A lovely flexible bracelet in steely black haematite & white freshwater pearls with red garnet and sterling silver accents. Closes with a toggle clasp. Read below about the healing properties associated with these gemstones.
Pearl is associated with faith, charity & innocence, and symbolises purity. Pearl is known as 'the stone of sincerity'.
Pearl is linked to the Third Eye Chakra.


From large-scale renovations to a simple quick makeover, the design team at Sonya Vidic Interiors will expertly reflect your personal taste and style. Specialising in luxury residential and commercial interiors, property staging, boutique hotels and office spaces.
Sonya Vidic Interiors is a full-service interior design studio assisting clients with a wide range of tasks including, selection of architectural design and finishes, collaborating with architects and builders, decorating a functional beautiful space with furniture, fabrics and accessories.
Contact our team for a consultation.
Specialising in high-end residential interiors, Sonya Vidic established her Sydney based interior design firm in 2006 with the simple philosophy that sophisticated style must reflect the lifestyle and individuality of each client.
Her comprehensive designs ensure that all aspects of the property are taken into consideration. Her design aesthetics uses the natural beauty of the Australian coastline lifestyle and elegance of countries abroad, creating timeless and unique spaces that transform your house to a home.
Sonya began her love for interiors through renovating and styling her own properties. She also worked for Sydney based architect firm Turner and Associates for 6 years in the interior design department prior to creating her own firm. This unique background combines her gifted eye for colour and inherent sense for space planning, both valuable assets to the design process.
Driven by the pursuit of perfection and with an extreme attention to detail, Sonya's experienced team immerse themselves into the project at hand. She customises and personalises her designs to understand the lifestyle of each client and push creative boundaries to achieve excellent design within any budget.


text:
package org.apereo.cas.configuration.model.support.mfa;

import org.apereo.cas.configuration.model.support.jpa.AbstractJpaProperties;
import org.apereo.cas.configuration.model.support.mongo.SingleCollectionMongoDbProperties;
import org.apereo.cas.configuration.model.support.quartz.ScheduledJobProperties;
import org.apereo.cas.configuration.support.RequiresModule;
import org.apereo.cas.configuration.support.RestEndpointProperties;
import org.apereo.cas.configuration.support.SpringResourceProperties;
import org.springframework.boot.context.properties.NestedConfigurationProperty;

import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;

/**
 * This is {@link U2FMultifactorProperties}.
 *
 * @author Misagh Moayyed
 * @since 5.2.0
 */
@RequiresModule(name = "cas-server-support-u2f")
public class U2FMultifactorProperties extends BaseMultifactorProviderProperties {
    private static final long serialVersionUID = 6151350313777066398L;

    /**
     * Store device registration records inside a JDBC resource.
     */
    private Jpa jpa = new Jpa();

    /**
     * Expire and forget device registration requests after this period.
     */
    private long expireRegistrations = 30;
    /**
     * Device registration requests expiration time unit.
     */
    private TimeUnit expireRegistrationsTimeUnit = TimeUnit.SECONDS;

    /**
     * Expire and forget device registration records after this period.
     */
    private long expireDevices = 30;
    /**
     * Device registration record expiration time unit.
     */
    private TimeUnit expireDevicesTimeUnit = TimeUnit.DAYS;
    /**
     * Store device registration records inside a MongoDb resource.
     */
    private MongoDb mongo = new MongoDb();
    /**
     * Store device registration records inside a static JSON resource.
     */
    private Json json = new Json();
    /**
     * Store device registration records via a Groovy script.
     */
    private Groovy groovy = new Groovy();
    /**
     * Store device registration records via REST APIs.
     */
    private Rest rest = new Rest();
    /**
     * Clean up expired records via a background cleaner process.
     */
    @NestedConfigurationProperty
    private ScheduledJobProperties cleaner = new ScheduledJobProperties("PT10S", "PT1M");

    public U2FMultifactorProperties() {
        setId("mfa-u2f");
    }

    public ScheduledJobProperties getCleaner() {
        return cleaner;
    }

    public void setCleaner(final ScheduledJobProperties cleaner) {
        this.cleaner = cleaner;
    }

    public Json getJson() {
        return json;
    }

    public void setJson(final Json json) {
        this.json = json;
    }

    public long getExpireRegistrations() {
        return expireRegistrations;
    }

    public void setExpireRegistrations(final long expireRegistrations) {
        this.expireRegistrations = expireRegistrations;
    }

    public TimeUnit getExpireRegistrationsTimeUnit() {
        return expireRegistrationsTimeUnit;
    }

    public void setExpireRegistrationsTimeUnit(final TimeUnit expireRegistrationsTimeUnit) {
        this.expireRegistrationsTimeUnit = expireRegistrationsTimeUnit;
    }

    public long getExpireDevices() {
        return expireDevices;
    }

    public void setExpireDevices(final long expireDevices) {
        this.expireDevices = expireDevices;
    }

    public TimeUnit getExpireDevicesTimeUnit() {
        return expireDevicesTimeUnit;
    }

    public void setExpireDevicesTimeUnit(final TimeUnit expireDevicesTimeUnit) {
        this.expireDevicesTimeUnit = expireDevicesTimeUnit;
    }

    public MongoDb getMongo() {
        return mongo;
    }

    public void setMongo(final MongoDb mongo) {
        this.mongo = mongo;
    }

    public Jpa getJpa() {
        return jpa;
    }

    public void setJpa(final Jpa jpa) {
        this.jpa = jpa;
    }

    public Rest getRest() {
        return rest;
    }

    public void setRest(final Rest rest) {
        this.rest = rest;
    }

    public Groovy getGroovy() {
        return groovy;
    }

    public void setGroovy(final Groovy groovy) {
        this.groovy = groovy;
    }

    public static class Jpa extends AbstractJpaProperties {
        private static final long serialVersionUID = -4334840263678287815L;
    }

    public static class MongoDb extends SingleCollectionMongoDbProperties {
        private static final long serialVersionUID = -7963843335569634144L;

        public MongoDb() {
            setCollection("CasMongoDbU2FRepository");
        }
    }

    @RequiresModule(name = "cas-server-support-u2f")
    public static class Json extends SpringResourceProperties {
        private static final long serialVersionUID = -6883660787308509919L;
    }

    @RequiresModule(name = "cas-server-support-u2f")
    public static class Rest extends RestEndpointProperties {
        private static final long serialVersionUID = -8102345678378393382L;
    }

    @RequiresModule(name = "cas-server-support-u2f")
    public static class Groovy extends SpringResourceProperties {
        private static final long serialVersionUID = 8079027843747126083L;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


At Brake Masters, our ASE Certified Technicians offer fast and reliable auto repair services. If you're looking for brake repair or oil changes in Roseville - the mechanics at Brake Masters are a trustworthy choice; but perhaps you need more than that. Our Roseville auto repair shops can handle any auto services your vehicle might need - from transmission flushes to suspension repair, and even taking care of your vehicle's factory scheduled maintenance. So whether it's that leaky radiator hose causing your vehicle to overheat, or your truck's check engine light just turned on - or even if you just need a regular oil change and you're months late - remember to take it to Brake Masters for Complete Automotive Repair!
This Brake Masters auto repair shop is conveniently located in Roseville, California on S Harding Blvd just off Douglas Blvd. Services include: oil changes, brake repairs, tire alignments, suspension repairs (shocks and struts), battery checks & replacement, auto AC checks & coolant system repairs, fluid flushes (transmission, radiator, brakes, steering), CV boot & axle repairs, belt & hose replacements and so much more!
Brake Masters will provide a free brake inspection. Their prices are very reasonable when you need repairs done. I will be back with my other cars. For best pricing, look for coupons on the Brake Master website before you arrive at the shop.
Just got my brakes done at this place I'll start off by saying it was an unexpected day I needed my calibers roaters and pads replaced the total cost was to much for me to afford so I told the members I'll need to come back mind you my calibers were leaking my breaks did not work at all dwayne came up to me and was concerned about me driving home like that so we worked something up to where I could get on the road safe he was the most helpful guy I've came across the whole staff was awesome and Dwayne was really professional about everything glad he's at the roseville location if any body needs anything done that place will do the job right my brakes work amazing thanks guys.


text:
/*
    Calimero - A library for KNX network access
    Copyright (C) 2006-2008 B. Malinowsky

    This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
    modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
    as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2
    of the License, or at your option any later version.

    This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
    GNU General Public License for more details.

    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
    along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
    Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301, USA.

    Linking this library statically or dynamically with other modules is
    making a combined work based on this library. Thus, the terms and
    conditions of the GNU General Public License cover the whole
    combination.

    As a special exception, the copyright holders of this library give you
    permission to link this library with independent modules to produce an
    executable, regardless of the license terms of these independent
    modules, and to copy and distribute the resulting executable under terms
    of your choice, provided that you also meet, for each linked independent
    module, the terms and conditions of the license of that module. An
    independent module is a module which is not derived from or based on
    this library. If you modify this library, you may extend this exception
    to your version of the library, but you are not obligated to do so. If
    you do not wish to do so, delete this exception statement from your
    version.
*/

package tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt;

import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.LinkedList;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;

import tuwien.auto.calimero.CloseEvent;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.DetachEvent;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.FrameEvent;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.GroupAddress;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.IndividualAddress;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.KNXAddress;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.Priority;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.cemi.CEMI;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.cemi.CEMILData;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.exception.KNXIllegalArgumentException;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.exception.KNXIllegalStateException;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.exception.KNXTimeoutException;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.link.KNXLinkClosedException;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.link.KNXNetworkLink;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.link.event.NetworkLinkListener;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.log.LogManager;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.log.LogService;
import tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt.Destination.AggregatorProxy;

/**
 * Implementation of the transport layer protocol.
 *

 * All sending is done blocking on the attached network link, so an eventual confirmation
 * response is implicit by return of a send method, there are no explicit confirmation
 * notifications.
 *

 * Once this transport layer has been {@link TransportLayer#detach()}ed, it can't be used
 * for any further layer 4 communication, and it can't be attached to a new network link.
 *

