text:
British envoy calls for free, fair, credible, election in Ekiti
July 13, 2018 UD Politics Comments Off on British envoy calls for free, fair, credible, election in Ekiti
By Dorcas Elusogbon
Ile-Ife (Osun) – The British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, has called for free, fair, credible and peaceful governorship election in Ekiti state.
Arkwright, who is an observer in Saturday governorship in Ekiti, made the call during his visit to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi in his Palace on Tuesday in Ile-Ife.
The high commissioner appealed to all and sundry to remain calm and shun all forms of electoral violence, saying that crisis would not add any value to the growth and development of the state.
According to him, the British government has no interest in any party or any aspirant, but determined to ensure a hitch-free election in the state.
Arkwright tasked all security agencies to shun bias and remain independent and maintain peaceful environment across the state for the electorate and the INEC officials.
He also said that all other international colleagues would be around to observe the conduct of the election.
The high commissioner urged the indigenes of the state to support the observers and INEC officials for the success of the election.
Earlier, the commended the British Commissioner' visit to Ile-Ife he described as the cradle of Yoruba race.
The monarch told the envoy that everything started from Ife Kingdom, saying that the continent of Africa belonged to all and sundry.
Ogunwusi acknowledged the High commissioner's compassionate love and maintenance of cordial relationship between the two countries, adding Arkwright had actively contributed to the growth and development of Nigeria.
The royal father also lauded the British government contribution toward efforts aimed at giving peace a chance in the country and urged Arkwright to further foster trade relationship to improve the Nigerian economy.
The Ooni warned youths against political violence during the election in Ekiti, saying "if the election is bloody in Ekiti state, other states will be affected. "
"Enough of crisis, we do not want any crisis in Yorubaland, for where there is violence, progress and tranquillity is deprived, but where there is peace, there is progress," he said.
The Oni advised youths in the state to maintain peaceful coexistence before, during and after the election to ensure brighter future.
He said the need for youths to maintain peace became imperative because they too could become Governor or President of the country in the neatest future, under a peaceful atmosphere.
Nigerian Newspapers today
Ooni of Ife
Paul Arkwright

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Editor's Letter: The Holiday Issue
https://www.youtube.com/embed/2AvaHmbSqg8
"Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living; it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope." — Dr. Seuss
Our holiday campaign CELEBRATE captures the childlike wonder of the holidays, when we let ourselves be kids again. Set in a "house of holiday" in New York, we created a fantastical place where all your style dreams come true. The four-part series takes a playful look at style and celebration. Check back each week as we refresh the story. In the meantime, read the holiday post where our Creative Director Len Peltier takes you down the rabbit hole of the campaign and to meet a few of the dancers.
This month we are also thrilled to introduce Wear & Share, a curation of classic Banana Republic pieces for anyone to wear in the modern world. Keeping true to our DNA, we've always borrowed from the boys—from our first store in 1978 with surplus men's shirts belted and sold as women's dresses to the infamous 1992 Kate Moss ad shot by Bruce Weber with her dressed in our men's sweater—and we've never been afraid to push the boundaries of style. To help kick off the new collection, we teamed up with Thakoon Panichgul's HommeGirls, a collective that celebrates women who shop in the men's department. Follow along on Instagram and stay tuned for the partnership.
Speaking of pushing boundaries, we are honored our True Hues social campaign is a finalist for the Shorty Awards. Launched during Diversity Month in April, we proudly introduced an assortment of inclusive nude-colored essential undergarments and accessories designed to celebrate a range of skin tones. What began with a "designer and a dream" quickly grew to be much more than that and was brought to life with an inclusive mix of voices and perspectives. Shop the collection then read more about the project here.
We'd love to see how you are celebrating the holidays! Tag @bananarepublic and #ItsBanana (for the guys, @bananarepublicmens and #BRMens) on Instagram for a chance to be featured on our feed or an upcoming email.
Stephanie Davila
Editorial Director at Banana Republic


