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Sarah Darville
New York City Moves to Shutter Three Charter Schools, Including One of Its Oldest
Chalkbeat New York
The city will move to close three charter schools at the end of this school year, including one that helped start New York's charter movement, officials said Friday.
Citing poor academic performance and unmet goals, the city said it would not renew the charters of Beginning with Children Charter School in Brooklyn, Lefferts Gardens Charter School in Brooklyn, and Staten Island Community Charter School. The announcement marks the start of the second round of charter school closures under Mayor de Blasio, who has said school closures should be a last resort.
"Each of these schools were given clear conditions with benchmarks for performance, and they failed to meet them," Chancellor Carmen Fariña said in a statement.
The three schools, all authorized by the city Department of Education, have struggled. City officials pointed out that Lefferts Gardens, an elementary school, has had three principals in three years and saw its students' passing rates on the state English exams fall last year to 11 percent, compared to its district average of 22 percent.
Staten Island Community also saw its English pass rates dip, to 19 percent, compared to an average of 30 percent across the city and 35 percent in Staten Island.
Beginning with Children has had the highest-profile decline. The school opened in Williamsburg at the urging of philanthropists Joseph and Carol Reich in 1992 with many of the freedoms now associated with charter schools, before charter schools were even legal in the state. It became an official charter school in 2001, retaining its unionized teachers and operating with help from a foundation with the same name.
But a dispute over that teachers union contract led the foundation to withdraw support in 2013, and the school's board of trustees then voted to voluntarily dissolve the school. New board members were soon elected and spent the next few years trying to right the ship. Still, the share of its students passing the state math and English tests declined last year, and district averages are twice as high.
Leaders of the three schools did not immediately respond to messages on Friday.
The city's announcement does not mean the schools are certain to close, as charter schools have successfully fought attempts to shut them down before.
Last spring, Fariña announced plans to close Brooklyn's Fahari Academy Charter School, which remained open this school year. Other city charter schools, including Peninsula Prep and Williamsburg Charter High School, won earlier legal fights to keep their doors open.
But James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter Center, signaled that the schools might not get continued support from the rest of the charter sector, which has encouraged the closure of poor-performing schools to maintain its reputation as intolerant of academic mediocrity.
"Nobody wants to see a school closed, but it's important that authorizers maintain high standards and hold charters accountable," Merriman said.
SUNY Charter Chair: We Won't Authorize More Schools Without More Funding
If SUNY is going to oversee more charter schools, it's going to need more money, the chair of its charter-school committee said Monday.
Trustee Joseph Belluck said SUNY is facing a choice between maintaining the Charter School Institute's strict oversight or stretching its staff thin by authorizing more New York City charter schools, as the state legislature allowed in a deal approved last week. Belluck said his decision was clear.
"I will say this now: I am not scheduling a vote on a single charter, a new charter, until there are additional resources allocated to the Charter School Institute," Belluck said.
"I am saying it to the charter community and the legislature and everybody else. I am a very stubborn person. I will not change my mind about this," he added. "If you want more charters in New York City or in upstate New York, you need to figure out a way to give us the resources to do it."
SUNY is one of two entities, along with the Board of Regents, that can approve new charter schools in New York state. Until last week's legislative deal, New York City charters were divided into those set aside for the Regents and for SUNY. SUNY had nearly exhausted its supply, with only one remaining charter.
The new law allows 50 additional charter schools to open in New York City, and allows those applicants to choose between the Regents and SUNY, the preferred authorizer of some of the city's charter-school networks, including Success Academy. If schools rush to SUNY, Belluck said, the situation could become untenable.
"I do not think it would be the responsible thing for me to add more charters to the Institute's workload without some additional funding," he said. "I am personally very disappointed that the legislation that just passed did not include some additional funding for our work."
SUNY Charter School Institute's budget for the coming school year, when it will oversee 146 schools, is $2.58 million. The Institute's funding has trended downward for years even as it added more schools, and next year's budget is less than the Institute was allocated in 2009-10, when the Institute oversaw just 68 schools, though it represents an increase over its $2.44 million budget for 2014-15.