 * All methods invoked after a detach of the network link used for communication are
 * allowed to throw {@link KNXIllegalStateException}.
 *
 * @author B. Malinowsky
 */
public class TransportLayerImpl implements TransportLayer
{
	private final class NLListener implements NetworkLinkListener
	{
		NLListener()
		{}

		public void confirmation(FrameEvent e)
		{}

		public void indication(FrameEvent e)
		{
			final CEMILData f = (CEMILData) e.getFrame();
			final int ctrl = f.getPayload()[0] & 0xfc;
			if (ctrl == 0) {
				final KNXAddress dst = f.getDestination();
				if (dst instanceof GroupAddress)
					// check for broadcast or group
					fireFrameType(f, dst.getRawAddress() == 0 ? 0 : 1);
				else
					// individual
					fireFrameType(f, 2);
			}
			else {
				final IndividualAddress src = f.getSource();
				// are we waiting for ack?
				synchronized (indications) {
					if (active != null
						&& active.getDestination().getAddress().equals(src)) {
						indications.add(e);
						indications.notify();
						return;
					}
				}
				try {
					AggregatorProxy ap = null;
					synchronized (proxies) {
						ap = (AggregatorProxy) proxies.get(f.getSource());
					}
					handleConnected(f, ap);
				}
				catch (final KNXLinkClosedException ignore) {
					// we get notified with link-closed event
				}
				catch (final KNXTimeoutException ignore) {
					// possible timeouts on sending ack
				}
			}
		}

		public void linkClosed(CloseEvent e)
		{
			logger.info("attached link was closed");
			closeDestinations(true);
			fireLinkClosed(e);
		}
	}

	private static final short CONNECT = 0x80;
	private static final short DISCONNECT = 0x81;
	private static final short ACK = 0xC2;
	private static final short NACK = 0xC3;
	private static final short DATA_CONNECTED = 0x40;
	// group, broadcast and individual request service codes are 0

	// acknowledge timeout in seconds
	private static final short ACK_TIMEOUT = 3;
	// maximum repetitions of send in connected mode
	private static final int MAX_REPEAT = 3;

	private static final GroupAddress broadcast = new GroupAddress(0);
	// used as default on incoming conn.oriented messages from unknown remote devices
	private final Destination unknownPartner =
		new Destination(new AggregatorProxy(this), new IndividualAddress(0), true);

	private final LogService logger;

	private volatile boolean detached;
	private final KNXNetworkLink lnk;
	private final NetworkLinkListener lnkListener = new NLListener();
	private final List indications = new LinkedList();
	private final EventListeners listeners;

	// holds the mapping of connection destination address to proxy
	private final Map proxies = new HashMap();
	private AggregatorProxy active;
	private volatile int repeated;
	private final Object lock = new Object();

	/**
	 * Creates a new transport layer attached to the supplied KNX network link.
	 *

	 *
	 * @param link network link used for communication with a KNX network
	 * @throws KNXLinkClosedException if the network link is closed
	 */
	public TransportLayerImpl(KNXNetworkLink link) throws KNXLinkClosedException
	{
		if (!link.isOpen())
			throw new KNXLinkClosedException();
		lnk = link;
		lnk.addLinkListener(lnkListener);
		logger = LogManager.getManager().getLogService(getName());
		listeners = new EventListeners(logger);
	}

	/**
	 * {@inheritDoc} Only one destination can be created per remote address. If a
	 * destination with the supplied remote address already exists for this transport
	 * layer, a {@link KNXIllegalArgumentException} is thrown.

	 * A transport layer can only handle one connection per destination, because it can't
	 * distinguish incoming messages between more than one connection.
	 */
	public Destination createDestination(IndividualAddress remote,
		boolean connectionOriented)
	{
		return createDestination(remote, connectionOriented, false, false);
	}

	/**
	 * {@inheritDoc} Only one destination can be created per remote address. If a
	 * destination with the supplied remote address already exists for this transport
	 * layer, a {@link KNXIllegalArgumentException} is thrown.

	 * A transport layer can only handle one connection per destination, because it can't
	 * distinguish incoming messages between more than one connection.
	 */
	public Destination createDestination(IndividualAddress remote,
		boolean connectionOriented, boolean keepAlive, boolean verifyMode)
	{
		if (detached)
			throw new KNXIllegalStateException("TL detached");
		synchronized (proxies) {
			if (proxies.containsKey(remote))
				throw new KNXIllegalArgumentException("destination already created: "
					+ remote);
			final AggregatorProxy p = new AggregatorProxy(this);
			final Destination d =
				new Destination(p, remote, connectionOriented, keepAlive, verifyMode);
			proxies.put(remote, p);
			logger.trace("destination " + remote + " ready for use");
			return d;
		}
	}

	/* (non-Javadoc)
	 * @see tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt.TransportLayer#destroyDestination
	 * (tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt.Destination)
	 */
	public void destroyDestination(Destination d)
	{
		// method invocation is idempotent
		synchronized (proxies) {
			final AggregatorProxy p = (AggregatorProxy) proxies.get(d.getAddress());
			if (p == null)
				return;
			if (p.getDestination() == d) {
				proxies.remove(d.getAddress());
				d.destroy();
			}
			else
				logger.warn("not owner of " + d.getAddress());
		}
	}

	/* (non-Javadoc)
	 * @see tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt.TransportLayer#addTransportListener
	 * (tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt.TransportListener)
	 */
	public void addTransportListener(TransportListener l)
	{
		listeners.add(l);
	}

	/* (non-Javadoc)
	 * @see tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt.TransportLayer#removeTransportListener
	 * (tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt.TransportListener)
	 */
	public void removeTransportListener(TransportListener l)
	{
		listeners.remove(l);
	}

	/* (non-Javadoc)
	 * @see tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt.TransportLayer#connect
	 * (tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt.Destination)
	 */
	public void connect(Destination d) throws KNXTimeoutException, KNXLinkClosedException
	{
		final AggregatorProxy p = getProxy(d);
		if (!d.isConnectionOriented()) {
			logger.error("destination not connection oriented: " + d.getAddress());
			return;
		}
		if (d.getState() != Destination.DISCONNECTED)
			return;
		p.setState(Destination.CONNECTING);
		final byte[] tpdu = new byte[] { (byte) CONNECT };
		lnk.sendRequestWait(d.getAddress(), Priority.SYSTEM, tpdu);
		p.setState(Destination.OPEN_IDLE);
		logger.trace("connected with " + d.getAddress());
	}

	/* (non-Javadoc)
	 * @see tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt.TransportLayer#disconnect
	 * (tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt.Destination)
	 */
	public void disconnect(Destination d) throws KNXLinkClosedException
	{
		if (detached)
			throw new KNXIllegalStateException("TL detached");
		if (d.getState() != Destination.DESTROYED
			&& d.getState() != Destination.DISCONNECTED)
			disconnectIndicate(getProxy(d), true);
	}

	/* (non-Javadoc)
	 * @see tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt.TransportLayer#sendData
	 * (tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt.Destination, tuwien.auto.calimero.Priority, byte[])
	 */
	public void sendData(Destination d, Priority p, byte[] tsdu)
		throws KNXDisconnectException, KNXLinkClosedException
	{
		final AggregatorProxy ap = getProxy(d);
		if (d.getState() == Destination.DISCONNECTED) {
			final KNXDisconnectException e = new KNXDisconnectException(
				"no connection opened for " + d.getAddress(), d);
			logger.warn("send failed", e);
			throw e;
		}
		tsdu[0] = (byte) (tsdu[0] & 0x03 | DATA_CONNECTED | ap.getSeqSend() << 2);
		// the entry lock guards between send and return (only one at a time)
		synchronized (lock) {
			// on indications we do wait() for incoming messages
			synchronized (indications) {
				try {
					active = ap;
					for (repeated = 0; repeated < MAX_REPEAT + 1; ++repeated) {
						try {
							logger.trace("sending data connected to " + d.getAddress()
								+ ", attempt " + (repeated + 1));
							// set state and timer
							ap.setState(Destination.OPEN_WAIT);
							lnk.sendRequestWait(d.getAddress(), p, tsdu);
							if (waitForAck())
								return;
						}
						catch (final KNXTimeoutException e) {}
						// cancel repetitions if detached or destroyed
						if (detached || d.getState() == Destination.DESTROYED)
							throw new KNXDisconnectException(
								"send data connected failed", d);
					}
				}
				finally {
					active = null;
					repeated = 0;
				}
			}
		}
		disconnectIndicate(ap, true);
		throw new KNXDisconnectException("send data connected failed", d);
	}

	/* (non-Javadoc)
	 * @see tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt.TransportLayer#sendData
	 * (tuwien.auto.calimero.KNXAddress, tuwien.auto.calimero.Priority, byte[])
	 */
	public void sendData(KNXAddress addr, Priority p, byte[] tsdu)
		throws KNXTimeoutException, KNXLinkClosedException
	{
		if (detached)
			throw new KNXIllegalStateException("TL detached");
		tsdu[0] &= 0x03;
		lnk.sendRequestWait(addr, p, tsdu);
	}

	/* (non-Javadoc)
	 * @see tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt.TransportLayer#broadcast
	 * (boolean, tuwien.auto.calimero.Priority, byte[])
	 */
	public void broadcast(boolean system, Priority p, byte[] tsdu)
		throws KNXTimeoutException, KNXLinkClosedException
	{
		sendData(system ? null : broadcast, p, tsdu);
	}

	/**
	 * {@inheritDoc} If {@link #detach()} was invoked for this layer, "TL (detached)" is
	 * returned.
	 */
	public String getName()
	{
		return "TL " + (detached ? "(detached)" : lnk.getName());
	}

