your characters are complex. What is most important to you when you're creating your fascinating characters? I suppose I want them to be believable. It makes me sound wacky, but I feel less like I'm god creating stories and more I'm the dungeon master. I gave these pieces their setting, now to sit back and see what they do and maybe throw a random encounter or two in. Characters often do something unexpected. Like Isa and Ciara not getting on due to religious differences. I hadn't set out to have it happen, but it came up and I ran with it because it made sense to me. I'll also have characters that refuse to do what I tell them. Taban was the worst. He had some vital backstory he needed to share but he would not talk about himself no matter how many times I threatened to get him stabbed. It reached the point I was afraid I'd never get it out of him and have to find some other way to stick it in there.
4. You recently wrote a blog post about female characters. The tagline "Strong Female Character" has become a catch phrase full of everything that a strong female character really isn't. What do you think it will take to shift popular thinking and what can female readers do to help shape the landscape so that authors and screenwriters choose to create actual strong female characters? I fear that a large part of the problem is this assumption that boys won't read books with female main characters, boys won't see movies with female heroes. It's all about boys, boys, boys. You'd think Hollywood execs were teenage girls the way they go on about boys. We've become obsessed with gender dimorphism. Girls are only pink, boys are only blue, to the point we have color coded servingware for kids and god help you if you eat off the wrong one. And since separate is never equal, it enforces the coded message of everything boy = good, everything girl = bad. Which is when you get that in order for girls to be interesting, to be worthy of listening to she has to act masculine, almost hyper masculine. She has to punch things through walls, she has to belch and fart, she has to never ever talk to another girl and declare herself "one of the guys."
It is the nature of the beast, but because the female voice is equivalent to 1/10th of a male, those boys are the ones who can still enact real change. Getting boys to watch movies like Brave, to see other girls not as some unknowable species but a person like them is a huge and necessary step. It's coming slowly. Things like My Little Ponies crossing the gender demilitarized zone helps greatly. Rising up and demanding it, making voices heard is all that gets through. Like the recent Assassin's Creed fight about including female assassins. We're sick of being treated like some abnormality. We're over 50% of the population, not some tiny subset you have to cater to. I fear it is a fight that will never end.
5. What inspired you to include zombies in The Kings Blood? I needed something to show the power the unstable magic had, a reason why everyone is working for this end goal. Walking dead seemed a pretty great deterrent. Also, it gave me an excuse to have a nameless horde for the heroes to fight off. I'm not a fan of black and white, good vs evil, but I couldn't logically send a couple of untrained teenagers onto a real battlefield and expect them to survive. So, the magic zombies came into being.
6. What would you go on an epic adventure for? What would be your goal? Cheese, I would go on an epic adventure for cheese. Preferably to eat it. Destroying it would be hard, because then I would lose the power to control all the cheese in the world.
7. You have a lot of clever one liners in this book. Do they just come to you when you write and do you have a favorite? Some come up when I'm in the middle of writing. Some I think of when I'm outlining the scene, usually while walking or doing other mindless tasks. For a few I put in a placeholder joke, something so terrible I groan every time I read it, to force myself to come back later and add a better one. Though there are plenty of times while editing I'll read a joke and think "I have no idea what in the hell I meant here. Delete!"
One of my favorites is probably the exchange between Ciara and Aldrin:
"Did your father have a lot of enemies?"
"He was king. If he didn't have enemies, he wasn't doing it right." It's a nice little microcosm of all the drawbacks of this royalty thing and why wanting to be king is kinda overrated.
8. What is your next project and where can we find you? I'm currently working on Dwarves in Space. As you can guess from the title it's about Dwarves and they're in Space. I call it Tolkien merged with Hitchhikers in a horrific transporter accident, though there are obvious touches of Firefly in there. It's hard to do band of travelers skirting outside the law without paying an homage to Firefly. DiS also gives me a chance to skewer not only fantasy tropes but science fiction as well in one convenient series.
You can find some of my book info on my blog that's still in the construction stages http://sezbasnik.blogspot.com/ Or follow me on twitter @introvertedwife I'll post about any and everything on there from Halloween props, to video games, to other one liners I think of during the day.
(Her Halloween props are fantastic. Her Doctor Whogallery is not to be missed.)
9. Is there anything you would like to share with our readers? I hope you like my book, as does every author in the history of the written word (except maybe for Jonathan Swift) and it helps continue the question of why can't there be more diversity in fantasy.
But you cannot have the cheese. It's mine, my own, my precious!
Sabrina Zbasnik is the author of The King's Blood as well as TerraFae and Tin Hero – a rollicking tale of slime molds and their love of fine cigars.
Or a fantasy satire that lovingly pokes fun at those classic cliches.
Sabrina spends nearly of all her time in Nebraska but that's because it is impossible to leave without finding the lamppost. She lives in a house that has at least four walls and there are some other souls wandering forlornly calling to their lost lives within.
Thank you for your time and wonderful answers Sabrina. We are looking forward to Dwarves In Space. We wish you luck and cheese.
Header image: King Family by Saavem from freeimages.com
Versailles#3 by Zanuda from freeimages.com
Italian cheese 2 by kalimevole from freeimages.com
One thought on "Sabrina Zbasnik"
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Q: node js ошибка Rethrow non-MySQL errors такой код:
router.post('/register', function(req, res){
let email = req.body.email;
let pass = req.body.pass;
db.query('SELECT email FROM users WHERE ?', {email:email} , function (error, results, fields){
    console.log(results);
    if(results[0]===undefined){
        let timestamp = Math.round(new Date().getTime() / 1000);
        db.query('INSERT INTO users SET ?', {email:email,pass:pass,registered:timestamp,logined:timestamp} , function (error, results, fields){
            req.session.uid = results.insertId;
            res.status(200).send('{"ok":true}');
        });
    }else{
        res.status(200).send('{"ok":false,"msg":"Уже зарегистрирован"}');
    }
  });
});