People are now constantly connected and using mobile devices to communicate, shop and stay entertained. In fact, 25% of global pageviews occur on smartphones and tablets.1 Further, there are now more consumers using the web in HTML5-compatible environments than in Flash-compatible environments.2 In order to reach as large an audience as possible, advertisers should build their rich media ads in HTML5.
AdWords already supports HTML5 ad units that are made using the built-in templates in AdWords Ad Gallery. AdWords can convert uploaded Flash files into identical HTML5 ads, which can run in places where Flash isn't supported.
Google Web Designer is a free, professional-grade HTML5 authoring tool that lets you build interactive and animated HTML5 ad units, no coding necessary! Create interactive ad units in Google Web Designer, publish them locally as an .html file, and then upload that file as a new image creative in your display campaign. This way, you can run custom, engaging ad units across smartphones, tablets and desktops, engaging consumers in more places with clever and interactive ad experiences.
Want to learn more? Visit our website and download Google Web Designer for free. Then, learn how to create engaging, rich media ads in our Help Center.
*Note: Adwords only supports .html file uploads from Google Web Designer. No other HTML5 authoring tools are supported at this time.
We recently added the ability for AdWords advertisers to upload HTML5 ads built with Google Web Designer into Google Display Network campaigns. Below is an overview of how you can use this integration to build HTML5 ads for your GDN campaigns.
. The popular global accommodations company creates models to understand the value that every new customer brings over his or her lifetime. Then, equipped with flexible budgets, their digital marketing team is able to reach all the right customers at the right time. Check out the full story here.
Being a profit-driven marketer means challenging traditional methods in order to reach new levels of success (and profits). We've launched a practical guide, where you'll learn how to strategically bid up CPAs and flex ROI limits to grow your digital campaigns, just as Airbnb and others have done. Find the full guide on Think with Google.
A new breed of marketers have made the shift to "profit-driven marketing," which is about tackling traditional marketing challenges with unconventional approaches. For example, they understand that in order to make more money, they have to strategically invest more money first.
One company employing this new strategy is Airbnb. The popular global accommodations company creates models to understand the value that every new customer brings over his or her lifetime. Then, equipped with flexible budgets, their digital marketing team is able to reach all the right customers at the right time. Check out the full story here.
Are your Product Listing Ads ready for August 31st?
for advertisers to upgrade to Shopping campaigns quickly and easily. If you've already upgraded, then you're all set. If you haven't upgraded yet and don't do it by the end of this month, the following is what will happen to your regular Product Listing Ads (PLA) campaigns come September.
Phase 1: Limited functionality of all regular PLA campaigns - Starting September 2nd, you will not be able to edit your product targeting, max. CPC bids, promotional text and destination URLs anymore. Campaign statuses and budgets will remain editable so you can manage your spend until your regular PLA campaigns are auto-upgraded to Shopping campaigns.
Phase 2: Auto-upgrade to Shopping campaigns - Throughout September, regular PLA campaigns that received impressions in the preceding few weeks will be auto-upgraded to a new Shopping campaign with a similar campaign structure. Some regular PLA campaigns, settings and bids might not carry over to your new Shopping campaign due to technical limitations. Once your regular PLA campaigns are auto-upgraded, you'll receive an email notification and your regular PLA campaigns will stop serving PLAs. Further details on the auto-upgrade are in the AdWords Help Center.
As a final reminder, upgrade your campaigns before September to ensure they are set up as you'd like. We recommend using the upgrade tool as it walks you through the upgrade process step by step.
For more information, visit this help center article on the retirement of regular PLA campaigns and the automatic upgrade to Shopping campaigns. If you have any questions, reach out to the AdWords Community Forum or contact us.
Earlier this month, we introduced an upgrade tool for advertisers to upgrade to Shopping campaigns quickly and easily. If you've already upgraded, then you're all set. If you haven't upgraded yet and don't do it by the end of this month, the following is what will happen to your regular Product Listing Ads (PLA) campaigns come September.
our next generation of app promotion ads across Google Search, the Google Display Network and YouTube. The features on the Display Network launched in June as part of Google I/O. Today, I'm excited to announce the global availability of the search ads and YouTube offerings.
There are over 100 billion searches per month on Google.com. People search here for places to visit, movies to watch or music to listen to. Sometimes this content lives on a website, sometimes it's in an app. Now with just 3 easy steps, you can get your app into an ad by using a new, simplified campaign set-up flow that promotes your app on Google.com. Search ads created with this new flow are only shown to people who don't already have your app -- so every click is from a potential new user, saving you time and money.
How do you select the best keywords so your ad shows to consumers most likely to download your app? Use the keyword suggestion tool for app ads on search. This tool suggests keywords to include in your campaign based on top queries used for finding your app on Google Play and Google Search. FarFaria, a leading children's e-book app, expanded their Google search ads keyword lists by using this tool and was able to unlock 30% more app downloads while maintaining a click through rate of 3% and a cost per install that was 50% below other mobile networks.
Once you have a large base of users who've installed your app, how do you keep them engaged? Starting today, you can deep link users directly from Google Search into specific pages of apps they've already installed by signing up for the beta here. Customers like LINE, Zoopla and Booking.com are already testing deep-linking with their apps. Here's how it works: let's say someone has the Booking.com app installed on their phone and searches for "San Francisco Hotels" on Google.com; now they can go directly to the specific page in the Booking.com app that shows listings for hotels in San Francisco.
The power of sight, sound and motion makes YouTube users more than 2X more likely to download apps.1 Starting today, you can showcase your app when people are watching their favorite videos using a new enhancement to TrueView ads. With TrueView, advertisers can reach potential customers based on their interests, previously-watched videos and demographics. Deepak Gupta, chief revenue officer at MachineZone, a leading mobile game developer, noted that by "Using YouTube we didn't just find more customers, we found more of the 'right' customers. We know video platforms in general deliver valuable users, but we found that users who download our app from YouTube are 15% more valuable than those from any other video platform."
Over the coming weeks we'll dive into these new features with tips and best practices on the Inside AdWords blog and on our Google+ page. We also invite you to register for our "Promoting Your App on Search" Google Hangout On Air on 9/18.
Earlier this year, we announced our next generation of app promotion ads across Google Search, the Google Display Network and YouTube. The features on the Display Network launched in June as part of Google I/O. Today, I'm excited to announce the global availability of the search ads and YouTube offerings.
have called a business directly from search ads. AdWords click-to-call ads, call metrics, and calls as conversions help you connect with these customers and gain insight about those calls. However, many customers also call your business after clicking through a Google ad and learning more about the products and services you offer on your website. That's why today we're launching website call conversions, a powerful way for you to identify and measure calls from your website that occur after an ad click.
Let's say your Google search ads send people to your website where they research and learn more about your business. Website call conversions dynamically inserts a Google forwarding number on your website that measures the calls made by these customers. Whether they click on the number or dial it directly from their phone, you can attribute the call conversion and conversion value back to the keyword and ad that drove the customer. You can learn more about setting up website call conversions here.
With website call conversions, you can understand which keywords and ads are driving the most phone calls from your website and which are resulting in more valuable calls. You can also assign different values to calls originating from different pages of your website. For example, a local car dealership might assign more value to calls from their test drive page and less value to calls from their homepage.
You can also automatically optimize your keyword bids to drive more calls or more valuable calls by using Target CPA or Target ROAS respectively. These flexible bid strategies factor in signals like device, location, and time of day to make auction-time bid adjustments that maximize website call conversions and conversion value respectively, while reaching your business goals.
To start measuring these website calls, place the snippet of code on your desktop or mobile website and a unique Google forwarding number will be generated for each AdWords ad click. These numbers will continue to display for up to 90 days to capture future call conversions. To ensure this experience is seamless, you can customize the look and feel of these numbers to match your website, including: color, font, and size.
Website call conversions is available in countries where Google forwarding numbers are available*. They work with AdWords click-to-call ads and can be used alongside other call tracking solutions. Reporting on website call conversions is available in Call Details and through standard conversion reporting.
You can learn more about website call conversions and how to set it up, here.
Want to get more out of AdWords? Sign up to receive our monthly Google Best Practices newsletter.
Seventy percent of all mobile searchers have called a business directly from search ads. AdWords click-to-call ads, call metrics, and calls as conversions help you connect with these customers and gain insight about those calls. However, many customers also call your business after clicking through a Google ad and learning more about the products and services you offer on your website. That's why today we're launching website call conversions, a powerful way for you to identify and measure calls from your website that occur after an ad click.
, an intuitive way to connect people with the businesses they're searching for, to all exact and phrase match keywords.
Since it was introduced in 2012, advertisers have seen strong results. In fact, a vast majority of you are already matching to close keyword variations, receiving an average of 7% more exact and phrase match clicks with comparable clickthrough and conversion rates. In addition to increased keyword coverage, these incremental clicks represent valuable opportunities that are missed by "Low search volume" keywords, common for misspellings and abbreviations.
Shopify - "We're passionate about achieving high efficiency, high impact, and high relevance with our customers. Having our keywords match to close variations allows us to do exactly that. Additional matches like "online shopping" to the keyword "online shop" resulted in a 100% increase in relevant clicks across exact and phrase match keywords--with cost per click remaining steady. What's more, we've gained valuable time savings since manually adding misspelled keywords to our campaigns is now unnecessary."
Starting in late September, we're applying close variant keyword matching to all exact and phrase match keywords. Because close variant matching was already the default setting for campaigns, most of you won't see a change in your keyword matching behavior. For advertisers that opted out, the option to disable close variants will be removed in September. Your exact and phrase match keywords will then begin matching to close keyword variations, allowing you to reach more of your potential customers with the right ad while aiming to lower cost per click and improve clickthrough rate.
With this update, you no longer have to build exhaustive lists of misspelled, abbreviated, and other close variations of your keywords to get the coverage you want. Instead, focus on adding negative keywords--including close variants you don't want to match for--to shape traffic and reduce cost. This can improve your campaigns' ROI and help deliver a better ad experience for your customers. You can learn more about the benefits of negative keywords in our new keyword white paper.
Keep in mind that the AdWords system prefers to trigger ads using keywords that are identical to search queries, so you can still use misspelled, abbreviated, and other close variations of your keywords. If you find that performance varies significantly between close variants, you can add the better performing ones as separate keywords and adjust their bids accordingly.
To learn more about keyword matching options, please see our Help Center article.
People aren't perfect spellers or typists. In fact, at least 7% of Google searches contain a misspelling. And the longer the query, the greater the likelihood of a typo. But even if what they've typed isn't perfect, people still want to connect with the businesses, products, and services they're trying to find.
Whether it's "kid scooters", "kid's scooter", or "kids scooters", people interested in buying a scooter for their child want to see the most relevant ads despite slight variations in their search query. That's why starting in late September, we're applying close variant keyword matching, an intuitive way to connect people with the businesses they're searching for, to all exact and phrase match keywords.
If you haven't started your upgrade, we encourage you to use this tool as a jumping off point for your Shopping campaigns. Be sure to check your campaign budgets, settings and bids so they're customized to your business needs.
Note that not all campaigns are compatible with this upgrade tool. If, for example, you use AdWords labels or groupings in your product targeting or inventory filters, you must update your data feed with custom labels before you use the upgrade tool, unless you're happy to use another attribute to subdivide your inventory in AdWords directly.
You can access the upgrade tool, and check which of your campaigns are eligible, in the Settings tab of your existing Product Listing Ads campaigns. Learn more in the help center.
We want to make sure you've thoughtfully upgraded and are ready for the holidays. Join us for a Learn With Google Hangout on Air on August 12 at 10:00am PST to walk through the new upgrade tool. If you have any questions, reach out to the AdWords Community Forum or contact us.
This is the final stretch. At the end of August, regular Product Listing Ad (PLA) campaigns will retire and be replaced by Shopping campaigns. A majority of you have started upgrading to Shopping campaigns, but if you're one of the few who haven't yet, we're introducing a new upgrade tool that'll help you upgrade in a matter of clicks.
This tool creates a Shopping campaign from your regular PLA campaign, with a campaign structure and bids based on your regular PLA campaign and historical performance data.
we shared some of the ways that advertisers like WordStream and Elmo Talent Software have been getting great results with the new AdWords Search Network with Display Select campaign type. Since then, hundreds of thousands campaigns have already upgraded to this new campaign type.
As a reminder, starting on September 16th, 2014 all "Search and Display Networks" campaigns will be upgraded automatically to the new, better performing "Search Network with Display Select". We encourage advertisers to upgrade before September 16th so your campaigns are set up as you'd like. Campaigns that haven't been upgraded will be automatically changed over. "Search Network only" and "Display Network only" campaigns will not be impacted.
If you're running a "Search and Display Networks" campaign you can upgrade now with just a single click and get better results right away.
Better performance: Advertisers who've upgraded to "Search Network with Display Select" have, on average, seen a 35% higher click-through rate and a 35% lower cost-per-customer purchase for ads shown on the display portion of their "Search Network with Display Select".* Results will vary based on your campaign.
Easier to manage: Manage it just like a regular search campaign. Your settings like keywords and bids will automatically be used to find customers on the Display Network, which means there's no extra work required!
Ability to customize based on how you wish your campaigns to perform: When you upgrade, you may get fewer clicks and impressions, but they're more likely to be from people who are ready to make a purchase from your business. If keeping your current click levels is important for your advertising goals, also create a new "Display Network only" campaign. This allows you to incorporate the settings and targeting options from your original campaign to help you maintain your click levels.
We want you to succeed with AdWords. Please contact us if you'd like any help upgrading to "Search Network with Display Select". For more details, tips and resources on succeeding with AdWords, please visit our help center.
*Based on initial test results, the average customer could see a 35% higher click-thru-rate and 35% lower CPA on the display portion of their new "Search Networks with Display Select "campaigns compared to existing Search & Display Networks campaigns. Based on initial test results, the average customer could also see 10-15% incremental conversions compared with "Search Network only" campaigns. Individual campaign performance may vary.
Earlier this year we shared some of the ways that advertisers like WordStream and Elmo Talent Software have been getting great results with the new AdWords Search Network with Display Select campaign type. Since then, hundreds of thousands campaigns have already upgraded to this new campaign type.
Imagine a shopper has searched for a product on Google Shopping and found the perfect offer at the perfect total price inclusive of shipping. They reach checkout on the merchant's site only to realize that the final price differs from what they've seen on Google due to inaccurate shipping costs. Our users consistently tell us this is a primary source of frustration.
To help you display more accurate total prices to shoppers, we've made the configuration of shipping rates in Merchant Center more powerful and easier to use with a new shipping configuration tool.
Shipping rules: Select from an expanded list of shipping methods, including customizable methods based on a hierarchical set of rules.
Multiple shipping methods: Differentiate between various shipping methods, such as ground versus express, for the same country, so Google can display the lowest possible price to the user.
Customization based on location: Configure rates based on shipping destination using countries, states, or cities.
Simplified exclusion options: Indicate when products do not ship to certain regions.
Reusable shared library: Create a repository of shipping methods you can reuse across various custom configurations.
In addition to the new tool in Merchant Center, we have also added a new shipping attribute to assign a shipping label to specific products. You can configure shipping rates based on this label. For example, you could apply a label like "perishable" or "bulky" to a group of products requiring special shipping rates or a label specific for promotional items. After adding this attribute to a group of items, you may manage or configure the custom rate in shipping settings in Merchant Center.
We've migrated your current shipping settings to this new tool. They do not require any update. We encourage you to check out the new features to review whether they can help you simplify or improve your shipping rate configuration on Google Shopping. Both current and newly created shipping methods will be subject to review with our existing shipping policy.
Join us for a Hangout on Air on September 16th as we walk through the tool and cover best practices for setting up shipping rates in Merchant Center. Sign up for the event.
Posted by Angelika Rohrer and Sven Herschel, Google Shopping Team.