	/* (non-Javadoc)
	 * @see tuwien.auto.calimero.mgmt.TransportLayer#detach()
	 */
	public synchronized KNXNetworkLink detach()
	{
		if (detached)
			return null;
		closeDestinations(false);
		lnk.removeLinkListener(lnkListener);
		detached = true;
		fireDetached();
		logger.info("detached from " + lnk.getName());
		LogManager.getManager().removeLogService(logger.getName());
		return lnk;
	}

	private AggregatorProxy getProxy(Destination d)
	{
		if (detached)
			throw new KNXIllegalStateException("TL detached");
		synchronized (proxies) {
			final AggregatorProxy p = (AggregatorProxy) proxies.get(d.getAddress());
			// check identity, too, to prevent destination with only same address
			if (p == null || p.getDestination() != d)
				throw new KNXIllegalArgumentException("not the owner of " + d.toString());
			return p;
		}
	}

	private void handleConnected(CEMILData frame, AggregatorProxy p)
		throws KNXLinkClosedException, KNXTimeoutException
	{
		final IndividualAddress sender = frame.getSource();
		final byte[] tpdu = frame.getPayload();
		final int ctrl = tpdu[0] & 0xFF;
		final int seq = (tpdu[0] & 0x3C) >>> 2;

		// on proxy null (no destination found for sender) use 'no partner' placeholder
		final Destination d = p != null ? p.getDestination() : unknownPartner;

		if (ctrl == CONNECT) {
			if (d.getState() == Destination.DISCONNECTED)
				sendDisconnect(sender);
		}
		else if (ctrl == DISCONNECT) {
			if (d.getState() != Destination.DISCONNECTED && sender.equals(d.getAddress()))
				disconnectIndicate(p, false);
		}
		else if ((ctrl & 0xC0) == DATA_CONNECTED) {
			if (d.getState() == Destination.DISCONNECTED
				|| !sender.equals(d.getAddress()))
				sendDisconnect(sender);
			else {
				p.restartTimeout();
				if (seq == p.getSeqReceive()) {
					lnk.sendRequest(sender, Priority.SYSTEM,
						new byte[] { (byte) (ACK | p.getSeqReceive() << 2) });
					p.incSeqReceive();
					fireFrameType(frame, 3);
				}
				else if (seq == (p.getSeqReceive() - 1 & 0xF))
					lnk.sendRequest(sender, Priority.SYSTEM,
						new byte[] { (byte) (ACK | seq << 2) });
				else
					lnk.sendRequest(sender, Priority.SYSTEM,
						new byte[] { (byte) (NACK | seq << 2) });
			}
		}
		else if ((ctrl & 0xC3) == ACK) {
			if (d.getState() == Destination.DISCONNECTED
				|| !sender.equals(d.getAddress()))
				sendDisconnect(sender);
			else if (d.getState() == Destination.OPEN_WAIT && seq == p.getSeqSend()) {
				p.incSeqSend();
				p.setState(Destination.OPEN_IDLE);
				logger.trace("positive ack by " + d.getAddress());
			}
			else
				disconnectIndicate(p, true);
		}
		else if ((ctrl & 0xC3) == NACK)
			if (d.getState() == Destination.DISCONNECTED
				|| !sender.equals(d.getAddress()))
				sendDisconnect(sender);
			else if (d.getState() == Destination.OPEN_WAIT && seq == p.getSeqSend()
				&& repeated < MAX_REPEAT) {
				; // do nothing, we will send message again
			}
			else
				disconnectIndicate(p, true);
	}

	private boolean waitForAck() throws KNXTimeoutException, KNXDisconnectException,
		KNXLinkClosedException
	{
		long remaining = ACK_TIMEOUT * 1000;
		final long end = System.currentTimeMillis() + remaining;
		final Destination d = active.getDestination();
		while (remaining > 0) {
			try {
				while (indications.size() > 0)
					handleConnected((CEMILData) ((FrameEvent) indications.remove(0))
						.getFrame(), active);
				if (d.getState() == Destination.DISCONNECTED)
					throw new KNXDisconnectException(d.getAddress()
						+ " disconnected while awaiting ACK", d);
				if (d.getState() == Destination.OPEN_IDLE)
					return true;
				indications.wait(remaining);
				if (d.getState() == Destination.DISCONNECTED)
					throw new KNXDisconnectException(d.getAddress()
						+ " disconnected while awaiting ACK", d);
			}
			catch (final InterruptedException e) {}
			remaining = end - System.currentTimeMillis();
		}
		return false;
	}

	private void closeDestinations(boolean skipSendDisconnect)
	{
		// we can't use proxies default iterator due to concurrent modifications in
		// destroyDestination(), called by d.destroy()
		AggregatorProxy[] allProxies = new AggregatorProxy[proxies.size()];
		synchronized (proxies) {
			allProxies = (AggregatorProxy[]) proxies.values().toArray(allProxies);
		}
		for (int i = 0; i < allProxies.length; i++) {
			final AggregatorProxy p = allProxies[i];
			final Destination d = p.getDestination();
			if (skipSendDisconnect && d.getState() != Destination.DISCONNECTED) {
				p.setState(Destination.DISCONNECTED);
				fireDisconnected(d);
			}
			d.destroy();
		}
	}

	private void disconnectIndicate(AggregatorProxy p, boolean sendDisconnectReq)
		throws KNXLinkClosedException
	{
		p.setState(Destination.DISCONNECTED);
		try {
			if (sendDisconnectReq)
				sendDisconnect(p.getDestination().getAddress());
		}
		finally {
			fireDisconnected(p.getDestination());
			logger.trace("disconnected from " + p.getDestination().getAddress());
		}
	}

	private void sendDisconnect(IndividualAddress addr) throws KNXLinkClosedException
	{
		final byte[] tpdu = new byte[] { (byte) DISCONNECT };
		try {
			lnk.sendRequest(addr, Priority.SYSTEM, tpdu);
		}
		catch (final KNXTimeoutException ignore) {
			// do a warning, but otherwise can be ignored
			logger.warn("disconnected not gracefully (timeout)", ignore);
		}
	}

	private void fireDisconnected(Destination d)
	{
		for (final Iterator i = listeners.iterator(); i.hasNext();) {
			final TransportListener l = (TransportListener) i.next();
			try {
				l.disconnected(d);
			}
			catch (final RuntimeException rte) {
				removeTransportListener(l);
				logger.error("removed event listener", rte);
			}
		}
	}

	// type 0 = broadcast, 1 = group, 2 = individual, 3 = connected
	private void fireFrameType(CEMI frame, int type)
	{
		final FrameEvent e = new FrameEvent(this, frame);
		for (final Iterator i = listeners.iterator(); i.hasNext();) {
			final TransportListener l = (TransportListener) i.next();
			try {
				if (type == 0)
					l.broadcast(e);
				else if (type == 1)
					l.group(e);
				else if (type == 2)
					l.dataIndividual(e);
				else if (type == 3)
					l.dataConnected(e);
			}
			catch (final RuntimeException rte) {
				removeTransportListener(l);
				logger.error("removed event listener", rte);
			}
		}
	}

	private void fireDetached()
	{
		final DetachEvent e = new DetachEvent(this);
		for (final Iterator i = listeners.iterator(); i.hasNext();) {
			final TransportListener l = (TransportListener) i.next();
			try {
				l.detached(e);
			}
			catch (final RuntimeException rte) {
				removeTransportListener(l);
				logger.error("removed event listener", rte);
			}
		}
	}

	private void fireLinkClosed(CloseEvent e)
	{
		for (final Iterator i = listeners.iterator(); i.hasNext();) {
			final TransportListener l = (TransportListener) i.next();
			try {
				l.linkClosed(e);
			}
			catch (final RuntimeException rte) {
				removeTransportListener(l);
				logger.error("removed event listener", rte);
			}
		}
	}
}


Only 25 years ago, criminals had to commit physical attacks to successfully steal from their victims.
Only 25 years ago criminals had to commit physical attacks to successfully steal from their victims.
This placed the perpetrator under the scrutiny of witnesses and often left clear evidence of a crime.
Now that consumers purchase goods with the ease of a click online, criminals leverage the Internet to deliver successful compromises against their targets. The Internet provides anonymity, an endless number of people to attack and a platform where one simple click of a mouse can deliver a wildly successful attack against thousands of shoppers.
According to marketing firm Adobe, shoppers spent some record $5 billion-plus online this Black Friday alone. With 78 million projected online shoppers, Cyber Monday was also expected to break records. Industry experts all agree that this holiday period is expected to break all previous records for online shopping in the U.S.
This holiday season's record online traffic has created an opportunity for criminals to exploit more online shoppers than ever before. Unfortunately, many of us will be even more susceptible to cyber compromise due to the numerous distractions of the holiday season.
Shop on secure websites only — secure site URLs begin with HTTPS (not HTTP) and display a padlock icon.
Always use a credit card when purchasing online — purchases from fraudulent or dishonest websites can more easily be disputed through credit card companies. Purchases made with debit cards are harder to dispute and can expose your bank accounts.
Finally, you wouldn't purchase high-end luxury goods from an unlicensed vendor on a street corner so don't do the equivalent online. Use common sense and scrutinize everything on the Internet carefully. If it's too good to be true, it probably is and if something looks awkward or suspicious, it is critical that you avoid it.
If you do make a mistake and fall victim to cyber crime, it is imperative to seek help immediately. A good place to start is by seeking immediate assistance online from the FTC or the FBI.
Jeffrey Bernstein is the managing director of Critical Defence, a leading New Jersey-based provider of cybersecurity assurance, response, compliance and training solutions. Contact Bernstein at jbernstein@criticaldefence.com or on Twitter at Jeff_Bernstein1.


text:
Sanwar is a village under new formed district of Charkhi Dadri in Haryana, India. It lies on Charkhi Dari - Rohtak Road and is approximately  from Charkhi Dadri.

Demographics

Prior to 18 September 2016, Sanwar was part of Bhiwani district in Haryana, India and is approximately  from Bhiwani city.

As of 2001 India census, population of Sanwar is 7674.