в итоге ошибка:

throw err; // Rethrow non-MySQL errors
          ^
TypeError: Cannot read property '0' of undefined
      at Query. (/home/admin/nodejs/routes/user.js:40:13)

пишет что ошибка в этой строчке
if(results[0]===undefined){

а в чем ошибка не пойму - там же идет проверка на "undefined"

A: https://github.com/mysqljs/mysql#error-handling
Чтобы уловить ошибки, которые вы бросаете, попробуйте следующий фрагмент:
con.on('error', function(err) {
  console.log("[mysql error]",err);
});

A: Сперва-наперво вам нужно проверить аргумент error. Не зря же он вам передаётся. Если он есть if (error) {}, значит произошла ошибка при запросе. Но вы сразу пытаетесь извлечь первую строку, предполагая, что это массив. Но нет, вам в ошибке пишется, что аргумент results на самом деле undefined, что говорит как раз об ошибке.
Можно обработать например так if (error) { return res.status(500).send(error.message) }

A:     db.query('SELECT email FROM users WHERE ?', {email:email} , function (error, results, fields){

после этого напиши
console.log("Твоя ошибка =" + " " + "error")


Probably for only a brief time, you can watch the short movie Fitna on YouTube, via this page on Little Green Footballs. (I'm linking to that page rather than the YouTube video directly, in the hopes that if that version is taken down, LGF will post a new link if available.) You can also save a copy of the video for yourself.
Paul and I just watched it; I strongly recommend that you do so while you have the chance. What I find so astonishing is that the video does absolutely nothing but accurately report the violent words and deeds of Muslims — yet Muslims are threatening violence at this supposedly unjust accusation of their faith. By those very threats, the Islamic totalitarians prove their harshest critics right — yet again.
Update from Greg: Looks like LiveLeak.com beefed up their security against the death threats for hosting the film, and now the full 15-or-so-minute version is available at http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7d9_1206624103.


This post is a bit of a catchup with what has happened so far before the more frequent updates.
We decided on the length of the piece (about 15-20 mins) and that it would more than likely be multiple movements rather than one long one. I've always wanted to use instrument and electronics but have never felt I had the knowledge and the opportunity to but I feel I am better equipped now. Though the idea of doing it was rather imposing.
I suggested to Lydia to have a look over my piece for solo cello '41111' to get an idea of my style and also to have a listen to Kaija Saariaho's solo cello music.
The logic for this suggestion was she has written a piece for solo cello and electronics Prés (Petals) and others for solo cello such as Sept Papillons. Both these pieces I feel are amazing pieces but also have been notated exceptionally clearly (a feeling shared by another cellist I know) and use extended techniques (though can they really be called extended any more?) artistically, because of this I have made the decision to use Saariaho's scores as a textbook for cello notation.
We agreed upon a timescale with the electronics being ready for the first week back after Christmas to try ideas out, by week 4 (around 1st feb) the piece should be almost ready at least in draft form.
After having had a look over 41111 Lydia said she liked certain sections and techniques used, specifically the opening, the strumming, the cello body tap and the humming.
Embedded in this post is the score to 41111. As a side note this piece is being played in Dublin's National Concert hall on 23rd February.