text:
require_relative 'excel_to_x'
require 'ffi'

class ExcelToTest < ExcelToX

  attr_accessor :test_name

  def language
    "C"
  end

  def go!
    # This sorts out the settings
    set_defaults

    log.info "Excel to Code version #{ExcelToCode.version}\n\n"

    # These turn the excel into xml on disk
    sort_out_output_directories
    unzip_excel

    # These gets the named references, worksheet names and shared strings out of the excel
    extract_data_from_workbook

    # This checks that the user inputs of which cells to keep are in the right
    # format and refer to sheets and references that actually exist
    clean_cells_that_can_be_set_at_runtime
    clean_cells_to_keep
    clean_named_references_to_keep
    clean_named_references_that_can_be_set_at_runtime

    # This turns named references that are specified as getters and setters
    # into a series of required cell references
    transfer_named_references_to_keep_into_cells_to_keep
    transfer_named_references_that_can_be_set_at_runtime_into_cells_that_can_be_set_at_runtime

    # This makes sure we only extract values from the worksheets we actuall care about
    extractor = ExtractDataFromWorksheet.new
    extractor.only_extract_values = true

    cells_to_keep.each do |name, refs|
      xml_filename = @worksheet_xmls[name]

      log.info "Extracting data from #{name}"
      xml(xml_filename) do |input|
        extractor.extract(name, input)
      end
    end
    @values = extractor.values

    # These perform some translations to tsimplify the excel
    # Including:
    # * Turning row and column references (e.g., A:A) to areas, based on the size of the worksheet
    # * Turning range references (e.g., A1:B2) into array litterals (e.g., {A1,B1;A2,B2})
    # * Turning shared formulae into a series of conventional formulae
    # * Turning array formulae into a series of conventional formulae
    # * Mergining all the different types of formulae and values into a single hash
    rewrite_values_to_remove_shared_strings

    # FIXME: Bodge for the moment
    @formulae = @values
    create_sorted_references_to_test

    # This actually creates the code (implemented in subclasses)
    write_code

    # These compile and run the code version of the excel (implemented in subclasses)
    run_tests

    log.info "The generated code is available in #{File.join(output_directory)}"
  end

  # These actually create the code version of the excel
  def write_code
    write_tests
  end

  def write_code_to_set_values
    log.info "Writing code to set values to match those in the worksheet"
  end

  # FIXME: Should make a Rakefile, especially in order to make sure the dynamic library name

  def write_tests
    log.info "Writing tests"

    name = output_name.downcase
    @test_name = "test_#{name}_#{Time.now.to_i}.rb"
    o = output(@test_name)
    o.puts "# coding: utf-8"
    o.puts "# Test for #{name}"
    o.puts  "require 'minitest/autorun'"
    o.puts  "require_relative '#{output_name.downcase}'"
    o.puts
    o.puts "class Test#{ruby_module_name} < Minitest::Unit::TestCase"
    o.puts "  def self.runnable_methods"
    o.puts "    puts 'Overriding minitest to run tests in a defined order'"
    o.puts "    methods = methods_matching(/^test_/)"
    o.puts "  end"
    o.puts "  def worksheet; @worksheet ||= init_spreadsheet; end"

    # We need to set up the worksheet with the correct starting values
    o.puts "  def init_spreadsheet"
    o.puts "    s = #{ruby_module_name}Shim.new"

    mapper = MapValuesToRuby.new

    cells_that_can_be_set_at_runtime.each do |sheet, cells|
      worksheet_c_name = c_name_for_worksheet_name(sheet)
      cells.each do |cell|
        ast = @values[[sheet.to_sym, cell.to_sym]]
        next unless ast
        value = mapper.map(ast)

        full_reference = worksheet_c_name.length > 0 ? "#{worksheet_c_name}_#{cell.downcase}" : "#{cell.downcase}"
        o.puts "    s.#{full_reference} = #{value}"
      end
    end

    o.puts "    return s"
    o.puts "  end"

    CompileToCUnitTest.rewrite(Hash[@references_to_test_array], sloppy_tests, @worksheet_c_names, @constants, o)
    o.puts "end"
    close(o)
    puts "New test is in #{File.join(output_directory, @test_name)}"
  end

  def run_tests
    return unless actually_run_tests
    puts "Running the resulting tests"
    puts `cd #{File.join(output_directory)}; ruby "#{@test_name}"`
  end

end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Comparisons across cities are notoriously hard. For one, data availability is a huge problem given our methodological bias on the nation state. But there is also the problem on how we delineate municipalities. Nonetheless, I found this graph on city size and inequality very interesting.
I wanted to share and briefly discuss a great graph on income inequalities in Tokyo and Osaka that I found. It has been compiled by the NLI Research Institute and shows interesting variations across the 23 wards.
One of the first ideas to come out of writing this blog was to edit a book about Tokyo's postwar architecture. It's been several years since and I am wondering how I would go about a book on this or a similar topic now, almost five years later.
A few weeks ago I discussed the concept of "Tokyo as a slum" and how apt it is to describe living conditions in the postwar period. This is important if we are to glean how useful Tokyo's experience is to today's emerging megacities. A more fitting description, I found, may be that of "shared space poverty". I took a good look at the 1963 Housing Survey for data to support that line of thinking.
I re-read Matias's and Rahul's article on "When Tokyo Was A Slum" on Next City. It makes a good qualitative case as to why the city's incremental, unplanned growth post-WWII may hold lessons for today's developing cities. I looked for some quantitative substantiation of their claim that indeed Tokyo was a slum. Here is what I dug up.
Why does Japan have so many retail stores?
…goes the title of a relatively old paper by Professor David Flath, who teaches economics at Ritsumeikan University these days. As I study Tokyo's postwar history and, as part of that, am interested in the density of retail stores, it's worth summing up the main points and adding a few more thoughts. The high density of retail is a phenomenon that despite several years of de-densification stays roughly intact today.
Spatial inequalities refer to the uneven distribution of resources across space, i.e. that it varies depending on location. Examples of this are the uneven distribution of income, access to health, or availability of shopping outlets. The following looks at some of the main concepts and issues, including how to measure spatial inequalities.
I am about half way in the second time teaching this course at Temple University here in Tokyo. It's certainly already been one of the highlights of my time here in Japan, and nicely complements my rather scholarly pursuits at GRIPS.
Another post with some notes on a book, this time on income inequality. I will try to add to this some figures on income inequalities in Tokyo later.