Few were ready to offer additional support Monday.
"We fully expect the Charter Institute and SUNY to comply with the law and approve applications for high-performing charter schools, as it would be irresponsible not to," a Cuomo administration official said in a statement, which praised the Institute's "impeccable" track record. "This year, the State did approve an additional 5.8% increase for the Charter Institute, while many other agencies were held flat, so we believe they have the resources to handle any additional workload."
The New York City Charter Center was also critical of any potential delay in approving new schools.
"While we are sympathetic to the need of charter authorizers, including SUNY, to have sufficient resources to accomplish their critical oversight role, nothing can or should delay new great public charter schools from opening," Charter Center CEO James Merriman said in statement.
Merriman said he hoped SUNY would quickly release a request for proposals, which would kick off another round of charter applications. Susan Miller Barker, the Institute's executive director, said during Monday's meeting that one was ready to be posted later this week.
Geoff Decker contributed reporting.
Low Numbers of Black and Hispanic Students Admitted to NYC Specialized High Schools, Data Shows
Few black and Hispanic students won admission to eight of the city's specialized high schools this year, leaving the schools' diversity figures unlikely to change as their admissions process faces continued scrutiny.
Just 5 percent of offers went to black students, and 7 percent went to Hispanic students — numbers identical to last year's admissions figures — though those two groups make up 70 percent of the city's eighth graders. Asian students won the biggest share of the offers, at 52 percent, while white students claimed 28 percent, according to numbers the Department of Education released Thursday.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, Chancellor Carmen Fariña, and civil-rights advocates have said those figures for black and Hispanic students are unacceptably low. In the past, they have expressed interest in moving away from the current admissions system for those schools, which relies solely on the Specialized High School Admissions Test.
The numbers follow the release of a report from the Research Alliance for New York City Schools showing that replacing that exam with a combination of other factors like state test scores, class grades, and attendance wouldn't increase diversity at those schools in a significant way. That report also noted that more than half of the students admitted to specialized high schools from 2005 to 2013 came from just 5 percent of the city's middle schools.
"Our goal is to ensure specialized high schools reflect New York City's unique diversity, while upholding the same high standards," Chancellor Carmen Fariña said in a statement. "We continue to review a variety of ideas to increase diversity at our specialized high schools such as increasing access to the SHSAT, offering expanded free test prep and continuing to examine changes to admissions policies."
On Thursday, the city also released the results of its regular high-school admissions process, which matched more students to their top choices than it has in recent years. Forty-eight percent of students got their first choice, up from 45 percent last year.
The percentage of students who didn't receive a round-one match dropped to 8 percent, after holding steady at 10 percent for the last two years.
Competition for seats was somewhat less fierce this year, since there were 2,700 fewer eighth graders this year than last. The increase in first-round matches could also be attributed to some high-demand schools increasing their number of seats, and more new schools becoming well-known enough to establish demand, among other factors, department spokesman Harry Hartfield said.
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Study Shows NYC Charter School Suspensions Far Outpace Public School Ones
Geoff Decker
Stephanie Snyder
Updated — New York City charter schools suspended students at almost three times the rate of traditional public schools during the 2011-12 school year, according to a Chalkbeat analysis, though some charter schools have since begun to reduce the use of suspensions for minor infractions.
Overall, charter schools suspended at least 11 percent of their students that year, while district schools suspended 4.2 percent of their students. The charter-school suspension rate is likely an underestimate because charter schools don't have to report suspensions that students serve in school.
Not all schools had high suspension rates. One-third of charter schools reported suspending fewer than 5 percent of their students, and many schools said they did not give out any out-of-school suspensions. But 11 charter schools suspended more than 30 percent of their students — a figure likely to draw added scrutiny amid a nationwide push to reduce suspensions and a debate over allowing more charter schools to open statewide.
Chalkbeat's analysis is based on data that charter schools report to the state education department and the more detailed reports of suspensions in district schools. It includes data from 130 city charter schools open in 2011-12, the last year for which data is publicly available. [More on our analysis here.]