This is the first of three reports containing the results of an NEF validation study for Transport Canada. Summaries of the other two reports are included in Appendix 2 of this report. The NEF_1.7 program is a critical part of the management of airport noise in Canada, and it is extremely important that its validityand accuracy be as good as is reasonably possible. The use of millions of dollars worth of land near airports is determined by the noise level contours from this program. Similarly, the acceptability of land nearairports for residential use is determined from the calculated noise contours produced by the NEF_1.7 program. The analyses of this report suggest that improving the detail of the flight path description anddeveloping a more correct excess ground attenuation calculation procedure would considerably improve the NEF_1.7 program. It is therefore essential that the required continuing development of the NEF_1.7 program receive the necessary financial and technical support. The analyses of this report were focused on the errors associated with predicting noise levels around airports. The related problems of determining acceptable noise level limits and the practical application of these limits will be considered in a second report. These two reports will form the technical background for a final report evaluating the use of theNEF measure to quantify airport noise levels near Canadian airports.


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Home > Publishing > Changing the Rules
December 9, 2009 By Mark 5 Comments
Bear with me — this comes back to publishing…
There was a rule change just prior to the start of the National Basketball Association season, and I think the NBA's decision sheds some light on the options the publishing industry has for increasing interest in books.
The new rule reads, in part: "A player who receives the ball while he is progressing or upon completion of a dribble, may take two steps in coming to a stop, passing or shooting the ball."
It is believed to be the first time any league, at any level anywhere in the world, has explicitly allowed two steps.
As the article notes, the rule has always been one step, and that's been true at every level of basketball. However, as the article also notes, the NBA has been allowing two steps for years, so this rule change only reflects reality. Or at least reality as defined by an unenforced one-step rule, which may be a great deal different than an enforced two-step rule. (Predictable NBA double-speak denial here. Phil Jackson on the obviousness of the sham here.)
Why did the NBA allow two steps against their own rules, and why have they now written this admission into the rulebook?
Enforcement of the one-step rule has been hit-or-miss at every level of basketball. Archival footage shows NBA greats, from Magic Johnson and Pete Maravich to Bob Cousy and Julius Erving, getting away with two steps. Borgia, whose father was also an NBA official, said he cannot remember a time when NBA referees did not allow two steps.
Others insist allowing two steps represents an NBA strategy to aid scorers and make the league more exciting. Legendary point guard and current Knick broadcaster Walt "Clyde" Frazier says the league relaxed traveling standards some time ago to increase scoring.
Enforcement may be hit-or-miss at every level of play, but that's partly because the traveling call is inherently hit-or-miss. Unlike, say, a missed basket, which is obvious to everyone, a traveling call requires assessing multiple moments which play out in various ways. Did the player pick up his dribble early, but still only take one step (or, now, two)? Precisely because referees have to wait until a player completes a series of moves to know it's an infraction, it's not clear a player is traveling until fully after the fact. Even a foul — which is also a tough judgment call in many cases — has only one inciting incident. Traveling is now a multi-step judgment call, which, at the professional level, plays out at blinding speed in a forest of giants.
Enforcement is also not proportionately hit-or-miss when comparing the NBA with major college basketball. You can watch whole NBA games and never see a traveling call, while college games regularly feature such calls. (More proof that the NBA has been lax about the one-step rule for some time.) As to whether the rule has been relaxed in order to increase scoring and excitement (you get better power dunks off a two-step stampede to the rim) I don't think there's any question that that's the case. And I don't think the NBA is alone in this regard.
In professional baseball all sorts of things have been done to increase scoring and excitement. In 1969, after Bob Gibson and other pitchers demolished hitters the previous year, the mound was lowered from 15″ to 10″. The strike zone is constantly being changed to give hitters a better chance. And of course the wink-wink approval of steroids in baseball was driven by the resulting increase in home runs.
In professional football rules have also been changed over the years to increase scoring. Moving the hash marks closer to the center of the field, eliminating bump-and-run coverage of receivers, and protecting quarterbacks with special rules that keep them out of doctor's office are all examples of pro-scoring changes.