If there's one subject that is imbued with myth, it's witchcraft. I'm not talking about historical myths either, fascinating though they are. I'm talking about the misconceptions surrounding witchcraft today. As a witch it's frustrating to read the same old nonsense over and over. So here's my attempt to clear up some of those mistaken and sometimes harmful myths about witchcraft.
No, we don't. True, there are one or two branches of occult studies, such as Satanism and Luciferianism that do have connections to what we would consider to be the Devil. However even those traditions need to be understood before making assumptions about what their members get up to. Generally speaking, 99.99 percent of witches do not believe in, let alone worship, any kind of devil figure. And that is because the Devil is an invention of Christianity.
Where confusion arises is in the fact that many Wiccans and witches do acknowledge the Horned God. The Horned God can take several forms, the most common being the Celtic deity, Cernunnos. Cernunnos was (or is) the God of nature and fertility.
Of course a person can be a member of a family tradition, but it's not a perquisite for being a witch, so there's no 'must' about it. Witchcraft is a path you are drawn to and choose for yourself. It makes no difference if your family roots are in Pendle Hill, Lancashire, England, or Salem, Mass., or you have no idea of your family history. You can be a witch. You can start right from where you are.
No, you don't. It's not necessary.
For the rest of us solitary, informal witches, we can choose to mark our progress with a simple ritual, or not at all. It's a free choice.
Some do, it's true. But it is not that common to work 'skyclad'. For one thing, it's usually a little too cold in the Northern Hemisphere. Many witches will dress for the occasion, in a loose robe, while others wear the same thing they do to go to the supermarket.
If you join a coven and some of the things they advocate make you feel uncomfortable, then leave it. At no time should you allow yourself to be coerced into doing something you don't want to. You can follow a witch path without dogma and dictates.
There are those who, somewhat sanctimoniously in my view, claim that they are 'white witches' who only work 'good spells'. Casting spells is simply working with and channeling energy toward a desired outcome. It's neutral. What is important is that due consideration is given to the possible results. If it involves manipulating specific people, then it's not good.
And who's to say that one 'white' witch's good spell won't cause more harm than good? Imagine casting a love spell that backfires and promotes love between two people who really shouldn't have got together in the first place. Or maybe the white witch casts a spell to help herself lose weight and becomes anorexic in the process? Not so good, after all.
Oh yes they are. This kind of magick has a lot of power because of the focused intent and emotion that's usually behind it. Remember that all magick is simply the directing of energy, and thought is energy. Often, though, the person receiving the curse is in a good place, psychically speaking, and the curse might only have a small, temporary effect. Problems arise when that person is mentally vulnerable, has a deep belief they can be negatively affected, and knows or suspects that a curse has been cast in their direction.
And like any kind of manipulative magick, curses and hexes have a penchant for turning back on the spellcaster themselves.
Even better if it has been written in the blood of fairies and handed down through the centuries.
You don't have to keep a Book of Shadows, or a witch journal or a spell recipe book at all. There's no rule that says you must. However, it can be a useful and fun thing to do. And certainly, a journal tracking your spiritual progress is always meaningful. Think of it as a place where you can work out problems, keep track of results, and generally confide in when there's no-one else you can talk to. But, if you don't like writing stuff down, then don't bother. You will be just as good a witch without it.
Do you believe in prayer, Dafuq? Or wishes? Or even just hoping something will happen? They are all spells of a kind. Why would you need help from demons to say a prayer?
Great words! Precised and concrete!


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Vere Henry Hobart, Lord Hobart (8 December 1818 – 27 April 1875) was a British colonial administrator.

Hobart was born in Welbourn, Lincolnshire to  Augustus Hobart-Hampden, 6th Earl of Buckinghamshire and Mary Williams, daughter of Welsh barrister John Williams. In 1840, he graduated from Trinity College, Oxford with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A). Following the death of his grandfather in 1849, his father succeeded to the earldom and Vere was styled as Lord Hobart (his father's courtesy title).

On 4 August 1853, he married Mary Katherine Carr, daughter of the former Bishop of Bombay Rt. Revd. Thomas Carr and Catherine Emily MacMahon. He worked as a clerk in the Board of Trade in 1842. He was the private secretary to Sir George Grey at the Home Office in 1855. On 30 May 1856, he matriculated from Trinity College. He was the Governor of Madras from 15 May 1872 till his death on 27 April 1875, decessit vita patris. He died unexpectedly at Government House, Madras of typhoid fever.

References

1818 births
1875 deaths
Deaths from typhoid fever
Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford

Heirs apparent who never acceded
Vere
British courtesy barons and lords of Parliament

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Chitale Khari Bundi (Also known as Khari Bundi) is a very famous Indian savoury / snacks item mainly from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajastan. Chitale Bundi / Boondi is very popular and highly admired all over India and abroad. Khari Boondi is also used to prepare Boondi Raita. This is one of the flagship products of Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale, Pune. You can now buy Chitale Bundi online, Buy Chitale Boondi online in London, UK. Fresh and Authentic. Free delivery in UK Mainland on all orders over £30.
Chitale Khari Boondi - perfectly tasty and crunchy!!


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2022 Royal Enfield Scram 411 First Look Preview
Royal Enfield dresses down the Himalayan with its 2022 Scram 411.
By Anders T. Carlson
Perky, alert and ready to jump a curb or two: the new Royal Enfield Scram 411.Royal Enfield
Adventure crossover? Adventure motorcycle? Curb-hopper? Whatever you want to call it, the Royal Enfield Scram 411 looks like a fun variant of the much-liked Himalayan. Using a Hodaka-esque name, the Scram 411 fills the growing small-displacement adventure/scrambler streetbike segment. Ducati seems to have shipped its Sixty2 out of the American market, so there's more room than before.
Already available in India, it's not to be confused with an entry-level enduro that could help you tackle dirt piles, abandoned lots, or random countryside. The Scram 411 will still help you fight urban obstacles in creative, semi-legal ways. Of course, follow all local traffic laws, etc.
You already know Royal Enfield's air-cooled fuel-injected four-stroke SOHC 411cc single-cylinder engine. The headline here is long-travel suspension and (supposedly) class-leading 7.8-inch ground clearance. To this end, suspension consists of a 41mm fork offering 7.4 inches of travel with 7.0 inches in the rear. A 19-inch front wheel and 17-inch rear helps it all roll. At some point, front and rear discs with dual-channel ABS bring it all to a safe halt. These Himalayan-esque specs should make for a fun urban commuter and/or scrambler.
According to provided press materials, "The single seat that reflects the urban styling of the motorcycle offers great comfort for both rider and passenger." Right. So to be accurate, it's not a single seat at all. Good thing, as willing passengers should be plentiful. Seat height is an accessible 31.2 inches, so stop-and-go traffic should be a breeze.
A single analog gauge tops it all off. Very classy, Royal Enfield. An MSRP and color options will be announced in the coming months, as will its US availability, slated for spring or late summer of this year. Until then, enjoy the press photos.
Drawing on the Himalayan's strengths, the Scram 411 is an urban scrambler.Royal Enfield


WOW! What a fabulous week it was at SMU. It was a beautiful day for a fashion show for the finale of SMU Fashion Week. The show was produced by SMU students with student models and the fashion looks were sponsored by Tootsies. All I can say is well done SMU Retail Club!
P.S. - Thank you Rebecca Marin, Julia Eggleston, Daniella Lopez, and Kelsey Reynolds for all that you did to make SMU Fashion Week possible. And thank you for naming me Most Stylish of SMU Fashion Week and for reserving a front row seat for me!