Villages in Charkhi Dadri district

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
John N Galgiani
Director, Valley Fever Center for Excellence
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Professor, Medicine
Primary Department
BIO5 Institute
spherule@email.arizona.edu
Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis) occurs more in Arizona than anywhere else. My research and others at the Valley Fever Center for Excellence involve understanding how disease is caused by infection, how the immune system stops or prevents illness, and how we can better diagnose, treat, or prevent this public health problem.
Dr. Galgiani has focused his career on Arizona's special problems with Valley Fever. His work has included studies of the impact of Valley Fever on the general population and on special groups such as organ transplant recipients and patients with AIDS. For 19 years, as part of the NIH-sponsored Mycoses Study Group, Dr. Galgiani has been the project director of a coccidioidomycosis clinical trials group. Through collaboration, this group has evaluated new therapies for Valley Fever more rapidly and with greater clarity than might otherwise have been possible by investigators working in isolation. Dr. Galgiani has also been involved with efforts to prevent Valley Fever through vaccination. His group discovered and patented a recombinant antigen which is the basis for a vaccine candidate suitable for further development and clinical trials. Most recently, he has become the project leader for developing a new drug, nikkomycin Z, for treating Valley Fever. With recent NIH and FDA grant awards, clinical trials with this drug were resumed in 2007. Dr. Galgiani is also Chief Medical Officer of Valley Fever Solutions, Inc, a start-up company founded to assist in the drug's development. In 1996, the Arizona Board of Regents accepted Dr. Galgiani's proposal to establish the Valley Fever Center for Excellence for the Arizona universities. Based at the University of Arizona, the Center is pledged to spread information about Valley Fever, help patients with the severest complications of this disease, and to encourage research into the biology and diseases of its etiologic agent. The Center maintains a website (www.VFCE.Arizona.edu) and answers inquiries from health care professionals located in Arizona, other parts of the United States, and even from other countries. The Valley Fever Corridor Project, begun in 2009, intends to facilitate communication among Arizona clinicians to also improve patient care. In 2011, The Valley Fever Center in Phoenix was announced as a partnership between St. Joseph's Hospital and the UA College of Medicine in Phoenix. It began operation in June, 2012. Research is increasing into the environmental biology of the fungus within its desert soil habitat as well as how the fungus caused disease and the body's immunity controls it. Since Arizona has the only medical schools situated directly within the endemic region for Valley Fever, it is quite appropriate that Arizona lead in solving this problem. As Director of the Center, Dr. Galgiani is working for its full implementation as a means of ensuring an institutional commitment to accomplish this goal. Keywords: Coccidioidomycosis, Valley Fever, antifungal drugs, vaccines, serologic tests,
Improved protection of mice against lethal respiratory infection with Coccidioides posadasii using two recombinant antigens expressed as a single protein
Shubitz, L. F., Yu, J., Hung, C., Kirkland, T. N., Peng, T., Perrill, R., Simons, J., Xue, J., Herr, R. A., Cole, G. T., & Galgiani, J. N. (2006). Improved protection of mice against lethal respiratory infection with Coccidioides posadasii using two recombinant antigens expressed as a single protein. Vaccine , 24(31-32), 5904-11.
Two recombinant antigens which individually protect mice from lethal intranasal infection were studied in combination, either as a mixture of two separately expressed proteins or as a single chimeric expression product. Mice vaccinated with either combination survived longer than mice given single antigens. Immunized mice also exhibited specific IgG immunoglobulins and yielded splenocytes which produced interferon-gamma in response to either antigen. The chimeric antigen has the practical advantage of offering enhanced protection from multiple components without increasing production costs.
Risk Factors for Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis, United States
Odio, C. D., Marciano, B. E., Galgiani, J. N., & Holland, S. M. (2017). Risk Factors for Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis, United States. Emerging infectious diseases , 23(2).
Of 150,000 new coccidioidomycosis infections that occur annually in the United States, ≈1% disseminate; one third of those cases are fatal. Immunocompromised hosts have higher rates of dissemination. We identified 8 patients with disseminated coccidioidomycosis who had defects in the interleukin-12/interferon-γ and STAT3 axes, indicating that these are critical host defense pathways.
Application of immunosignatures for diagnosis of valley fever
Navalkar, K. A., Johnston, S. A., Woodbury, N., Galgiani, J. N., Magee, D. M., Chicacz, Z., & Stafford, P. (2014). Application of immunosignatures for diagnosis of valley fever. Clinical and vaccine immunology : CVI , 21(8), 1169-77.
Valley fever (VF) is difficult to diagnose, partly because the symptoms of VF are confounded with those of other community-acquired pneumonias. Confirmatory diagnostics detect IgM and IgG antibodies against coccidioidal antigens via immunodiffusion (ID). The false-negative rate can be as high as 50% to 70%, with 5% of symptomatic patients never showing detectable antibody levels. In this study, we tested whether the immunosignature diagnostic can resolve VF false negatives. An immunosignature is the pattern of antibody binding to random-sequence peptides on a peptide microarray. A 10,000-peptide microarray was first used to determine whether valley fever patients can be distinguished from 3 other cohorts with similar infections. After determining the VF-specific peptides, a small 96-peptide diagnostic array was created and tested. The performances of the 10,000-peptide array and the 96-peptide diagnostic array were compared to that of the ID diagnostic standard. The 10,000-peptide microarray classified the VF samples from the other 3 infections with 98% accuracy. It also classified VF false-negative patients with 100% sensitivity in a blinded test set versus 28% sensitivity for ID. The immunosignature microarray has potential for simultaneously distinguishing valley fever patients from those with other fungal or bacterial infections. The same 10,000-peptide array can diagnose VF false-negative patients with 100% sensitivity. The smaller 96-peptide diagnostic array was less specific for diagnosing false negatives. We conclude that the performance of the immunosignature diagnostic exceeds that of the existing standard, and the immunosignature can distinguish related infections and might be used in lieu of existing diagnostics.
Spherules derived from Coccidioides posadasii promote human dendritic cell maturation and activation
Dionne, S. O., Podany, A. B., Ruiz, Y. W., Ampel, N. M., Galgiani, J. N., & Lake, D. F. (2006). Spherules derived from Coccidioides posadasii promote human dendritic cell maturation and activation. Infection and immunity , 74(4), 2415-22.
Previous studies have shown that dendritic cells (DC) pulsed with T27K, an antigenic preparation derived from spherules (of Coccidioides posadasii), activate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from nonimmune subjects as well as from patients with disseminated coccidioidomycosis. In this study, we have assessed the interaction between human DC and C. posadasii spherules in order to better understand the initial response between Coccidioides and the human host. Whole autoclaved spherules induced lymphocyte transformation in PBMC obtained from immune but not from nonimmune donors. Immature DC (iDC) bound fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled spherules in a time- and temperature-dependent manner. This binding was blocked by the addition of mannan, suggesting mannose receptor involvement in the DC-Coccidioides interaction. Binding was subsequently associated with ingestion and intracellular processing of spherules. Coculturing of spherules with iDC was associated with the development of mature DC that were morphologically, phenotypically, and functionally similar to those induced by tumor necrosis factor alpha and prostaglandin E2. Finally, spherules incubated with iDC induced activation of PBMC from nonimmune donors. These data indicate that human DC are capable of binding, internalizing, and presenting antigens from Coccidioides spherules and suggest that DC may play a critical early role in the formation of a cellular immune response in human coccidioidomycosis.
Mouse models for the study of fungal pneumonia: a collection of detailed experimental protocols for the study of Coccidioides, Cryptococcus, Fusarium, Histoplasma and combined infection due to Aspergillus-Rhizopus
Muhammed, M., Feldmesser, M., Shubitz, L. F., Lionakis, M. S., Sil, A., Wang, Y., Glavis-Bloom, J., Lewis, R. E., Galgiani, J. N., Casadevall, A., Kontoyiannis, D. P., & Mylonakis, E. (2012). Mouse models for the study of fungal pneumonia: a collection of detailed experimental protocols for the study of Coccidioides, Cryptococcus, Fusarium, Histoplasma and combined infection due to Aspergillus-Rhizopus. Virulence , 3(3), 329-38.
Mouse models have facilitated the study of fungal pneumonia. In this report, we present the working protocols of groups that are working on the following pathogens: Aspergillus, Coccidioides, Cryptococcus, Fusarium, Histoplasma and Rhizopus. We describe the experimental procedures and the detailed methods that have been followed in the experienced laboratories to study pulmonary fungal infection; we also discuss the anticipated results and technical notes, and provide the practical advices that will help the users of these models.
'Flexibility Is The Key': A Q&A With Dr. Stephen Paul
As Threat of Valley Fever Grows Beyond The Southwest, Push Is On For Vaccine
What To Know About Valley Fever During The COVID-19 Pandemic
Valley Fever Could Spread Beyond Southwest
An Incurable Infection Is On The Rise. A Vaccine Remains Elusive.
McCarthy's $95 Million Valley Fever Bill Would Boost Research, Drug Development
UA Doctor Aims To Raise Awareness of Valley Fever
D-M Signs On To Community Partnerships
UA Boosts Awareness of Valley Fever
Is It Valley Fever? 8 Symptoms You Should Know
Valley Fever Continues To Affect AZ Researchers Work To Halt It
What You Don't Know About Valley Fever Could Hurt You
What to Do About Fungal Infections
BIO5 brings together researchers, students, community members, industry professionals, and government officials in flexible and interactive ways that lead to creativity, discovery, cooperative research, and positive impact to human health.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Professor's Central Valley Film 'Letters2Maybe' Nominated for Major Award in Vienna
Ethnocineca, the International Documentary Film Festival Vienna, is featuring Professor Yehuda Sharim's latest feature-length film, "Letters2Maybe," this month. The eight-day festival kicks off on May 12 and is billed as the largest Austrian festival dedicated exclusively to documentary and ethnographic films.
Sharim's documentary film is among the top five nominees for the festival's Excellence in Visual Anthropology Award. He is up against filmmakers from several countries, including Iran, Romania, Peru and Mexico.
"'Letters2Maybe" is based on events and dreams that took place in Merced and Houston from 2015 to 2020 and offers an intimate portrayal of those who refuse to surrender amidst daily devastation and culminating strife. Sharim opens up a tangible cinematic space for the protagonists — immigrants from all over the world who are now Americans or at least want to be — and enables active participation of those who defend themselves against the adversities of their circumstances.
The film offers a vision for equality and a renewed sense of solidarity in a divided country.
"'Letters2Maybe' is about Ana Maria Fabian Lomeli and so many activists around the Central Valley who insist on demanding justice for all of us who seek refuge and refuse to surrender to silence," said Sharim, who is part of the Department of Global Arts, Media and Writing Studies.
This will be his third film being shown at the festival. The other two were "Songs That Never End" and "Red Line Lullaby."
Sharim will be at the festival in person to lead the annual Film Talk on May 13, in which he will discuss "Letters2Maybe" and provide insight into his narrative and cinematic approach that bears his artistic and socially engaged signature. Participants will also discuss the importance of trust in long-term documentary film projects.
Additional information about the film festival is available online. Anyone who would like to learn more about Sharim and his work can visit his website.
Findlater First at UC Merced to Join DOE-funded Energy Frontier Research Center
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas that is contributing to irreversible climate change. Scientists know how to capture CO2, and they know how to...
Donation Drive to Aid Local Flooding Victims
This week, we witnessed major tragedies in communities across our county because of the storms. Planada, a small farming town east of Merced on Highway...
UC Merced-led Research to Focus on Reducing Power Needed for Computing
Computer technology has exploded in recent years and is only going to keep growing, with ever more use of artificial intelligence and connected devices...
Global Arts Studies
School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts
Global Arts, Media & Writing Studies