The analysis offers a clearer picture of how out-of-school suspensions are used to deal with misbehavior in the city's growing charter-school sector, which now serves more than 83,000 students, most of whom are black or Hispanic.
Meanwhile, some of the city's charter-school networks that have long championed "sweat-the-small-stuff" discipline practices say they have been moved to change their policies.
"When you make the numbers visible, when you hold up a mirror, you're able to see your actions," said Ron Chaluisan, who oversees the charter schools run by New Visions for Public Schools network. "When you're able to see your actions, you're able to change your behaviors."
An ongoing debate
Unlike traditional district schools, charter schools are free to craft their own discipline policies, and some have used that autonomy to establish strict behavior codes. Escalating consequences for misdeeds like chewing gum, tardiness, talking out of turn, and dress-code violations are standard, and students who break rules repeatedly can find themselves suspended quickly.
Schools say suspensions maintain order, keep children safe, and allow teachers to focus on instruction by removing the most distracting students. Strict discipline has long been a cornerstone of the charter-school movement, and supporters argue that those policies have led to better academic outcomes for a majority of their students.
"Many families are flocking to charter schools, and one reason is that they believe in stricter discipline," said Eva Moskowitz, founder and CEO of Success Academy, whose nine schools in 2011-12 suspended 17 percent of their students at least once. "Having some kids miss a day of instruction here and there for a suspension is far outweighed by the benefits of learning in an orderly environment all of the other days, as our academic results prove."
Nationwide, charter and district schools are moving in a different direction. Los Angeles and San Francisco have barred suspensions of some or all students for nonviolent offenses, spurred by the findings of researchers like Robert Balfanz of the Johns Hopkins University School of Education linking middle-school suspensions to high school dropout rates.
"The theory is, [suspensions] are the equivalent of an adolescent time-out period and perhaps a means to teach the lesson that good behavior is expected in schools," said Balfanz. But far too often, he says, students interpret suspension as being shunned and "get the message that they are not wanted in school."
"Overreliance on suspension is an issue that needs to be addressed for all public schools, including charter schools," said Paulina Davis, a staff attorney at Advocates for Children who represents charter-school students in disciplinary cases.
New York City's 1,650 district schools also offer a range of suspension rates. About 40 percent gave few or no suspensions, while nearly 200 others doled out more than 100 suspensions in the 2011-12 school year, according to city data.
City officials have heeded the call for reducing suspensions in recent years, and the de Blasio administration has proposed further discipline code changes toward that end. The changes will not affect charter schools.
A parent's experience
At Excellence Boys Charter School, part of the Uncommon Schools network, students' small sins add up. (Full disclosure: The reporter of this article is married to an employee at another Uncommon school.)
In 2011-12, the all-boys elementary and middle school suspended 40 percent of its students, the second-highest rate among the city's charter schools. For some students, missing school for a suspension can become routine.
Shirley Paulino said her son's experience at the Bedford-Stuyvesant school changed when he entered the fifth grade. There were more teachers, larger classes and a new rigid discipline policy called the "Scoreboard System." Under the system, students are docked a certain number of points if they break one of the school's many rules: two points for chewing gum, five points for lateness, and 10 points for disrespecting an adult or classmate.
Paulino's son often ended the week with a 50-point deficit — and an automatic out-of-school suspension. All told, Paulino said her son missed 23 days due to suspensions last year.
"There was never a fight, he was never a danger," said Paulino, who said her son, now in a district middle school, was diagnosed with ADHD earlier this year. "He just doesn't know when to be quiet."
Chalkbeat's analysis of out-of-school suspension numbers found that Uncommon Schools' network-wide suspension rate in 2011-12 was 22 percent, making it one of five charter networks that suspended more than 20 percent of their students that year. The others were New Visions (25 percent), Ascend Learning (24 percent), Achievement First (22 percent), and Democracy Prep (21 percent).
Uncommon Schools is reviewing its discipline policies, a spokesman said. "We believe that we are making steps in the right direction towards a reduction in suspensions," said the spokesman, Jon Reinish.