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SmartData Collective > Big Data > Big Data Creates Massive Changes for the Game of Golf
Big Data Creates Massive Changes for the Game of Golf
Big data analytics in golf technology has permanently changed the game for the better and continues to do so.
Posted by Diana Hope
Shutterstock Licensed Photo - By JB illustration | stock vector ID: 518388937
How To Build A High-Performing Data Analytics Platform In The Cloud
All the way back in the 15th century, golf emerged on the sports scene and to this day, it remains one the most popular sports worldwide. It has maintained its originality and etiquette, even in its modern form.
However, just like other traditional sports and hobbies, it is not immune to changes brought on by new technology. Since its conception, many individual athletes and teams have optimized their performances with the latest technology while enhancing entertainment value for fans.\
We recently talked about some of the changes that data has created in the game of golf. You can keep reading to learn more about the history of these changes.
Big Data and Golf Game
Every aspect of golf in the modern form is being transformed through data analysis, cloud technologies, machine learning, and scientific advances. Golf has since embraced data analytics to provide enjoyment to the game and a deeper understanding.
A lot of changes have come about due to data analytics in the golf profession. One expert analyzed over 15 million shots and used a data analytics tool to understand ways to perfect golfing techniques.
Some of the biggest changes emerged nearly two decades ago, while others are only recently surfacing. In 2003, a development that triggered the revolution of data happened when CDW partnered with PGA Tour with a ball-tracking system that is more advanced, known as ShotLink. ShotLink's concept was designed in 1983 to catalogue historical data as an electronic scorecard.
However, with technological advancements, PGA Tour and CDW have developed an improved system intended to break down every stroke detail for each player to facilitate their performance. The objective of this cheaper golf simulator cost was to help golf be more accessible to fans and also to help golfers improve their game through data all over the world.
A study was held in 2016 that saw Big Data come into the scene.
This involved golfers at all levels, from amateurs to pros. During the study, 225 terabytes of swing data were used to analyze over 13000 golf swings. Several conclusions were from this study as to why one golfer can be better than the other.
Since Big data involves a lot of information, you might get hesitant on how to use it in practice. However, this information can help you a lot in your golf game, therefore, you can have a golf coach to guide you through where your game is and what to do to be a better golfer in the future. This is one of the biggest changes created in the game by big data.
Alternatively, you can buy a golf simulator. A golf simulator cost should not worry you because its prices vary from the most expensive to the most affordable.
Data analytics unlocked the following differences between the worst and best golfers:
Hip turn when the club connect with the ball
Hip sway when the club connect with the ball
Hip sway at the top of every swing
Shoulder bends at the finish of every swing
The shoulder should tilt at the top of every swing
Other than direct benefits to the player, technology has also led to the golf grounds improvement. Data systems allow golf clubs to track every shot played in their course with gender, age, handicap, weather condition, tee usage and the pace of play.
Data systems also give golfers a clear understanding of the interaction between players and various features of the golf course. It promotes focuses on improving the efficiency of a golfer by increasing course strategy or difficulty, playability pace play or environmental impact. It also focuses on reducing maintenance costs by reducing chemical and fertilizer usage, water redundancy and size in areas of little to no play.
Some companies provide golfers with smartwatches to track every shot hit and their location and also help them to get all their statistics in real-time.
Data analytics in today's golf sport has become very important. As it gets complex with tighter margins, the data analytics integration with technology will continue to rise. Moreover, golfers seem to have accepted and understood and appear to embrace this growing technological revolution in the golf course.
As hybrid cloud solutions and big data analytics solutions become more persistent in sports revolutionizing how individuals and team function, tech firms are continuing to apply technology to track performance and statistics.
New systems and devices are improving data collection. Statistical analysis can help in creating new ways to play, train, and watch the sport with advanced details. Modern data analytics help golfer to examine their form exhaustively digital while highlighting areas where they can improve.
Therefore, whether you are an amateur or a top player, data is becoming a part of the modern golf game.
Tags: big data data analytics in golf
Diana Hope November 11, 2020
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When booking online on Cimalpes.ski, we systematically offer as an option the subscription to the cancellation insurance policy. This insurance is available for any rental of €10'000 (VAT included) per week or less. This insurance applies to both the cancellation or interruption of a stay. The cost of the insurance is 3% of the public rental price (TTC).
A part payment equal to 25% of rental cost. Expressly agreed on by the parties, it is understood that this sum is paid as a part payment and not as down payment.
The rental cost balance must be paid no later than one month before the start of the stay in the rented accommodation.
If the balance remains unpaid within one month before the arrival date, the agency will have the rights to cancel the reservation. In that case, the deposit will be refunded if the property has a new booking on the same period and under the same rate.
The rental cost must be paid in full, in a single payment, on the day the booking is made if the accommodation is booked one month or less before the start date of the stay.
All our rates are in euros including taxes, rent, filing fees, and rental charges.
The lessee undertakes to accept the rented premises on the dates and times established in the contract.
The keys will be given after the payment of deposit, holiday tax and the payment of additional bookings.
If the deposit is said to be cashed-in on the contract, it will be paid at the same moment as the balance, one month before arrival.
Tourist tax (rate per day per person and depending on the type of property).
All auxiliary services: airport transfers, ski equipment, ski passes, etc.
The agency communicates its rental offers by all means and, if necessary, by all types of advertising.
The rental contract is then only drawn up after confirmation of the rental by the agency, and will take place within the month when the part payment is paid. After this time, if the agency has not confirmed the rental, it will return the part payment immediately, and the booking will be considered as null and void.
All cancellations must be notified by registered letter.
The date on which the letter is presented will determine the date of cancellation.
Less than 30 days or no-show at the start of stay: 100% of the stay is invoiced.
In the event of a cancellation supported by a reason, should the premises be re-rented, the paid amount will be returned to the tenant who cannot honour his/her contract. Stays begun and then shortened or interrupted by the tenant do not entitle the latter to any refunds.
Should the agency be obliged to cancel the stay in the building planned, due to factors caused by third-parties or external circumstances, it shall supply, if possible, accommodation of the same category or of a higher category, without any additional invoicing. If the agency is unable to do so, it undertakes to refund immediately the totality of the sum paid.
Cancellation insurance can be contracted for the stay, as an extra fee.
All objects or personal effects belonging to the tenant, relay of the own responsibility of this one.
The tenant is responsible for all damages he has caused. The tenant will thus have to make sure an insurance company against risks of theft, fire, broken glass and water damage, and more generally both for all of its tenant's risks than for the let furniture, as well as for the appeals of the neighbors, and to prove the whole with first request of the owner or his(her) representative. As a consequence, these disclaim all liability for the appeal which their insurance company could exercise against the taker in case of disaster.
The guarantee deposit is paid to settle the cost of any damage that might have been incurred by the rented real estate property or by items of furniture or other items furnishing the rented premises, and to settle the various expenses.
This deposit will be kept until the departure of the client and the inventory is validated. It can be cashed in.
The deposit will be made at the latest the day of arrival of the client.
Payment can be made by bank card, in cash or by bank transfer, according to the amount marked in the special provisions of the contract.
This sum will be blocked and returned within 15 days following the customer's departure, once the amount has been deducted for any objects replaced, repair costs, additional housekeeping and extra food and drink consumed.
Should the guarantee deposit prove insufficient, the lessee undertakes to complete the sum if so requested.
An extra to 10% (to the price before tax) will be added on caretaker services (taxi and helicopter transfers, cleaning….). The price re-invoiced by Cimalpes of some services with a reduced VAT rate will necessarily lead to a change to standard VAT rate*. Services subjected to outlays excepted.
* As of January 1st 2014, the standard VAT rate is of 20%.
Some additional services subjected to a reduced VAT rate are supplied to you like outlays: being intermediate, Cimalpes is appointed by his customer to buy from a reduced VAT rate of the product or the service (ski passes, ski lessons ESF) with the concerned company. It is about a refund of outlays for others and the intermediary Cimalpes does not have to subject to the VAT the sums which have been paid. Cimalpes does not practice mark-up and the service is bought at the public price shown in the cash-desk of providers.
Each tenant must present to the agency and will be led to the accommodation they have rented.
Late arrivals, i.e. after 7.30pm, must be reported to the agency before noon to organize a late arrival.
On the day of departure, the rented accommodation must be vacated before 10am, when the keys will be handed over and the inventory conducted.
Postponed departures will be invoiced between 150 €/hour to 1 000€/hour according to the type of accommodation rented.
The global billing payment at the end of stay has to be paid the day before departure, on Friday, the agency being open from 9 am to 7.30pm.
Any key or command key not restored will be invoiced at purchase price.
Duration of stay is mentioned in the contract. The lessee cannot in any way or manner, authorize himself a late departure or a prolongation of stay, approval of agency excepted, with and extra fee, that will be fixed at a pro rata rate of the stay.
The former declares not to rent the property mentioned in this contract that is rented to him as provisory accommodation, major condition for a rental approval.
The incoming and outgoing inventory will be one-sidedly made by the agency before the arrival and after the departure of the tenant.
The aforementioned inventory not being made in a contradictory way, the tenant shall have a period of 48 hours to lodge a complaint. After this deadline, the rented properties will be considered as exempt from damage.
Occupy the premises in a temporary way. This building is not his main residence, and not a secondary and the lessee will not exercise a professional activity in the premises.
The lessee undertakes to accept the rented premises in the condition they are in when he/ she takes possession of the premises such as described in the description attached to this contract.
Occupy the premises in a subtle way in order to not disturb the neighbours. He shall not create, in particular, any noise nuisance.
The lessee undertakes to use the furniture and objects furnishing the rented accommodation for the purpose for which they are intended and on the premises where they are found. He/ she shall not under any circumstances take them outside the rented accommodation.
The contract shall be legally terminated should the lessee, for any reason whatsoever, let or transfer his/ her rights to this contract without the express consent of the owner or of his authorised agent. He or she must reside in the rented accommodation in conventional manner and may, under no circumstances, store their furniture with the exception of linen and small objects.
Keep the premises in the same state they were found, during the stay.
The lessee shall not introduce into the rented accommodation any pets without the express consent of the agency who shall first consult the owner for his/ her agreement.
Let the agency know if there is any maintenance to do.
The lessee must let any urgent work be carried out on the premises, required to ensure the upkeep of the rented accommodation and of the shared facilities. If works to be done are owed to a deterioration assigned to the tenant, they will be invoiced to the tenant.
Furniture and objects must only suffer from wear and tear resulting from the normal use for which they are intended. Should they be found to be missing or damaged on expiry of this contract for a cause other than normal wear and tear, they must be paid for or replaced by the lessee with the consent of the owner or of his authorised agent. This obligation also applies to wallpaper, curtains and to the building in general. The lessee must absolutely not discard into the washbasin, bath, bidet, sink, laundry, WC, etc. any objects likely to block the pipes. Otherwise, he shall be charged for the expenses incurred to make the necessary repairs.
In event of rental in an apartment block, as an occupier of the premises, the lessee shall comply with the in-house regulations of this apartment block with which he/ she acknowledges they are familiar.
The lessor shall place at the disposal of the lessee the rented building and its accessories, according to the description received at the time of booking, and shall comply with the obligations laid down in this contract.
Any claims made concerning a service must be sent to the agency within 3 days following taking up possession of the premises.
The fact that the tenant chooses not to take advantage of one or more of the services included in the package does not entitle him/ her to any refunds or compensation.
The present contract is established for a maximum capacity of persons. This number of people confirmed on the contract must not be exceeded.
In case of non-authorized overflow, the agency will be able to refuse the extra people.
For rentals comprising a swimming pool, it is indicated that these dispose of a security system according to the norms in vigor. A user's manual is given to the lessee at his arrival.
On failure to pay at the due dates and to fulfil any clause in this contract, eight days after formal notice has been given and not responded to, the owner or his authorised agent is entitled to demand immediate termination of this contract. The lessee must therefore vacate the rented premises simply on the order of the referee.
Information retrieved are the object of an automated or informatics treatment destined to the application of this contract.
Conformingly to the law of the 6th of January 1978, the lessee has a right of access and rectification towards the lessor, in charge of the treatment. Modalities of application are defined by mutual agreement.
This Agreement was written in French and translated into English for English-speaking clients' benefit. All care has been taken, but if the translation differs, the parties agree that the French version shall prevails.