As home prices rise, so does home builder confidence.
The Housing Market Index is a homebuilder confidence indicator. When it reads 50 or better, the HMI suggests favorable conditions for home builders nationwide. Readings below 50 suggest unfavorable conditions for builders.
The HMI has not crossed 50 since April 2006 but the index has been making a run since last year, nearly tripling since the 14 reading of last year's September.
In addition, builder confidence has climbed for six straight months.
For Cottonwood buyers of new construction, the Housing Market Index may help to set market expectations for the rest of 2012, and into early-2013. This is because the NAHB Housing Market Index is constructed as a composite survey, measuring builder sentiment in three specific areas — current home sales, future home sales, and buyer foot traffic.
What's good for builders, though, may not be good for buyers.
When builders expect business to improve, they may be less willing to make concessions on price or product, holding home prices high and removing seasonal sales incentives.
All three values are at multi-year highs but it's the level of foot traffic that may concern today's home buyers. Builders report foot traffic through model units to be at the highest rate since mid-last decade. This, combined with a shrinking supply of homes for sale, has contributed to a rise in new home sale prices and suggests even higher home prices in 2013.
Like most of the U.S. housing market, new construction appears to have bottomed in October 2011. One year later, the market looks stronger.


text:
Project 10Million: Working to connect every student
Helping ensure home internet access is not a barrier to a child's education.
We're committed to help close the homework gap by offering school districts free internet access and mobile hotspots for 10 million eligible households. And, due to COVID-19 many schools are completely online, so we're offering school districts low-cost options to increased monthly data plans to provide connectivity to their students for free.
Every child deserves an opportunity.
Bridging the homework gap for millions of children.
Now that T-Mobile and Sprint have merged, we can do amazing things to create greater equity for students, starting with a $10 billion, 5-year commitment to help ensure students have connectivity at home.
During congestion, Project 10Million customers may notice speeds lower than other customers due to data prioritization. Video typically streams at DVD quality (480p). See full terms. See full terms
Limited time offer; subject to change. Available lines are limited. Intended for student mobile connectivity. Must verify student National School Lunch Program eligibility. 1 offer per household. Confirm your program can accept free equipment and/or service. Roaming not available. Annual data service ends at earlier of 100GB or 365 days. Video streams at up to 1.5Mbps. Optimization may affect speed of video downloads; does not apply to video uploads. For best performance, leave any video streaming applications at their default automatic resolution setting. Optional educational filtering may prevent some video streaming or other content. Coverage not available in some areas. Network Management: Service may be slowed, suspended, terminated, or restricted for misuse, abnormal use, interference with our network or ability to provide quality service to other users, or roaming. See T-Mobile.com/OpenInternet for details. See Terms and Conditions (including arbitration provision) at www.T-Mobile.com for additional information.
eBook: Helping you succeed in the new reality of distance learning.
Access tools and resources you need, including our eBook on how to meet the challenges of distance learning. From new communication approaches to secure ways of leveraging technology, we can help you navigate these uncertain times.
Learn more about this eBook
Interested in Project 10Million?
I'm a school administrator I'm a parent/guardian
Project 10Million details.
Get the connectivity all your students will need.
Project 10Million offers eligible households 100GB of data per year and a FREE mobile hotspot for 5 years. Plus, participating school districts have the option to apply the value of the free program, up to $500/year per student, towards additional data plans based on your students needs.
Sign up your district
During congestion, Project 10Million customers may notice speeds lower than other customers due to data prioritization. Video typically streams at DVD quality (480p). See full terms
What can a student do with 100GB of data?
It's enough data for any one of the following:
Streaming school videos
Of online virtual learning
Of internet research
Of online college test prep
Source: BroadbandWherever
Getting started is easy.
Who is eligible for Project 10Million?
Eligibility for free program is based on school or school district students enrolled in the National School Lunch Program and is for students grades K-12.
How do school administrators apply?
Interested schools or school districts can fill out a program request form. Upon receiving your application, a T-Mobile education expert will contact you.
How will devices be distributed?
All hotspots and other devices will be provided to eligible households by their school.
The devices you need to stay connected.
School districts will receive one FREE mobile hotspot per eligible household. Schools can also purchase additional devices at cost:
Coolpad Tasker tablet
Samsung Chromebook 4
Lenovo 100e Chromebook 2nd Gen
Lenovo 100e Windows PC 2nd Gen
Up to five at-cost devices per eligible line.
Are you a school administrator looking to get your school connected?
Leading the charge to help close the homework gap.
It's time to close the digital divide.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put an unfortunate spotlight on the huge disparity between kids with and without home internet access. This will go on unless we collectively act.
Rising to the Coronavirus challenge by prioritizing student connectivity.
Hard-working and dedicated education professionals all across the country are giving it their all to meet this urgent need. And the new T-Mobile team is giving it our all to be there for them.
Using our network for good to empower the next generation.
Providing connectivity in and out of the classroom.
From urban cities to rural America, students across the U.S. can benefit from the reach and capacity of our nationwide network with reliable, dependable service—when and where it's needed most.
Explore our coverage
Coverage not available in some areas. Roaming not available.
Questions about Project 10Million?
What is Project 10Million?
Project 10Million is an initiative aimed at delivering internet connectivity to millions of underserved student households at no cost to them. Partnering with school districts across the country, the program offers free wireless hotspots and free high-speed data – and access to at-cost laptops and tablets (up to the value of approximately $500).
And as the COVID-19 pandemic makes remote learning the new norm for millions of students across the U.S., the Un-carrier is enhancing Project 10Million to offer more low-cost data options, including unlimited, for school districts to pass on to student households at no cost to them. Each eligible student can still get the 100GB/year plan for FREE OR their school district can apply that same subsidy value of approx. $500 towards plans that offer more data. One new plan offers 100GB per month - about 3x the data we saw used by students at start of pandemic.
And we're offering an unlimited option, too. All options are still completely free to students!
School districts can apply on behalf of their students to participate. Project 10Million offers free hotspots and 100GBs/year and access to at-cost laptops and tablets, to eligible students participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) - one per household. Districts will need identify and qualify students as being NSLP-participants. We also enhanced Project 10Million to offer more low-cost data options, including unlimited, for school districts to pass on to all of their students at no cost to them.
Note: Students or parents (of students) who wish to enroll should talk to their school administrator (Principal or Counsellor) to see if their school district is participating in Project 10Million.
If your school district is already signed up, work with your school administrator to see if your child is eligible.
If your district hasn't signed up, talk to your school administrator about starting the application process. The first step for the school district is to fill out the Interest Form via the link on this page. Parents can also take action by filling out the "Raise a Hand" form on this page to connect your school district with a T-Mobile Government Account Expert who will work with them to see if the district is a good fit for the program.
T-Mobile retail stores and T-Mobile customer care are not able to enroll individual students.
What do you get if you are accepted into the program?
Through their school districts, students can get FREE hotspot devices, FREE high-speed data, and access to at-cost laptops and tablets. And, we also give school districts the option to apply the subsidy value of the free program – approximately $500 - towards plans that offer more data (100GB/month) or even unlimited data. All still completely free to students.
How do school districts sign up?
It's easy! School district administrators can submit an Interest Form via the link on this page. A T-Mobile representative will then reach out to schedule a call and walk through the program details and formal application process. Once the application process is complete and the school is officially in the program, our team will work with administrators to identify eligible students and get them connected to service and hotspots they can distribute to their students.
How will hotspots be allocated per year?
Hotspots will be available for districts across the entire country, every single year of the program. To help allocate hotspots fairly, the exact number available in each state will vary based on population.
What type of hotspot devices will students receive?
The school will allocate the Franklin Wireless T9 to students.
What tablets and laptops are available for purchase?
Many school districts have a 1:1 program in place that gives students a laptop they can use at home. For those who don't currently have a device, we will help them get connected to their free hotspot by offering the district an opportunity to purchase a laptop or tablet at our cost—which T-Mobile will ship to the student's school for free. They can choose from four different devices, all designed for student and educator use.
Tablet option:
The Coolpad Tasker
Laptop options:
What is the homework gap?
In education, students' lack of access to reliable connectivity creates a divide between students who have internet access and those who don't. This homework gap is the difficulty those without reliable connectivity face in completing assignments and communicating with teachers after the school day is done. It creates tremendous short- and long-term impacts: lower test scores, lower grades and limited opportunities after graduation.
What is the school work gap?
As COVID-19 forces up to 50 million students out of the physical classroom and into part- or full-time remote learning, the need for connectivity and greater bandwidth has dramatically increased. What was a homework gap has turned into an even more massive schoolwork gap, when students without internet access are completely left out of learning.
How many students have no Internet at home?
Today, there are about 56 million school-aged kids. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education, at least 14% of children across the country ages three through 18—more than 9 million—are without home Internet. In rural America, that percentage increases to 18%.
Can students get free Internet from T-Mobile?
Yes! Eligible students (one per household) whose schools are enrolled in Project 10Million can get free high-speed Internet access and a free Wi-Fi enabled hotspot to connect to the Internet. Schools also have the option to purchase at cost laptops and tablets to distribute to eligible students. And, we also give school districts the option to apply the subsidy value of the free program – approximately $500 - towards low-cost plans that offer more data (100GB/month) or even unlimited data. All still completely free to students.
What does the T-Mobile web filtering feature block?
Certain non-educational video streaming sites
Inappropriate websites
Restricting minors' access to materials deemed harmful to them
Note: Schools have the option to utilize the T-Mobile filtering or secure their own filter that completes their needs.
Why is digital equity important?
Access to the Internet equals access to opportunity. In education, studies show that students without reliable access to the Internet outside of school hours consistently receive lower reading, math, and science scores. This changes drastically when students have equal access to connectivity.
What is a mobile hotspot and how does it work?
A mobile Wi-Fi hotspot turns a cellular data connection into a Wi-Fi connection. The device creates a wireless connection you can use to connect a tablet, smartphone, computer, or another Wi-Fi-enabled device.
How can I get high-speed Internet in a rural area?
The expanded reach and capacity of T-Mobile's nationwide network plays a crucial role in T-Mobile's promise to make reliable connectivity truly accessible to students, including those in both urban centers as well as underserved areas such as rural America where 1.7 million households are lacking high-speed home internet service today.
Get your school enrolled in Project 10Million.