One well-known network, Icahn Charter Schools, did not report suspending a single student in any of its three schools open that year. Two other small networks, Public Prep and Harlem Children's Zone, had suspension rates in the low single digits. (Charter schools do not have to report their in-school suspension numbers, though district schools do. Charter schools also aren't required to report expulsions.)
The highest single charter-school suspension rate, 51 percent, belonged to Broome Street Academy, which opened in 2011 and serves a large number of students who are homeless or in foster care.
Broome Street had a rocky first year, according to an early evaluation, but seems to have turned a corner under a new principal, Barbara McKeon, who came on in 2013. After a visit to the school in March, Chancellor Carmen Fariña praised its school culture and selected it to help other schools improve their own. A spokeswoman for the school said 20 percent of students were suspended in 2013-14.
The rise of suspensions
The "zero-tolerance" approach to discipline that is linked to high suspension rates has its roots not in charter schools, but in the 1994 Gun Free Schools Act, which mandated harsh punishments for students who brought firearms or drugs to schools across the country. Suspensions increased nationally and continued to climb in New York City under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. A school safety plan established under Bloomberg expedited the removal of students who got in trouble repeatedly.
In the later years of Bloomberg's tenure, the city's strategies changed. The City Council passed a transparency bill that regularly publicizes school suspensions and arrests. The discipline code underwent rounds of changes meant to restrict suspensions, and suspensions and arrests began trending downward.
Charter schools have largely been left out of public debates about discipline, in part because of their autonomy and also because the state doesn't release charter-school suspension statistics until they are nearly three years out of date.
But as Gov. Andrew Cuomo looks to increase the state's charter school cap by 200 schools, the numbers are coming under more scrutiny. A report released by Advocates for Children this month found that a large portion of the city's charter schools had discipline policies that violated state and federal laws, prompting calls for more thorough reporting of discipline data.
"To deal with the sky-high suspension rates that characterize too many charters, the schools should be required to follow the same suspension laws, regulations and reporting requirements as district schools," United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, whose union has lost ground to charter schools over the last decade, told state lawmakers last month.
Some charter schools that had the highest suspension rates three years ago say they've since made changes.
The Achievement First and Ascend Learning networks have seen significant drops in their suspension rates in the last three years, according to data provided by the networks. Democracy Prep saw a more modest decrease, while New Vision's suspensions had actually increased. Uncommon declined to provide updated data.
"We recognized that the suspension numbers at some of our schools were simply too high, and we've worked hard to reduce them," said Amanda Pinto, a spokeswoman for Achievement First, who said the network's suspension rate dropped from 22 percent in 2011-12 to 13.9 percent last year. The decrease followed changes to their suspension policies and a closer tracking of suspension statistics, she said.
And despite Moskowitz's public defense of suspensions, Success Academy's suspension rates have fallen from 17 percent to 11 percent last year, according to spokeswoman Ann Powell.
But at the two charter high schools opened by New Visions in 2011, the problem got worse before getting better. Suspension rates peaked last year at 43 percent at New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math and Science and and 21 percent at New Visions High School for the Humanities.
"Pretty much everyone on my team was a bit taken aback" when they saw how high their suspension rates were, said Chaluisan, the New Visions vice president. This year, both schools' rates were on pace to drop, he said.
Chaluisan attributed the high rates to the fact that the school is still new and said he had hired someone with experience in restorative justice who is working with guidance counselors to come up with alternative consequences for misbehavior. Providing monthly updates to each schools' board has also put more attention on the issue, he said.
Ascend has also decreased its suspension rates. In 2011-12, it had the highest suspension rate of any network, suspending 26 percent of its students. CEO Steven Wilson hired a new dean, Janna Genzlinger, now a managing director at one of the schools, who has rolled out a new discipline model that emphasizes "logical consequences" to fit a student's crime. If a child draws on a desk, she has to stay after school to clean it, for example.
Suspension rates at Ascend's elementary schools halfway through this school year range from 2 percent to 6 percent, an Ascend spokeswoman said.