Regenerate Pennine Lancashire (now Growth Lancashire) worked with Local Authority partners and Historic England to produce the Pennine Lancashire Heritage Investment Strategy (PL HIS), mapping key investment and funding opportunities against key heritage challenges – the "Priority Projects".
Align funding and investment opportunities.
The mapping process identified that a third of the Priority Projects were situated along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal. This resulted in the development of the Pennine Lancashire "Signature Priority Project" to improve the Leeds-Liverpool Canal and the creation of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal Linear Park concept.
The PL HIS also culminated in the inclusion of the Pennine Lancashire "Heritage Compact" which signalled the Local Authorities commitment to addressing the challenges posed by the priority projects.


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Nathrius berlandi är en skalbaggsart som först beskrevs av Jean François Villiers 1946.  Nathrius berlandi ingår i släktet Nathrius och familjen långhorningar. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Långhorningar
berlandi


Glasgow head coach Gregor Townsend reckons Finn Russell's big-match temperament will thrust him into the spotlight when it comes to British & Irish Lions fly-half selection.
Russell, 24, pictured below, was outstanding in Glasgow's impressive recent victories over Racing 92, outplaying New Zealand double World Cup-winning stand-off Dan Carter on back-to-back weekends.
Townsend insists the 22-cap Scotland star has done enough to enter the thoughts of Lions boss Warren Gatland, who must also consider the claims of Ireland's Jonny Sexton, England pair George Ford and Owen Farrell and Wales hot-shot Dan Biggar.
"Finn deserved to be in the Lions conversation before the games against Racing but he's playing with lots of confidence and parts of his game have got really strong over the last couple of years," Townsend, Scotland's head coach-elect, told The Rugby Paper.
"The exciting thing is there's a lot more to come from Finn. His performance away in Racing was excellent and in the home game, especially in the first half, his running game was very good and he loves those big games that bring out the best in him.
"The bigger the challenges, the more his confidence rises and although that's not a usual trait with a lot of players, it's a great one to have in those decision-making positions. His kicking's at 82 per cent so that stands up to scrutiny on the big occasion as well.
Six Nations performances will heavily influence Gatland's selection and Townsend is confident that Scotland, who boasted the third best winning record in Test rugby behind England and New Zealand in 2016, are set to be highly competitive.
He said: "There's a lot of confidence in the Scottish game and the way they played in November was excellent. With three home games in this year's Six Nations the crowd will get right behind the team and it's heightened my excitement for the year ahead.
Townsend takes over from Vern Cotter as Scotland boss in June, which scuppered his opportunity of joining the Lions coaching staff in New Zealand.
He explained: "Unfortunately, the timing just didn't work out. I've got the dream job coaching my country and while being involved with the Lions would have been a dream as well, my full-time focus has to be on Scotland's summer tour.
Townsend still has unfinished business with Glasgow and would love to take his side to the knock-out stages of the Champions Cup for the first time.
Glasgow lead their Pool with matches against Munster and Leicester to come, with Townsend adding: "We had two great results against Racing and to beat the Top 14 champions on their own patch was a real statement of intent from us.
"To see the players play with so much energy and positivity was a real boost to everyone in the Scottish game, but the significance of those wins will only come through if we do well over our next two games against Munster and Leicester.