text:
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text:
On Track Innovations Ltd. Announces Agreement to Divest Non-Core Legacy MediSmart Division
Divestiture to Fortify OTI's Balance Sheet with $2.75 Million in New Capital
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ROSH PINA, ISRAEL, Dec. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On Track Innovations Ltd. (OTI) (NASDAQ: OTIV), a global provider of near field communication (NFC) and cashless payment solutions, together with its South African subsidiary, OTI Petrosmart (PTY) Limited, have entered into an agreement to divest their non-core legacy division of MediSmart to a current customer, Smart Applications International Ltd. ("SMART"). Under the terms of the transaction, SMART will acquire MediSmart for total consideration of $2.75 million in cash. The transaction is subject to customary conditions, and is expected to close in January 2019.
MediSmart is an information management and claims submission system for the medical sector. MediSmart is designed to benefit medical administrators, hospitals, clinics, medical service providers and patients. Through an integrated system, incorporating contactless smart card and biometric technologies, MediSmart offers fast and secure access to medical information, transaction generation, claims management, expenditure control and reporting.
"I am pleased to announce the sale of MediSmart to SMART, the sole user of the legacy product," said Shlomi Cohen, CEO of On Track Innovations. "The MediSmart business is a non-core, legacy business generating approximately $1.5 million in annual revenues. This divestiture will further shore up our balance sheet, providing us with additional capital to advance our aggressive growth initiatives while allowing us to remain laser focused on continued operational execution across our core business units."
About OTI
On Track Innovations (OTI) is a global leader in the design, manufacture, and sale of secure cashless payment solutions using contactless NFC technology. OTI's field-proven innovations have been deployed around the world to address cashless payment and management requirements for the Internet of Payment Things (IoPT), wearables, automated retail, and petroleum markets. OTI distributes and supports its solutions through a global network of regional offices and alliances. OTI is the proud recipient of the 2017 AI Award for Best Cashless Payment Solutions Provider – Israel. For more information, visit www.otiglobal.com.
Safe Harbor / Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other Federal securities laws. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact should be considered forward looking statements. Whenever we use words such as "will," "look forward," "anticipate,", "plan," "can" or similar expressions, we are making forward-looking statements. For example, we are using forward-looking statements when we discuss, among other things, the timing of the closing of the divestiture of our MediSmart division, our aggressive growth initiatives, our expectation of shoring up our balance sheet and our future operational execution. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this document and are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including the fulfilment of conditions for the MediSmart sale to close. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by our forward-looking statements are stated under the captions "Risk Factors" in our most recent Annual Report (Form 10-K) and other known and unknown uncertainties and risk factors including those detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release, and we expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
Greg Falesnik
MZ North America
Greg.Falesnik@mzgroup.us
SOURCE On Track Innovations Ltd. (OTI)


Travel with Kevin and Ruth!: What did it cost for 19 days in Barbados?
Airfare: We would not have even gone to Barbados if it weren't for the $800 each vouchers we received when we voluntarily got bumped from our Ottawa to Regina flight last April. I waited until I saw the Barbados flight on sale, but we still had to pay the taxes and fees. For the two of us, round trip from Ottawa to Bridgetown cost us total $255.28 CAD.
Accommodation: We have stayed with couchsurfing hosts over 50 times in all of our travels. Often, we combine that with AirBnb or hostels, but in Barbados our couchsurfing host Eric offered his spare room for the entire duration of our stay. We love couchsurfing, because not only do you usually save money, you also get valuable insight to the local country and it's culture from someone who actually lives there. Even though our accommodation expense was essentially nothing, we charged the meal out we had with Eric to this category. $136 CAD.
Groceries: Staying with a couchsurfing host meant that we had the use of his kitchen and could make a lot of our own meals. We included our host in as many of these meals as possible. Groceries are expensive in Barbados. In 19 days, we spent $405.96 on groceries.
Alcohol: Rum is the only reasonably priced booze in Barbados. So that's what we drank at home! We spent a total of $67.59 CAD.
Miscellaneous: This includes our transportation around the island. Always local buses, we never took a taxi. And our mobile internet access. I bought a local SIM card for the phone and a prepaid data plan. Total for everything was $112.59 CAD.
Entertainment: Through our writing on this blog, some of our activities were sponsored by various tourism businesses on the island. In all cases, everything we wrote about was our true and honest opinion. We tell it like it is here at Travel with Kevin and Ruth! So the total figure in this department may seem low for the variety of activities you read about us doing. Also, we include all meals out in this category. We spent $354 CAD in total. To break it down further, $112 was activities, while $242 was lunch meals out.
So there you have it. Our 19 days in Barbados cost $1,331.42 CAD ($1,045 USD) for the two of us, airfare and everything included.
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We sure did do a lot and we enjoyed every minute of it. We love to show people that even in an expensive country you can still keep your costs down and have a fun time.
Very reasonable considering the prices in Barbados. You were very wise to use your vouchers and couch surfing saved a lot as well. Glad you had a great time. Now for your next big adventure!
Heading out today and we are so excited.
Wow, you guys did very well! From reading your blog posts about your time there, it seems like it was money very well spent.
Thanks Ellen, we think we did pretty good too, considering the prices of stuff there. Yes, it was money well spend, we had a lot of fun in those 19 days.
You did a great job and we had a great time following along!!
As much as I have enjoyed the trip with you, I doubt I would visit there with prices the way they are. That said, I drink rum, vodka or some of your select scotches we have shared over the years!
Chris, I am sure you would love it there but as I mentioned before, if you think Canada is expensive that you would find Barbados extremely expensive. However, as we have proved it, you can go there and still have a good time without breaking the bank.


Spain has had the smile wiped from its face in the United Nations World Happiness Report 2013, released on Monday.
The UN report is pleasant reading for global happiness leaders Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden.
But Spain and its fellow PIGS nations — Portugal, Ireland, and Greece — have less reason for joy.
Spain is now rated by the UN as the 38th happiest country in the world, while Italy is 45th, Greece comes 70th and Portugal finds itself at the lowly position of 85.
Spain has also been among the hardest hit since from the 2005–07 period to the 2010–12 period, recording the sixth greatest decline in happiness in the UN study.
This fall — far higher than can be explained by relatively minor falls in gross domestic product — could be put down to "respondents' perceived freedom to make key life choices" and "increases in perceived corruption in business and government", the report's authors concluded.
They also cited the huge influence of unemployment on reduced happiness.
The UN report recommends that governments spend more on mental health to increase the wellbeing of their citizens.
The Gallup-run study takes into account six factors including real GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, perceived freedom to make life choices, freedom from corruption, and generosity.
It comes in the wake of a July 2011 UN General Assembly resolution inviting member countries to measure the happiness of their people and to use this to help guide their public policies.
"If we want a happier world, we need a completely new approach to mental health," the 2013 report concludes.


The Reapers are here, and the war has finally begun. All sentient life in the galaxy is depending on Shepard to save them. And he will have to assemble the largest military force in galactic history to save those he loves. He will make alliances with people he hates, but will create new coalitions thought never possible. This is the Holocaust. And how far will he go to stop it?
Work was originally published between July 13, 2014 and September 17, 2018.
The turian character from Mass Effect: Infiltrator supposedly met death at the end of his mission. What if he didn't? A captive Systems Alliance biotic grants him a second chance at life amid the turmoil at the start of the Reaper War.
When you connect different stars, you can find beautiful constellations.
Shepard must face the consequences of his actions in choosing to destroy the Alpha Relay, but he knows it's a waste of time as the Reapers are coming and a galaxy wide war will follow.
The fleets, soldiers and civilians of the galaxy gather at the rally point for the final battle deciding the fate of the galaxy. Their greatest hope and hero, commander Shepard has no hope with their odds. Will they beat the reapers in this late hard battle with the might of the galaxy behind them?.
Trapped, a family and friends must escape from a building they are trapped in by a brute. Out of ammo and exhausted they wait either to be slaughtered or saved.
The war takes its toll on everyone. For once, Shepard lets it show.
When childhood friends Silvia Shepard and Jeff "Joker" Moreau reunite after almost twenty years worth of extranet letters and video calls, life and its wonders (also known as the Geth and the ever-so-enigmatic Reaper war threat) just naturally get in the way. Each hectic mission and even more odder nightmare-dreamish beacon visions bring them closer together, with unresolved feelings only deepening and becoming more than platonic along the way.
But Joker knows the Alliance and their rules about fraternization. Should they choose to put their hearts above duty and act on those feelings publicly, they could risk getting both being demoted and transferred to other vessels.
They might just get away with it.
What if the Pathfinder team had never gone to Andromeda? Vignettes focusing on what might have become of each of the Tempest crew had they stayed in the Milky Way and lived through the Reaper War.
Scott wishes there were something, anything really, that could help him feel like this was all worth it.
He's heard whispers about some weapon that they were building out in space to fight back against the Reapers, and of course he was always eager to listen when his superior officers brought them all new stories about the achievements of Commander Shepard and the rest of the famous Normandy crew, but at the end of the day those were just stories, and stories didn't patch up their wounds or reload their weapons.
Naomi Shepard; Spacer, Sole Survivor, and last hope of a galaxy.
After a year of hell; forced to wrok with Cerberus to take down the Collectors, Naomi Shepard is finally handing herself, and her ship over to the Alliance. Separated from Thane, and the rest of her crew, and incarcerated in Vaancouver, her future is unknown. But when the Reapers attack Earth, she is given the biggest, and ost difficult job of all; Uniting the races to fight a common enemy.
Will her efforts be enough?
Beginning in the midst of the Reaper invasion, the convict-turned-teacher Jack and her man John Shepard go in their separate ways to do their part in the war effort, even if it hurts them both. Their exchange of letters became a drug that keeps their hopes afloat.
Five Christmases in Olivia Shepard's life, from Mindoir to after the war.
Commander Shepard prides herself on being infallibly kind, polite, patient, and compassionate to others. In the middle of the Reaper War, all it takes is the wrong word from the wrong person to unleash years of carefully repressed anger.
She'd thrown the words at Shepard, heart singing to see the shutter close behind those onyx eyes. She'd taken it as a victory; first blood in this wretched gladiator match the Commander seemed intent on having with her.