"This is kind of the next generation innovation in charter schooling," said Wilson. With the old policies, "There was real progress. But it came at the cost of not serving a large number of students."
View the database we created to analyze suspension rates at city charter schools here.
SUNY Makes Rare Move to Close NYC Charter School
A Brooklyn charter school started by an ally of Mayor Bill de Blasio could become the first city charter school to be shut down in several years.
The SUNY Charter School Institute recommended Tuesday that New Hope Academy Charter School close at the end of this school year, citing the school's academic struggles, high staff turnover, and a board unable to contain the school's troubles. The closure — which must still be approved by SUNY trustees — would be a rarity for the city's charter-school sector.
New Hope Academy, which serves about 380 elementary school students in East Flatbush, was founded in 2010 by Bishop Orlando Findlayter of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Brooklyn. (Findlayter made headlines last year after the mayor called a police official to ask about Findlayter's arrest after he was stopped for driving with a suspended license.)
SUNY's report notes that the school has been in violation of federal law by not having a functioning program for English language learners. Turnover at the school has been high, with 36 teachers leaving between the 2012-13 school year and fall 2014, and two principals also leaving that fall, according to the report. And though the school outperformed the district on state tests in 2011-12, it has lagged since then.
Older reports indicate the school's problems stretch back to the spring of its first year, when SUNY reviewers wrote that "quality instruction is not evident."
But charter schools, which must have their charters renewed after five years in order to stay open, rarely face closure so quickly — even when they aren't top scorers. Often, struggling charter schools facing their first renewal deadline earn a short-term renewal of three or fewer years. (The city, which also directly oversees some charter schools, recently came under pressure from state officials to reduce the amount of time it gave struggling charter schools to improve and shortened some renewals to just 18 months.)
The SUNY Institute's report says the school's problems were too wide-ranging to justify even a short-term renewal. New Hope officials will have the chance to convince SUNY trustees otherwise on Feb. 19 before they decide on the school's closure.
In a lengthy statement sent to Chalkbeat by a spokesman on behalf of the school's principal and board, New Hope officials said the SUNY Institute had gotten their school wrong. They noted that the school had not been put on probation or cited for fiscal concerns, that is has devoted parent volunteers and a strong focus on the arts, and is a place "where children are learning and feel nurtured and are growing — in many ways that are not measured by test scores." The school also did better than other schools with similar populations on the state English test in two of the last three years.
"We admit our academics aren't yet where we want them to be at this moment. But we believe in our team and our plan and we hope the SUNY Trustees will give us a second chance," they wrote.
If New Hope does survive, it would join a number of city charter schools that have managed to escape closure in recent years. Chancellor Carmen Fariña intervened early last year to offer Fahari Academy Charter School, a school authorized by the city, one more year to show improvements. The troubled UFT Charter School earned a last-minute, two-year lifeline in 2013, and Peninsula Preparatory Academy and Williamsburg Charter High School both survived closure attempts in 2012. The SUNY-authorized Harlem Day Charter School was restructured and taken over by the Democracy Prep network in 2011.
The city did close East New York Preparatory in 2010 and Ross Global Academy in 2011.
Amid Recruitment Decline, Teach For America Leader Says N.Y. Training Site to Close
Teach for America is having trouble recruiting candidates to teach in New York City schools and will close its New York training site in anticipation of declining numbers, the organization's New York City leader told program alumni on Friday.
"Teach For America is in the midst of a challenging recruitment year," Charissa Fernandez said in an email, attributing the difficulties in part to "a contentious national dialogue around education and teaching in general, and TFA in particular."
The nonprofit, which has been sending teachers into New York City schools for 25 years, has already seen its presence in the city shrink recently. In 2008, TFA placed 536 teachers in city schools, a number that dropped to 216 by 2010 thanks to city budget cuts and a lengthy hiring freeze. The organization placed about 400 teachers in the city this year.
The declining numbers don't come as a surprise. Last month, Fernandez told Chalkbeat that her goal was not getting the program back to its former size but improving its quality and getting teachers to stay in the classroom.
"That means that we're thinking really carefully about where we place, and we will probably get a little smaller next year," Fernandez said.