The NBA itself has instituted similar changes. A few years go you could hand-check the offensive player with the ball, meaning place a hand on that player's hip. Now you cannot do that. (Thank you Derek Harper!) The NBA also allows preferential treatment for star players (unofficially, like the two-step travel until now), including protecting them from hard fouls and allowing them to commit infractions that lesser players would be called for.
As clear as the pro-scoring rule-changing trend has been in America's major sports, it's really only a reflection of American culture. Thanks to changes in the way our government legislates and enforces financial rules, we've been through a dot-com implosion, a housing bubble, the Enron/Anderson implosion, and a mortgage-market-turned-asset-market-turned-global-market meltdown in the past ten years — all of which were predicated on new rules (called, laughably, laws) regarding the way companies could be structured, and how valuations could be calculated. (EBITDA, anyone?)
These changes to financial rules were made (or enforcement withheld, as in the NBA traveling example in prior years) to help players (people with money) score more often (make more money). Had the government not made these changes, or had it enforced laws already on the books, these disasters could have been mitigated or perhaps even prevented. Unfortunately, while defense may win championships, it doesn't put butts in the seats or sell assets in the markets. Because buying and selling (and talking about buying and selling) are more important to the American economy and American psyche than acting in a rational manner, nobody wants to play defense. Funding the SEC adequately so it can catch the likes of Bernie Madoff (who should have been caught anyway, at least twice) is playing defense, and defense is boring. Opening the financial floodgates to con men and shysters: now that's sexy.
So changing rules (laws) to add excitement and thrills is not an aberration, it's the whole point. But even that is just a means to an end, with the end being making money. If you don't sell tickets (or stocks), you can't make a buck. Ergo all of the rules changes in sports, and all of the rules changes in government, and even the apparent partisan insanity of our political discourse, is geared toward one thing: making a buck.
That's how (un)complicated it is. If you want to make a buck, you break the rules, refuse to enforce existing rules, or change existing rules, so that making a buck is easier.
Where does that leave the NBA? Well, they're fighting the same battle that publishers are fighting, and the TV Networks, and the online gaming services, and the porn channels, and the shop-till-you-run-out-of-credit-and-we'll-give-you-more-credit channels. They are fighting for attention, and I think this rule change is going to make it easier for them to attract attention.
Here are five reasons why:
1) The league's stars are now going to start taking two-and-a-half to three steps, challenging refs to take away the mind-blowing, high-light-reel dunk they just threw down.
2) It still comes down to enforcement, and traveling is not an easy call to make consistently. Now that the call takes longer and has more moving parts, and the refs have more opportunity to be screened from critical aspects of the play, it may be more difficult for them to make a call with certainty.
3) Coaches are going to exploit the new rule by increasing the number of two-step plays they run. Steve Nash may average 20 assists a game. LeBron may average 40 points a game. (Remember: this rule applies to post players as well. How is anyone going to block out or defend against Dwight Howard if he gets two steps on the block?)
4) Defensive players are now dead meat. It's one thing for an offensive player to take a single step and then have to commit. Two steps means you can change direction within the rules of the game, and no defensive player can stick with an offensive player during a change of direction. Two steps for Kobe Bryant? You're kidding, right? On every play? Seriously???
5) Making the traveling rule two steps now lets everyone know they can get away with it. It's not just Kobe slashing to the rim, it's the twelfth guy on the bench making a herky-jerky move before jumping up (for a third step) in order to make a pass.
All of which means that there will be more amazing dunks and incredible behind-the-back, no-look lobs on ESPN every night, and Dwight Howard may not have to learn a post move after all.
And this is the way things work. You look at what sells, and if it's not selling well enough you change the rules so it sells better. You make sure people get their excitement, then you hit them up for cash. There's no reality, no truth, no meaning, no history and no tradition greater than the twin thrills of figuring out what you can sell and what you can charge.
Which brings us to publishing.
Can anyone think of ways in which the publishing industry might change the rules in order to sell more books? Anyone?