Colombia remains open to the adoption of biotech-derived commodities. However, area planted of genetically engineered (GE) corn and cotton decreased this past year due to high production costs and lower international prices. The Constitutional Court ruled in favor of mandatory labeling of GE organisms in response to a lawsuit.
Colombia is generally open to biotechnology. However, pending labeling legislation, as well as synchronicity issues that result from a fragmented internal approval process are causing regulatory uncertainty, and potentially hindering the adoption of new technologies.
The implementation of the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (CTPA) propelled Colombia to become the second largest market in Latin American for U.S. agricultural exports. In 2015, trade values were above $2.4 billion. U.S. exports in GE derived agricultural products such as corn, cotton, soybeans, soybean meal, soybean oil, and distillers' grains were valued at $1.3 billion in 2015.
Parts of the Colombian agricultural biotechnology regulatory framework remain under review by the Government of Colombia (GOC). Colombia approved the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB) in 2002. In 2005, Decree 4525 was published to implement the CBP. Since then, several other GOC regulatory measures were published to outline specific requirements and procedures for approving and using GE agriculture and derived products in Colombia. Colombia's biotechnology regulations are regularly reviewed and modified, providing opportunities to engage GOC regulatory agencies with technical outreach that facilitates the adoption of science-based regulatory policies.
The GOC has created three technical biotechnology committees to analyze environmental, biosafety and food safety impacts of biotech-derived products. The MHSP issued Resolution 4254 establishing the requirements for labeling of foods derived from modern biotechnology. The resolution was implemented in June 2012. In addition, the GOC developed the Technical Annex to supplement resolution 4254, but internal GOC deliberations continue, and this has yet to be implemented In the meantime, on September 8, 2015, the Constitutional Court ruled in favor of mandatory labeling of GE organisms in response to a lawsuit attacking Consumer Law 1480, Article 24, which refers to labeling, but does not address GE labeling.
In 2002, GE cotton was the first GE plant cultivated on a non-restricted commercial basis in Colombia. The first GE corn traits were approved in 2007 and GE corn continues to surpass GE cotton adoption with area planted of 85,251 hectares in 2015. Also, GE Dutch blue carnations continue to be produced under greenhouse conditions for export to Europe and GE blue petal roses for exports to Japan.
Regarding animal biotechnology, Colombia continues to import GE vaccines for animal diseases. In addition, there seems to be an increased interest from overseas companies on accessing the Colombian market with GE mosquitoes.
Colombia has not developed any biotechnology crops to date. There are several Colombian organizations conducting specific research projects. The Colombian sugar cane research center (CENICAÑA) is developing a sugar cane variety resistant to the yellow leaf virus. The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) is researching GE rice, cassava and grass. The Colombian Coffee Research Center (CENICAFE) is conducting GE research on tobacco (nicotiana), the fungus Beaveria bassiana, and a coffee variety resistant to coffee borer (broca). The International Corporation for Biological Research (CIB) is investigating potatoes resistant to lepidopterous insects. Colombian universities and research institutes are working together to develop rice and potato biotechnology events. There is increasing GOC and farmer interest to expedite the development of biotechnology events that enhance competitive benefits for local crops that are sensitive to competition from imports. All varieties of events that are developed must go through the regulatory approval process whether intended as an ornamental, for human consumption and/or animal feed.
Prior to 2006, the only non-restricted GE approval in Colombia was for the cotton varieties Bollgard and Roundup-Ready. In February 2007, the GOC approved the first stacked event, a cotton variety combining Bollgard and Roundup-Ready. The GOC also approved controlled planting of GE corn. In 2010, GE soybean production was approved for commercial cultivation, but has yet to be planted. Biotech blue carnations and blue petal roses are cultivated for solely export markets. Total area planted for these ornamental crops is 12 hectares. In 2015, Colombia planted 85,251 and 15,868 hectares of GE corn and cotton, respectively. Although GE corn planting decreased by 3,797, it continues to be the most widespread GE plant cultivated in Colombia . It represents 24% of the total area planted to corn. GE cotton area planted decreased dramatically by about 13,970 hectares. However, this was part of an overall decrease in cotton plantings, and GE crops still represent 77% of total area planted. GE technology continues to be adopted, but high production costs and lower international prices have discouraged greater adoption by farmers country wide.
Genetically engineered Dutch blue carnations are produced under greenhouse conditions for export to Europe and GE blue petal roses for exports to Japan. Area planted in 2015 for both Dutch blue carnations and blue petal roses remains unchanged at 12 hectares. One blue petal rose in the Japanese retail market has an estimated value of about $40-$50.
Genetically engineered seeds are imported mostly form the United States and occasionally from South Africa, Argentina and Australia.
Colombia receives limited food aid from the United States. Any food aid containing GE events must have regulatory approval in Colombia for human consumption.
Pending mandatory labeling requirements have the potential to destabilize Colombia's regulatory environment for GE products and to squander benefits for consumers and the agricultural sector.
Decree 4525 of December 6, 2005, established three interagency committees composed of the above-mentioned Ministries that are responsible for biosafety issues and the evaluation and approval of biotech events.
National Technical Committee for Agriculture, Fishery, Forestry and Agro-industry (CTN-Bio):CTN-Bio's role is to assess GE events for non-food related GE products. Although the committee has been approving new-to-market GE products, the MEHTD has voiced concerns regarding the environmental impact of events. The time taken to conduct a risk assessment varies since all dissenting concerns by the different ministries must be resolved before a product is approved. The graph below illustrates the CTN-Bio approval process.
National Committee for Health and Human Nutrition (CTN-Health):CTN-Health's function is to assess the impact GE products and by-products on human health. On February 1, 2007 the MHSP issued regulatory Resolution 227 to establish the functions of the committee. CTN-Health has submitted a number of recommendations for approval to the MHSP; however, the timeline for approvals is extensive. Colombian industry and the U.S. Government are requesting that the Ministry streamline the approval procedures with predictable timelines. The graph below illustrates the CTN-Health approval process.
All GE events for commercial cultivation and/or environmental release must be approved by the GOC. All GE events must be approved individually and there is no process to review "stacked" events as a whole. The approval process for GE derived feed and food materials are completed by CTN-Bio and CTN-Health, and the committees' decision timelines are not coordinated. These parallel timelines can result in internal asynchronous approvals.
Both academia and research centers have initiated some discussions around innovative technologies. The major challenge is for government officials to decide how these technologies may be regulated and if they should be covered by existing domestic legislation and regulation, or whether they should be considered under the GE umbrella.
There is some degree of uncertainty regarding the impact that GE labeling will have on the current GE regulatory framework, and on the use of GE technology in Colombia. The MHSP issued regulatory Resolution 4254 establishing the requirements for labeling of food derived from modern biotechnology in 2012. The resolution requires labeling information for product health and safety, such as potential allergenicity. Labeling must also address the functionality of the food, as well as the identification of significant differences in the essential characteristics of the food. In addition to Resolution 4254, the Colombian government drafted a Technical Annex to supplement the Resolution, but the Annex is still in internal discussion within the MHSP. There remains no indication when the Annex will be finalized and published/notified.
In the meantime, on September 8, 2015, the Constitutional Court ruled in favor of mandatory labeling of GE organisms in response to a lawsuit attacking Consumer Law 1480, Article 24, which refers to labeling, but does not address GE labeling. According to this decision, Congress is required to draft and implement legislation on mandatory labeling of GE organisms within two years to comply with the court's ruling. As of now, GE labeling relies on Resolution 4254. However, challenges may rise once Congress seeks to comply with the Court's ruling late in 2017.
Regarding labeling for imported GE materials (seeds or other plant reproductive materials and animal products), ICA issued regulatory Resolution 946, stating that imported GE derived materials should be labeled as "Genetically Modified Organisms" or, in Spanish, Organismo Modificado Geneticamente. This requirement is being justified under "consumer-right-to-know" principles.
Industry and commodity exporters have expressed concerns that not all GE events traded in international commerce have been approved in Colombia. This could potentially delay shipments as a result of asynchronous approvals. The Annex will provide a LLP threshold to address that concern. The Technical Annex will supplement regulatory Resolution 4254 and require approval for all GE derived agricultural imports destined for human consumption. Considering the unpredictable and lengthy timeframe for GE approvals, the GOC has proposed a 5 percent LLP threshold to address asynchronous approvals. The Annex, however, remains in internal discussion/review. After finalizing the Annex internally, the MHSP will submit the regulatory policy for international comments for two months. The LLP threshold will only apply to food-use GE events and not for GE raw materials destined for animal feed.
Colombia plays an active role in the discussions of the CPB Conference of the Parties as a signatory. In addition to the CPB, Colombia is also a signatory to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic resources for Food and Agriculture, the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), and attends CODEX meetings to discuss issues on biotechnology. Most recently, Colombia joined the Global Low Level Presence Initiative to develop international approaches to manage LLP.
Although Colombia's approach to biotechnology has been favorable, some environmental NGOs are pressuring government officials to reject biotech-derived technologies. In fact, anti-biotech activists have pushed for mandatory GE labeling as well as other regulations, such as Decree 4525, which establishes three interagency committees responsible for biosafety issues and the evaluation and approval of biotech events, to destabilize the regulatory framework.
Biotechnology derived commodities have been used in Colombia for about 15 years. Public opinion and media coverage to date has been favorable of biotechnology and consumers have not voiced major concerns about products containing GE derived raw materials. The GOC's structure for biotechnology regulations is science-based for approving or rejecting new biotechnology events. The basic principle of the GOC is to adopt the technologies that may help the economic/social development of rural Colombia. Of the various ministries, the MEHTD has been the most critical of biotechnology approvals. In addition, some indigenous groups have been inspired by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to oppose the introduction GE crops for cultivation and environmental release based on biodiversity concerns. Regarding biotechnology related studies, an IFPRI study on the economic benefits of cultivating GE cotton for women farmers indicated that they saved both time and money. The study helped highlight the role of women as practitioners and beneficiaries of biotech cotton production.
Colombia has focused on importing recombinant vaccines and diagnostic kits for animal diseases. Most recently, a company expressed interest in accessing the Colombian market with GE mosquitoes to control harmful insect populations. The technology will combat the Aedes aegypti, which is a vector of dengue, Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever and other arboviruses and will also assist with crop protection, specifically with medfly, as Colombian fruit exports are being badly hurt by damage from the pest.
The GOC regulatory framework for plant biotechnology also applies to animal biotechnology. Per Decree 4525, the CTN-Bio is the interagency committee responsible for the evaluation and approval of GE animal products after a risk evaluation is conducted by ICA. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). No IPR regulation has been identified at this time.


Holy Cross' Marimba Ensemble started in 1990 with 4 young players. Over two decades later, the group has grown to become one of the parish's most successful programs, inspiring leadership, ambition, responsibility, and creativity in approximately 45 young people each year.
The marimba is a large musical instrument consisting of wooden bars that 3-4 players strike with mallets. Multiple marimbas can be played at the same time, and percussion instruments and a bass guitar often accompany them. The sheer size of the instrument requires the musicians to perform as a team, working together and listening to each other to create a range of rhythms and songs.
The Marimba Ensembles' members typically begin learning to play by ear in 7th or 8th grade; most of the group's performing members are in high school. Former marimba players serve as paid teachers and mentors to the younger musicians. Dedicated players are given one of the 20 parish marimbas to keep at home so they can practice on their own. As long as players remain consistent about practice and performance commitments, they are allowed to keep the marimba, some for as long as 2 or 3 years. These dedicated players are also invited to play in the group's 100+ annual performances.
These performances are a huge motivating factor for the young players to stay involved in the program and out of trouble. Over the years, the group has played all over Chicago at locations ranging from City Hall, the Museum of Science and Industry, and Midway Airport to parties for families and businesses. In addition to these local performances, every summer the Marimba Ensemble travels around the country playing at cultural events and other parishes.
These summer trips, funded in part by food sales organized by Marimba Ensemble parents, enable the young musicians to broaden their world view and see what's beyond the Holy Cross parish community. This reality has the ancillary benefit of recharging the youths' commitment to productive and nonviolent activities during the summer months; the absence of daily classes in the summer can create too much time on the street. While on the road, the group stays with host families or at churches, and they stop at national parks and other points of interest that could expand their horizons and give them experiences outside of an urban setting.
For many of the players, being part of the Marimba Ensemble offers them a stable support structure for making solid decisions for themselves—immediately as well as in the future. Membership also boosts their self-esteem, expands their understanding of who they are, and highlights how their talent impacts other people. At each of their performances, members of the group are expected to speak with audience members, both as an entire group and one-on-one. These interactions give them experience navigating professional social settings and making connections with people from all different walks of life, including important political and business professionals. By talking with these adults, the young musicians often gain an interest in issues they might not otherwise think much about—like politics, religion, and social action—which they can then bring back to the parish community and share with others.
The staff at Holy Cross has found that the longer young people stay committed to the Marimba Ensemble, the more likely they are to go to college. In fact, 100% of the players who have stayed in the program for 3 or more years pursue education beyond high school. The group also gives youth an opportunity to express themselves creatively. Young people in the neighborhood often say that they have no talent. Outside of the parish, there aren't many opportunities to develop a talent or other positive forms of self-expression. Excelling at the marimba and sharing that talent with others, the members start to see themselves as having real potential, true talent, and a future. This new awareness of positives they already own makes pursuing higher education a way to continue their growth—possibly even as future community leaders.
The Marimba Ensemble is designed to give the young musicians ownership of most of the group's day-to-day responsibilities so they learn leadership skills and create something to be proud of. In addition to teaching newer members how to play the marimba, more experienced members also pass down the traditions of the group. The players have collaboratively written their own handbook with the rules and policies for the group. They also choreograph the dance moves for certain songs. These are the traditions, along with a deep sense of pride and investment, which are gifted from one generation of players to the next.
In addition to keeping young people off the street and positively engaged in a creative form of self-expression, the Marimba Ensemble also enriches the young players' relationships with their parents. As parents see their children more engaged in the community, more responsible, and driven to succeed at something requiring great discipline, they tend to become more involved in their children's lives and then in parish life in general.
Want to help support Holy Cross' Mariamba Ensemble? You can make a donation directly to this program, share this post on Facebook or Twitter, or join our monthly email list to help us spread the word.


text:
The Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility (MPCF) is an Iowa Department of Corrections correctional institution located in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, United States.  As of 30 July 2010, the institution has 1100 inmates and another 44 in segregation in a 775-inmate facility.  The facility has about 340 staff members.