TFA has long faced criticism for putting new teachers into classrooms before they are ready or without an understanding of the cultures of the students they will be teaching. In the past year, the organization's national leadership has been calling attention to new efforts to keep its teachers in the classrooms after their initial two-year commitments, diversify its recruits, and place teachers in schools and cities where they have personal ties.
But Fernandez's email indicates that the criticism is now having an effect on local recruitment and training efforts, as enrollment in teacher preparation programs nationwide is trending downward. The city's recruits will now be trained in Philadelphia, she said.


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Taking care of post -incorporation compliances and advisory covering corporate secretarial and Foreign exchange regulations.
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Drafting of MoUs and review of agreements.
Renu has worked for various industries such as Oil & Gas, telecommunication, chemicals fertilizers, publishers, aviation, manufacturing, trading etc.


Good Money After Bad: Why Government Should Not Fund Private Businesses - Global Emerging Markets (GEMs) - Investment Strategies, Analysis & Intelligence for Seasoned Investors.
Curt Schilling is a hero to Boston sports fans. In 2004, at the relatively advanced age of 38, he valiantly pitched and won two critical post-season games while suffering from an ankle injury so severe that his sock was soaked with blood, propelling the Red Sox to its first World Series championship in 86 years. But Schilling's career outside of baseball, especially since his retirement in 2008, has been less than stellar.
In 2006 Schilling founded a company, Green Monster Games – subsequently renamed 38 Studios – to develop and market MMORPGs – Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games – for which he has a longstanding passion. Earlier this week, barely three months after release of its first product, 38 Studios laid off all of its 400-odd employees and closed its doors for good. How and why this happened is a cautionary tale for those who think it a proper function of government to provide financing to private companies.
38 Studios seemed to have everything going for it: a prominent public face and some of the best management, marketing, and technical staff money could buy. Schilling, who earned around $114 million during his career as a baseball player, put about $30 million of his own money into the venture. The company had leased 30,000 square feet of space in the historic Clock Tower business park in Maynard, a Boston suburb. The Clock Tower, which began life in the 19th century as the world's largest woolen mill, had previously housed another famous start-up, Digital Equipment Corporation.
But all was not well. In 2010, needing additional funding to stay afloat until it could launch its first product, the company negotiated a $75 million loan guarantee with the government of neighboring Rhode Island, which agreed to a special issue of "moral obligation bonds" to raise the funds. Moral obligation bonds carry an implicit, but not a binding, commitment by the issuer to pay bondholders if the beneficiary defaults. Schilling then turned to the Massachusetts government to see if it would go Rhode Island one better, and Massachusetts, saying it would not get into a bidding war, turned him down. So in 2011 the company moved its entire operation to Providence, Rhode Island.
38 Studios finally launched its first product, a sword and sorcery fantasy game called Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, a single-player game, in February 2012, while also announcing that a second offering, a multi-player game dubbed Copernicus, was in an advanced stage of development. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning sold well – over 1 million copies at $60 a pop – but it was not the blockbuster hit the company needed. In early May, 38 Studios missed a $1.1 million loan payment. On May 17 it sent a check to the state government, which bounced, though the next day it made the payment via a $1 million wire transfer plus a personal check for $100,000 from an unnamed source. That same week, the company failed to meet its payroll obligations. On May 24, 38 Studios laid off its entire work force.
This sorry history can serve as what we might call a "teachable moment." First, celebrities are not necessarily good businessmen. For every Magic Johnson, who has become a very successful and widely admired real estate investor and property developer, there are a dozen celebrities like Lenny Dykstra, the former Mets baseball star, now bankrupt and serving a three-year prison sentence for fraudulent business dealings, or like Curt Schilling, who committed no crimes but whose talent on the field failed to translate into success off the field.
A second, and perhaps more important, lesson, is that government officials should not play at being venture capitalists. The one question Rhode Island's Governor, Donald Carcieri, and the senior staff of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation should have asked but didn't, is why Schilling's company couldn't raise the money it needed from real venture capitalists. It wasn't for lack of trying.