From where I sit, I can see a few things the industry might do, if it understood the advantages of changing the rules in mid-stream, bucking convention, giving the customer what she wants, and just generally pandering for sales like everybody else:
1) Expand the definition of what a book is. Right now a book means either a block of hardcover concrete, a cheap-o paperback knockoff, or pretty pictures. Can anyone think of a way to provide books as, say, portable digital content?
2) Get past the DRM distraction. The world is awash in petty thieves and the cultural mores of the moment are against you. This means you should:
A) Stand on principle.
B) Give your stuff away free.
C) Make your stuff cheap and readily available so you undercut the two main motivations for stealing. Later, when computer control of product is more robust, you can go on a government-backed anti-piracy rampage and jail expectant mothers.
The correct answer is: obvious.
3) Wait for your anti-depressants to kick in, then remind yourself that hardcover sales and book-industry sales are not the same thing. You want all the sales you can get. If the future is in famous-author toilet seats, you want to own that market. If the future is digital content, you want to own that market. You also want the best authors coming to you and saying, "I don't really want to put together my own Smashwords-readable file, so what would you charge to do that for me?" (Yes, you're now also a service business, but your business is not screwing people.)
4) Listen to your customers.
(Hint: your customers are called readers.)
5) Get past the nostalgic (and completely false) idea that the book industry is or ever was all about hardcover books and cultural moments. There will always be a few Ferraris guzzling among the world's hybrid compacts. There will always be a few movie stars compared with all of the amateur actors on YouTube. And there will always be hardcover books for the cozy-fire set, even though what the market is demanding today is a portable read. Hardcovers are books you leave at home on the coffee table where they look oh-so perfect, like the cover shots on Architectural Digest, which is what you're really thinking about if you're advocating for the preservation of the hardcover in a market that needs long-range, fuel-efficient, low-cost readable content.
The NBA wants Kobe Bryant at the rim and it doesn't care how he gets there. Major League Baseball wants home runs, and it doesn't care which drugs they come from. The NFL wants touchdowns, touchdowns, touchdowns, and its willing to put a diaper on the quarterback if that's what it takes to get them.
The slams dunks and home runs and touchdowns of the publishing industry are called good reads (not good books), and they are created by people called authors. What the publishing industry should be doing is trumpeting good reads in the same way that the NBA trumpets posterizing dunks. Yes, the dunker (author) is important, too, but it's the action of the game — the moments of the game — that sell the player, not the other way around.
Where is the platform-independent marketing effort for content as entertainment? Where is the industry-wide campaign showing famous authors at work, reading a line or two that cracks them up, or makes them smile, or makes the audience want to hear more? Where is the action? Where are the words? Why play by the old rules?
Update: The first crack in the NBA's new rule.
— Mark Barrett
Filed Under: Publishing Tagged With: NBA, Publishing
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DensityDuck says
They aren't helping themselves by letting people go into squealing fits about the Kindle and having Amazon stand around saying "uh, yeah, uh, we, uh, we won't, uh, we won't do that again, uh, yeah, uh, okay?"
That said: I think that digital books should cost no more than ten dollars a copy. I think that hardcover books should cost fifty dollars a copy. I can get the Kindle app on my Iphone for FREE. Hardcover books are a luxury item.
"That said: I think that digital books should cost no more than ten dollars a copy."
I don't have a fixed number in mind, but I'm certain that prices are coming down. Way down.
The carnage to the current incarnation of the publishing industry (and the other content industries) will be considerable. Maybe only the film business will escape relatively unscathed, because of the insanely high cost of production in that medium.
The DRM Distraction: Part I | Ditchwalk says:
[…] stolen content without actually wading into the DRM thicket. Here's how I framed the issue in a related post a couple of days ago: 2) Get past the DRM distraction. The world is awash in petty thieves and the […]
Mediums and the Power of Rules | Ditchwalk says:
[…] had been in practical use for years. This new rule gave players with the ball the right to take two full steps without dribbling — which, given the stride-length of many NBA players, effectively allowed […]
When Sports Narratives Collide says:
[…] really are — particularly when reality intrudes. In the past I've written about how a rule change in the NBA changed the narrative in that sport, about how the reality of concussions broke through the […]