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Заречный — посёлок в Кирсановском районе Тамбовской области России. Входит в состав Калаисского сельсовета.

География
Посёлок находится в восточной части Тамбовской области, в лесостепной зоне, в пределах Окско-Донской равнины, к западу от реки Вороны, на расстоянии примерно 9 километров (по прямой) к юго-западу от города Кирсанова, административного центра района. К северу от посёлка проходит автодорога федерального значения .
Климат
Климат характеризуется как умеренно континентальный с недостаточным и неустойчивым увлажнением. Среднегодовое количество осадков составляет 470—510 мм. Средняя температура января составляет −11,3 °С, июля — +20,4 °С.
Часовой пояс

История
Основан в 1920 году. По данным 1926 года имелось 24 хозяйства и проживало 147 человек (69 мужчин и 78 женщин). В административном отношении деревня входила в состав Иноковской волости Кирсановского уезда Тамбовской губернии.

Население

 Половой состав
По данным Всероссийской переписи населения 2010 года в гендерной структуре населения мужчины составляли 27,8 %, женщины — соответственно 72,2 %.

 Национальный состав
Согласно результатам переписи 2002 года, в национальной структуре населения русские составляли 97 % из 31 чел.

Примечания

Населённые пункты Кирсановского района


Now that your shower-tub surround is freshly tiled, it's time to do the important work of making the place water-tight. While the tile itself makes the shower look amazing, it's the grunt work at the end here – the grouting, sealing, and caulking – that really makes a tiled shower or tub surround functional as a waterproof space.
Without doing these steps correctly, water will seep through your walls and negate all your hard work up to this point.
Start by taping off edges where tile joins up with something other than tile. This step is optional; probably professionals skip it, but we'd highly recommend it for anyone following this tutorial. Tape provides a crisp edge but, more importantly, it provides for easier cleanup when you're done grouting.
Tape or cover any other surfaces where falling grout bits wouldn't be welcome, such as an exposed mixer valve. I taped a container over the protruding valve parts simply for ease of mind. Take care that any taping you do doesn't cover to-be-grouted lines.
With your area prepped for grouting, it's time to mix up the grout itself. Follow the instructions on your grout package. For this tub surround, we used about half a 25-pound bag of grout powder, poured into a large 3.5 gallon bucket.
Add your allotted amount of water; for half a bag of grout, this equals about one quart of water, give or take. Take care not to add too much; your grout will seem very dry as you begin mixing, but this doesn't mean you should add more water immediately.
Begin stirring your grout and water. (We used a small hand shovel, which worked well.) You're after a consistency somewhere between pudding and peanut butter. You want the grout to be malleable and spreadable, but you don't want it runny.
This photo shows the smoothness of the grout about 1-2 minutes before we stopped stirring. There are still a few lumps here; when you finish stirring, you shouldn't see any lumps.
Wait about ten minutes for your mixed grout to combine.
While you're waiting, fill another large (5 gallon works well) bucket with clean water, and place it near your shower/tub surround. This will simply make rinsing your grouting sponge more convenient and efficient, particularly if you don't have a water source nearby. Even if you have a sink close at hand, you should be cautious about rinsing out tons of grout down the drain.
Also during this ten minutes, double check your taped surfaces. This photo shows all the places we taped – around the window, between the tub and the tile, between the tile and the walls, between the tile and the ceiling, and between the tile and the corner shelf (top and bottom of shelf).
When the ten minutes are up, give your grout another quick stir. It's time to start the (arguably) most important step of tiling a shower or tub surround.
You'll find the method that works best for you as you proceed with the grouting step, but here are a few tips. Scrape a bit of grout onto the end of your float, then scrape your float against a gap so the grout goes in.
After you've gotten enough grout into the gap, run your float down the gap line to remove excess grout.
Tip: Don't worry about smoothing out the grout too much during the application step. Your goal for this first part is to get the grout solidly into all parts of the gaps; the smoothing and evening out of the grout lines will come later.
Avoid getting too far ahead of yourself. Focus on one small wall, or part of a large wall, at a time. Check and double- and triple-check all grout lines for completeness, meaning fill any gaps or air pockets with grout. Although you're trying to keep the grout in just the gaps, your freshly grouted wall will probably look something like this at first.
When all the lines look satisfactorily filled, it's time to begin sponging off the excess grout before it dries on the faces of your tiles.
Soak your sponge completelyin your waiting bucket of water.
Wring out the sponge so it's damp-wet but not dripping.
Just dive in, sponging off all the dirty grout on your tiles. Rinse and wring your sponge often; even when your bucket water looks filthy, it will still clean the tiles well for now.
It may seem like you're not making any progress, like you're just smearing grout all over instead of removing it. Just stick with it. Rinse and wring. Rinse and wring. And repeat. Tip: Use the terry side of your sponge for the first few passes, then turn to use the sponge side for the second half.
Eventually, you'll begin to see the actual color of your tiles again. When this happens, you'll know you're almost done with this phase of grouting, even though there's still a hazy film on the tile faces.
You'll notice that, as you continue to swipe away at the grout mess on your tiles, it doesn't ever come off completely. This is because, while your grout is wet in the gaps, some of it will come off on your sponge each time your sponge passes over the line. In other words, if you keep wiping away trying to get it perfect, you'll eventually wipe out much of the grout in your lines. That's not good.
So just get your tiles clean enough that, when they're dry, a quick wipedown will remove the grout dusting and reveal your tile faces.
With the grout mess cleared off the tiles, it will be easier for you to see your actual grout lines. Ultimately, a great tile job includes even grout lines, where all lines are a consistent width. You can see a section of this vertical grout line that bulges (shown by the pointing finger).
If you see discrepancies in a line's width, this is an easy fix. Just take a clean sponge and wipe over that spot, in the direction of the line. Apply pressure as needed to even out the line – but not so much that it empties the grout out, of course.
You can see that a quick wiping of this vertical grout line makes all the difference in its polish and consistent look. This is an important tip for achieving a professional look for your whole tile project when you grout.
When grouting in corners, here's a strategy to minimize using a lot of unnecessary grout (which just creates more work for you in the long run, because what spreads on must be wiped off). Place a small bit of grout, about what you estimate would fit in your gap, on the very edge of your float.
Aim the edge of your float into the corner to be grouted and press it straight into the gap.
Press firmly, maybe wiggle your float a bit to make sure the grout goes solidly into the gap, then swipe your float down across the gap and away from the corner.
Add grout to odd spaces, such as the sides of your corner shower shelf (if applicable), using this same press-and-swipe method.
This is a great method for applying grout even on the flat surfaces, if you like it. Again, simply place a line of grout onto your float, then press that section of your float straight into a gap.
Slide your float to the side (perpendicular to the line) over the gap, lift it up, then swipe your cleaned-off float parallel to your line to remove any excess grout from the tiles.
When the tiles are relatively free of grout and you've checked all the lines for air pockets or gaps, remove the tape. The grout in your gaps isn't going anywhere at this point; in fact, you now need to wait two hours before you do anything else here.
Except clean up. Wipe and sweep out the bathtub or shower.
After two hours, your grout has had an opportunity to set up and begin to cure. It's now dry enough that you can (and should) remove the grout film that was left on your tiles. Plain, dry cheesecloth works well for this step because of its gentle abrasive properties.
Just take a bit of cheesecloth and wad it up.
Don't mess with the grout lines; keep your cheesecloth confined to the tiles themselves as you scrub away the haze.
Wait at least 24 hours for your grout to fully set. Then it's time to seal it up. Although many grout sealers are on the market (there are even some grout sealers that can be mixed into your grout prior to application), 511 Impregnator continues to be the most durable product I've found for this. Instead of needing to reseal every year or two, grout sealed with 511 Impregnator can go five or six years before resealing. I highly recommend it.
Pour some 511 into a small disposable plastic bowl, then paint it onto your grout lines. Try really hard to keep it to just the grout lines. Again, probably professionals can do this better than I.
Wait a few minutes, then use a clean, dry, white cloth to wipe away any excess sealant from the faces of your tiles. When your towel gets damp, exchange it for another dry one to be most effective in wiping away excess. You can choose if you want to apply one or two coats of sealer; this being the watery place it is, I strongly recommend two coats.
Once your sealant has thoroughly dried, it's time for the last step in your tiled shower / tub surround: caulking. It's important to choose the correct caulk, one specifically designed for kitchen and bath, or, in other words, water-heavy spaces. This particular caulk is for use around tubs and is also tinted to be the same color as the grout (same manufacturer), and it is the caulk this tutorial uses around the base of the tiled tub surround (where tile meets tub).
I will be the first to admit that caulking is quite difficult to achieve a clean, professional final result. I've caulked many, many things and still struggle. That being said, if you have patience and a steady hand, you can make it work. Begin by applying a bead of caulk in a straight line, from a corner to the next corner (or logical stopping point). This photo shows an example on the heavier end of application; due to discrepancies in the tiles' distances from the tub surround, we needed more caulk for a straight, seamless joint than a typical caulk application.
Wet your finger with water, then run it in a smooth, steady line down the caulk bead, from corner to corner. You may need to use a paper towel corner (or three) to straighten edges. The goal is to waterproof your joints by completely connecting the tile and grout ends with the adjoining surface in a seamless strip of caulk.
A fingernail is great for touching up splotchy edges; however, be aware that the more you mess around with smoothed-out caulk, the greater your chance of having it look worse. With caulk, in all aspects, less is definitely more.
While it's not perfect, our caulked tub edge got to the point of being good enough, and we decided to walk away before making it a muddled mess.
For all the other joints around our tub surround, we used a white silicone.
With the vertical emphasis of this bathroom makeover, a grout-colored horizontal line around the top of the tub surround would have looked odd. Instead, a white caulk line almost disappears next to the white tile and white ceiling, keeping the eye's focus on the up-and-down rather than side-to-side.
If you're wondering where caulk is required, here's a good rule of thumb: Caulk anywhere that tile meets up with another surface.
Caulk between the edges of the tile that meets up with the window frame. You definitely want a water-tight seal there so that water doesn't seep down between your window and tile, into your walls and insulation and what have you.
Even caulk the ugly spots, like where the tile touches the baseboard back behind the toilet. It's likely that no one will see these places, but that doesn't mean water won't find its way in.
You've done it! Does caulking make you as crazy as it makes me? Take a deep breath, step back, and admire your handiwork. It's a beautiful shower / tub surround.
With the tile installed, the protective grout applied and sealed, and your edges caulked, you're now ready to reinstall your shower / tub fixtures. The end of the tunnel is in sight!