Before turning to the Rhode Island state government, Schilling had approached several Boston venture capitalists, who turned him down flat. According to the Boston Globe, this was largely because, though a video game enthusiast, Schilling had no experience developing one and no relevant business experience. There was a widespread impression among venture capitalists that an investment in Schilling's company "would require a lot of babysitting." Also, Schilling was asking for $48 million, a huge amount for first-round financing of a startup with no revenue, and was unwilling to give up much stock in exchange. The venture capitalists, moreover, realized that $48 million would not be enough. The cost to develop a massively multiplayer game is huge, and Schilling himself estimated that he might need an additional $100 million to finish development of Copernicus.
The Carcieri administration was dazzled by Schilling's celebrity – how cool is it, after all, to hang out with famous athletes –and saw in his request the chance to develop a new, high tech sector to replace Rhode Island's declining jewelry manufacturing industry.
In the event, the deal very nearly blew the state's entire $125 million allocation for business loan guarantees on this one project and left state taxpayers on the hook for as much as $112 million in principal and accrued interest.
In so doing, the state violated one of the most fundamental precepts of venture investing, which is that you don't put all your money into one company, since most investments either underperform or fail outright. By most estimates, 20 to 30 percent of venture-backed companies will fail outright, and another fifty or 60 percent will underperform, merely repaying the investment or making a small return. What saves the venture capitalists from ruin is the one massive success – maybe one in ten investments for a successful firm – that pays for the failures many times over.
Some venture capital firms, such as Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byer, can point to a dazzling string of successful investments, which include Google, Netscape, Amazon, Twitter, Genentech, and Intuit. But even Kleiner Perkins has invested in its share of duds, companies like Segway, which despite receiving investments of more than $150 million has yet to make a profit, or Friendster, an early social networking company now all but defunct. The average VC firm is barely profitable, and when you factor in management fees, most of them lose money for their investors. According to Cambridge Associates, a research firm, the return on venture capital over the past decade has been -4.8%, as compared to -0.4% for the S&P 500.
If people whose sole business it is to pick winning companies to invest in aren't terribly good at it, it should come as no surprise that public officials are even worse. In the current social and political climate, in which entrepreneurs get the same kind of adulation as rock stars and government is derided as the source of all our problems, it is understandable that public servants and politicians would want to play at being swashbuckling capitalists. It's a role that ill suits them. There has so far been no suggestion that corruption was a factor in the 38 Studios debacle, even though Rhode Island is notorious as one of the most corrupt states in the country. On balance, however, corrupt politicians have probably cost the state – and the entire country – less than incompetent ones trying to do a job for which they are spectacularly unqualified.


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Because of endless spam from the sad people who run "online traffic schools," the submission form is no longer available. We're still interested in your Jaguar E-Type related site(s)--just send us an email with your link and what it is about via the "contact" button at the bottom of the page. Thanks!
The "icing on the cake". The headlight covers conversion-kit created and manufactured by Industrial Designer and E-Type Enthusiast Stefan Wahl helps every E-Type back to the original beauty of the Series 1. Malcolm Sayer (Constructor of Jaguar C+D+E+ XJ 13 + XJS) would have been very pleased because he hated having to alter his designs to suit silly American regulations.
Products that make your driving experience more enjoyable...Isn't that better?
Supplier of new, rebuilt, and recycled Jaguar (and Land Rover) parts. CW specializes in late-model Jags but we know E-Types, too! Our 74,000 sq ft facility is located in the Atlanta, GA, area.
Manufacturer of all E Type front sub frames, picture frame, bonnet frame, stainless steel manifolds & headers. Sales to private individuals and many of the U.S. parts suppliers and restoration shops.
Jaguar XK-E E-Type new, used and high-quality restoration parts from a Jaguar specialist with over 35 years experience.
Interior restoration kits and services for Jaguar E types to the highest standards.
Based in Belgium, worldwide shipping.
Since 1972, providing new OE, aftermarket, NOS, remanufactured and used parts for Jaguar enthusiasts. Online catalog, newsletter, forums.