The MPCF primarily houses inmates with treatable personality disorders and substance abuse problems.  The facility specializes in treating sex offenders and those having substance abuse problems.  The facility also works to help inmates transition to life on the outside.
The correctional facility is located on the same campus as the Mount Pleasant Mental Health Institute.

See also

 List of Iowa state prisons

References

Buildings and structures in Henry County, Iowa
Prisons in Iowa


text:
Business Major Guide
Majoring in business is a great option for anybody with an interest in business administration, business management, finance, or entrepreneurship. As a business major, you'll learn basic business theory as well as practical concepts related to sales, marketing, accounting and more.
Start Your Degree Here
I want my Select a Degree LevelAssociateBachelor'sMaster'sDoctorateCourseGraduate CertificateUndergraduate Certificate
In Select a CategoryBusinessTechnologyCriminal Justice & LegalHealth & MedicineEducationLiberal Arts & HumanitiesPublic Affairs & Social SciencesMath, Science & EngineeringReligious StudiesFine Arts & DesignVocational Training
Focusing on Select a Subcategory
By Academic Influence Staff
You'll also have a chance to focus on specific aspects of business, including human resources, hospitality, real estate, entertainment and much more. In fact, the business degree is an extremely popular degree because of its versatility. As a business major, you'll pursue your own concentration—whether your interest is in sales, promotions, international business, or any of the countless other options at your fingertips.
If you're ready to start earning this highly versatile degree at one of the most prestigious schools in the world, get started with a look at the Most Influential Schools in Business.
Or to find out what you can expect as a business major, read on…
5 Reasons to Major in Business
What Kinds of Business Degrees Are There?
What Are Some Popular Business Concentrations?
What Courses Will I Take as a Business Major?
What Can I Do With a Major in Business?
Related Programs to Consider AD
B.S. in Business Administration
B.S. in Business Administration - Management
B.S. in Professional Studies
More Degrees
Learn More About Purdue University Global
WELCOME TO PURDUE UNIVERSITY GLOBAL World-Class Education Tailored for Working AdultsBuilding on Purdue's mission to provide greater access to affordable, world-class education, Purdue University Global delivers a fully personalized online experience tailored for working adults.
Trident University International, a member of the American InterContinental University System
Cypress, CA
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Safety Management
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Dual Credit
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - General Business
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Contract Management
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Trident's learning approach prepares you to go further than you thought possible. Regionally accredited, Trident University is made up of three key differentiators, that creates a dynamic learning approach like no other.
The College of Westchester
Business Administration - Bachelor's
Learn More About The College of Westchester
At The College of Westchester Online Division, you'll experience a real-world education that will help you start a new career or enhance your present position.
Sullivan University
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Concentration in Supply Chain Management
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Concentration in Management
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Bachelor of Science: Business Administration: General
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Business Administration, BA
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Since 1977, Keiser University has maintained a practical, hands-on approach to career-focused education to help our students achieve their personal and professional goals. Our student-centered approach remains at the foundation of the Keiser University mission and continues to attract students who prefer a more personal learning experience.
American InterContinental University, a member of the AIU System
Learn More About American InterContinental University, a member of the AIU System
Serious about success? With your busy schedule and the desire to move your career forward, at AIU, the Serious U™, you can earn an accredited associate, bachelors or master's degree at a pace that works for you anywhere, anytime
Colorado Technical University
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
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Since 1965 Colorado Technical University has been proud to educate career focused students to advance their education and help achieve their goals. CTU's commitment to provide innovative, real-world learning to students within Colorado, the military, across the U. S. and overseas has never wavered.
BBA, General Business
BBA, Bus Admin-Management
Learn More About Berkeley College
Berkeley College has been preparing students for successful careers since Times have changed, but our "students first" commitment hasn't. Everything we do is designed to help students achieve professional and personal success.
More Schools +
1.Business majors are versatile.
The business major is popular for a reason. You can do practically anything with this degree. If you have an interest in project management, marketing, or small business administration, you'll love majoring in Business. Majoring in business is also a great option for students who are interested in learning about retail management, corporate citizenship, entrepreneurship, hospitality, real estate, and much more.
2.Business majors learn practical skills.
Many of the skills you'll develop as a business major will be applicable in other areas of life and career. Business majors typically incorporate the kinds of 21st Century skills like collaboration, communication, creative thinking, and technological literacy. Even if you don't plan to start your own business or lead a company, these skills will be valuable as you pursue your professional goals.
3.Business majors often pursue advanced degrees.
In addition to opening numerous career pathways, majoring in business can help prepare you for pursuit of an advanced degree. Many business majors will go on to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. This is a graduate degree where you'll get a chance to dive even deeper into your concentration while improving your appeal to employers and enhancing your earning power. Many, but not all, MBA programs require you to pass an admission exam called the GMAT.
4.Business majors have above-average earning power.
That said, an advanced degree is not required. A Bachelor's Degree in business can still adequately prepare you to enter into the job market. Moreover, a business major offers students among the best returns on investment. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, This median annual wage for business and financial occupations was $69,820 in May 2019, which was significantly higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $39,810.
5.Business majors are often highly influential.
Moreover, those who go on to great influence in business are consistently among the most influential figures in the world, in any discipline. Today, top business influencers are driving innovation through their research on lean startup methods, social marketing, global entrepreneurship, and more.
Find out who the Most Influential People are in Business today!
The great thing about majoring in business is that you have a lot of options. Business degrees come in a wide variety. The level of degree you pursue will depend on what you hope to do with your major.
Associate of Business: An associate degree in business provides a basic foundation in business studies and can create entry-level opportunities in sales, retail management, administrative assistance and more. This two-year degree can be an affordable way to get a head start on a bachelor's degree at a four-year college.
Bachelor of Business: The bachelor's degree in business in the most popular degree in the U.S. This is because this four-year degree provides an extremely versatile foundation in business and creates access to a wide range of opportunities in commerce, human resources, finance, and so much more.
Master of Business Administration (MBA): Typically a 2-year program, the MBA is designed for students interested in management and organizational leadership opportunities. An MBA can make you a more competitive candidate for leadership roles and improve your opportunity for organizational advancement.
PhD in Business: The doctoral-level degree in business is largely reserved for those interested in conducting research or pursuing professorship in business.
*Note: Many, but not all, degree programs offer the choice between Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. Likewise, many, but not all, advanced degree programs offer a choice between Master of Arts, and Master of Science degrees. In most cases, the primary difference is the diversity of course offerings. "Science" degree courses will focus almost entirely on the major discipline, with a deep dive into a specific concentration, including laboratory, clinical or practicum experience. An "Arts" degree will provide a more well-rounded curriculum which includes both core/concentration courses and a selection of humanities and electives. The type of degree you choose will depend both on your school's offerings and your career/educational goals. Moreover, there are sometimes numerous variations in the way that colleges name and categorize majors. The degree types identified here above are some of the common naming variations, but may not be all-encompassing.
Thinking of a graduate degree in business? Check out What Can I Do With a Master's Degree in Business? for more information on obtaining a graduate degree in this field.
Your "concentration" refers to a specific area of focus within your major. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) provides a complete listing of college degree programs and concentrations (Classification for Instructional Programs), as sourced from The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). According to IPEDS, the following are among the most popular business concentrations:
Business Administration, Management and Operations
Accounting and Related Services
Business/Managerial Economics
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations
Finance and Financial Management Studies
Hospitality Administration and Management
Human Resources and Management
Telecommunications Management
Your concentration will determine many of the courses you'll take as a business major. Likewise, you will be required to take a number of requisite courses on foundational topics such as accounting and organizational management. However, you will also have the freedom to select an array of courses that most interest you. As a business major, you'll have the chance to craft a well-rounded educational experience that ultimately furthers your professional goals.
Common Business courses include:
Franchising and Franchise Operations
Organizational Behavior Studies
Selling Skills and Sales Operations
The short answer to this question is, whatever you want. Whether you want to run a four-star hotel, start your own boutique shop on Main St., or crunch numbers for a Fortune 500 company, majoring in business is a good starting point. Your business major can lead to a wide range of career opportunities, including these top jobs:
Accountants and Auditors
Budget Analysts
Human Resources Specialists
Insurance Underwriters
Personal Financial Advisors
Curious how far you can go with a major in business? Start with a look at the top influencers in the field today!
Check out the Most Influential Schools in Business and get started on your path to a business degree.
And if you're shopping for the right college, be sure that you've reviewed our Resources on critical issues like Accreditation, Scholarships, Financial Aid, and more!


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