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Internet Issues
Net Cafes
UAE: Two Online Activists Jailed After Disseminating Information about Violations of UAE State Security
Gmail To Marketers: Drop Dead
Twitter Revises Blocking Policy, Confuses Millions
Google+ Sign-In Changes Could Appeal To More Developers
A Close Up on The City The Arabic Network Issues A Special Issue of Wasla About Bloggers' Conception of The City
ANHRI Releases January's First Issue of Wasla Newspaper
Cairo: 1 January 2014 The Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) today, 1 January…
| Jan 1, 2014	|
One Social Network With A Rebellious Message
mplacable Adversaries: Arab Governments and the Internet Acknowledgements This is the second report of the…
| Nov 22, 2010	|
Steps on the road …. Mutual Support Between the Internet and Human Rights
Prologue The importance of Internet is constantly increasing as a means of acquiring information and…
Implacable Adversaries: Arab Governments and the Internet
Acknowledgements This is the second report of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo)…
Bahrain: A Citizen Arrested On "Insulting Caliphs" Charges
Cairo: 23 August, 2014 The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounces the imprisonment…
| Aug 23, 2014	|
Libya: Libyan Authorities Shut down 2 State-owned Channels that Taken over by Islamists
Cairo: 20 August 2014 The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) deprecates the closure…
Following Two-Month of Suspension due to the Confiscation of Wasla's 17th Issue, ANHRI Releases the 18th Issue Entitled "Machines Achieve Victory over Man"
Cairo: 7 August 2014 The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) releases the 18th…
| Aug 7, 2014	|
Right to Information Exchange: New Manual by ANHRI about the Definition of "Right to Information Exchange" and Significance of its Enforcement
Cairo: 7 August 2014 The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), today, announces the…
Iraq: After Blocking Social Networking Sites, "Al-Arabyia" Channel Threatened to be Shut Down
Cairo: 19 June, 2014 The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) today denounced the…
| Jun 19, 2014	|
Update on Confiscating Wasla Newspaper and Arresting Print House Worker's Case*
Cairo: 15 June, 201 Communique No. 8797- 2014, Misdemeanor Osim Defendant Khaled Mohamed Al-Shazly "Print…
The Crackdown on Civil Society Begins.. Wasla Newspaper Released by ANHRI Confiscated, Printing House Worker Detained, Charges of Issuing a Newspaper Calls for the Downfall of the Regime
Cairo: 15 June, 2014 Today, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) said that…
The 16th Issue of Wasla Newspaper Entitled "His Majesty the King" Released
Cairo: 1 June 2014 The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) released the 16th…
| Jun 1, 2014	|
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W_Ox7XkDg8
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Steps on the road .... Mutual Support Between the Internet and Human Rights
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Electronic Media and Human Rights


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What are taxes for? Some thoughts on Dr. Phillips' proposed bank tax and some possible unforseen consequences
Bank tax, Budget financing, Economic issues, Human relationships, International Monetary Fund, Jamaica
Jamaica's Finance Minister, Dr. Peter Phillips, has done something rare in Jamaica: he's managed to get a lot of people to agree on something.
Dr. Peter Phillips thinking back to easier days, when he was a dreadlocked Jamaican, not a deadlocked one?
Unfortunately, for him, they tend to agree that the bank transaction tax he's proposing is not a good thing. Many civil society groups have formally commented unfavourably on the proposal. We need to see how the conversations go in coming days, including as the Opposition make their budget responses. But, the Minister also gives us an opportunity to think about some basic elements of economic policy.
Some people have applauded the Minister's choice of taxing bank transactions because it's almost universal (at least for all those who are using the banking system), simple, and easy to collect.
Why do governments impose taxes? In a simple sense, taxes are mainly used to finance government expenses. But, taxes can be used to modify social behaviour. They can discourage 'bad' behaviour, eg polluting, consuming goods or services that governments think are bad for citizens, but which tend to be consumed notwithstanding that, e.g. a tax on cigarettes or on some or all alcoholic beverages. Taxes can also be used to protect local and infant industries, by taxing imports. Taxes also allow governments to try to achieve greater equality of wealth and income. To improve the balance of payments by increasing the duties charged on imported goods. To control spending in an economy.
Dr. Phillips has not explained what is his reasoning behind the new tax proposal, but we know that the budget had a hole of J$6.7 billion to fill and the other taxes imposed still left a gap of J$2.3 billion. Naturally, if a finance minister can find an almost dead cert for a tax then he'd have to be quite wanton to ignore it. But, taxes will have other effects once they are in operation, so some of the other effects that could be behind a tax measure can still come into play.
The bank tax will have some impact on social behaviour, not necessarily in terms of goods and services bought, but in how people go about their transactions. Economic agents will try to find ways the make the fewest withdrawals possible for any set of expected transactions. At its simplest, people may withdraw cash in a lump sum and then use that for transactions, trying to steer as much as possible outside the banking system. In other ways, those who can, will resist putting their incomes into banks so that they do not have to incur costs from withdrawing it again. In economics terms, people and businesses will tend to disintermediate from the financial sector. This will have another effect, longer term, in that the ability to use the banking system's operations as part of the government's monetary policies will start to diminish. That may, at least, complicate matters for the government and central bank later down the road.
Jamaica already has a low saving rate, and this wont help, at least in terms of money kept in banks. People are already sizing up their mattresses as a place to keep their money. Is this really the future that the Jamaican government foresees for a country that is supposedly primed to start growing after decades of stagnation?
Because both businesses and persons will be affected by the bank tax, we will need to see how each arranges its affairs. It's quite feasible, that once domestic enterprises have figured out what the costs are and how it may affect their profitability, they may be inclined to move away from financial transactions with each other, but trade through barter. This may not be simple, but necessity is the mother of invention. Companies can easily find out the value of their goods in terms of other products, so rather than letting money remain the medium of exchange, companies may see if they can exchange products, 100 tins of ackee for 500 boxes of paper clips. There may be accounting issues to resolve, but to the extent that no legal constraints exist, barter may well be the order of the day for some, if not most enterprises. That may be good, in that brokering of barter deals may be new work in the economy.
Persons could do the same, but maybe without the same ease. Self-employed persons would be better placed, and more so vis-à-vis enterprises rather than other persons: one lawn cutting for 10 tins of orange juice, let's say.
Dr. Damien King, a UWI professor of economics has spoken about how the bank tax is 'progressive': it affects the wealthier segments of society and those who are banked, versus those who have lower incomes and are unbanked. Well, I wont argue that. He has also talked about the efficiency and effectiveness of the bank tax, and its ease of collection. I see that, too, but that is not a good reason enough for a tax. If it were, we'd have governments devising ways in which tax could be assessed and collected for almost everything. We could get a compnay to devise a breathing monitor and levy an 'inhalation tax', and set up systems that forced all persons to have bank accounts and tag the 'inhaler' to their accounts and get automatic payments to the Treasury.
The government has also done something that I see as perverse. Over the years, citizens have been encouraged to make changes in their financial behaviour, notably to use banks more (for receiving pay and making payments). Having complied to a large degree, the government can now use this more-banked society to impose a near-unavoidable tax. Well, try to get people to change other behaviours and see whether the suspicion exists that this will be the first step toward penalising those who have agreed to the new way of doing business.
Former contractor general Greg Christie says the impending tax on withdrawals from deposit-taking institutions sends the wrong signal to foreign investors. He sees tax moves like putting a levy on banking withdrawals as signalling high risk for investor.
Finally, for now, the proposed tax sends a bad message regarding tax evasion.
Tax evaders in Jamaica have an easy time. (Courtesy of The Gleaner.)
The government has more than enough revenue due but unpaid to cover its residual gap, but seems to have no intention of going after those payments. If that seems to be the approach, then what is to stop economic agents taking the calculated risk of not paying other taxes, given that the government seems less concerned about arrears.
The US financial sector is sharpening its swords for a battle with the Obama Administration over a possible bank tax. In that case, its aim is to recoup expenses incurred in taxpayer bail-outs of financial institutions.
Perhaps, the Minister and his band of advisers have thought through the tax measure and see no problems ahead. Somehow, I think they have a few surprises lurking ahead for them.
Jamaican governments have a low rating for credibility and this new measure does not enhance that reputation. Dr. Phillips has gone the hakuna matata route, looking for low-hanging fruit. Many would love to see either that banks profits were taxed directly. Others would love to see the government making real sacrifices. As someone pointed out, if government officials are allocated J$50,000 a month for cell phone calls, could that not be reduced, to say $10,000? Jeepers, many can survive on much less, why must the public pay for what seems like excessive usage? Without tackling the other side of the ledger well, the government again gives the impression that it is not ready to suffer along with the rest of us.