Reproduction tax discs 1921-1987. Cancelling stamp altered to an office of your choice + info. pack. extra disc supplied as back-up. Pay on receipt, 7 day returns.
The Ausin Healey Sprite restoration has finally begun.
We started in Business in the Basement of our home in 1976, now we occupy three warehouses with over 10,000 square feet filled with quality parts to serve all Jaguar enthusiasts.
Online store carryling books, literature and manuals for the XKE exclusively. Featuring the only and definitive illustrated Series II parts manual and restoration guide.
Wilmot breeden keys stamped UNION, keys cut to code, re-keying of lock inserts.
We offer total one stop restoration services specializing in the rebuilding of exotic cars to driver and investment quality.
The worlds leading E-Type restoration specialist . We also offer the largest range of restored Jaguar E-Types for sale in the UK.
Monocoque Metalworks is a fabrication shop located in Northeastern Maryland that specializes in Jaguar E-Type (XKE) body shell restoration. If you are restoring your E-Type, the best place to start is a rock-solid bodyshell (or tub), and we can help! We offer services ranging from the fabrication of a single panel to the construction of an entirely NEW bodyshell!
Mulsanne Motorcar Company has been restoring classic Jaguars for over 15 years. We are based in Alberta Cananda and pride ourselves on our attention to detail and quality of workmanship. Our sheet metal shop is second to none, and we definately will not be learning on your vehicle. Any mechanical rebuilds are undertaken and detailing is our speciality. There are many upgrades available and would be delighted to discuss these with you.
Here you will find highly detailed scale models, produced in White Metal & Resin with Photo-etch detailing.
Self-drive hire of Jaguar E Type Convertibles for country breaks and special occasions.
Classic Travelling takes away the hassle and guesswork from a touring holiday.
Explore the history of the E-Type on this comprehensive site.
Scanned, complete sales brochures from throughout the E-Type's production.
The gateway to the excellent xke-lovers email list and a collection of useful XKE resources.
The VIRGINIA JAGUAR CLUB announces and invites all Jaguar and XK-E owners and admirers to a very significant event happening on "This Side of the Pond" honoring the 50th Anniversary of the iconic E-Type.
Featuring color magazine edited by Philip Porter, international E-Type club.
The goal of the IJC is to provide a JCNA-affiliated club that supports all types of Jaguar enthusiast, including concours enthusiasts, drivers, tinkerers, rebuilders, polishers, etc.
Jagnuts - An all marque British Car Club smack dab in the middle of the continent.
Oldest Jag club in the world. More than 350 members with over 600 cars.
The newest Jaguar car club in Germany.
Besides club aktivities in the Cologne area, Germany, this is a place to rent an E-type of any kind.
Beautiful site of the Swiss Jaguar E-Type Club.
A site with pix of my XJ40, E-type and XJS TWR. Lots of XJS tech stuff, E-type tech stuff to come.
Jaguar Owner's blog... photos, road trips and rally stories.
This car has been with me since 1970 when I bought it for $850.00.
"Well after a very long time looking for the right E type, I have now managed to purchase a very early model..."
Jaguar e-type's short history, technical data and details pictures. Advice to buy the right e-type series to suit your needs.
A dynamic tool for seeing series one XKEs in various stock interior/exterior color schemes.
Story of 1972 E-Type rebuild.
This website is dedicated to the "E" type, presenting a global overview of the car's different models and their history. It does not cover any aspect in-depth. Part of the site is a report on my own 1961 "E" type, number 875676.
"I've always had a fascination with projects. From my earliest days of building and launching solid fuel rockets to my current work with sports cars, I've always had a project going. So come on into the New Hill Garage and see what's going on."
Harold Robertson's adventures with his '68 2+2.
"Come and share the fun of restoring my Series 1.5 E Type. What I plan to do is provide a blog of my car's restoration, from arrival to completion. "
Full Restoration of a '63 Jaguar XKE FHC by Bill McKenna.
I an currently restoring a 1964 E-type and this is what I have done so far.
A blog kept by the dork who runs XKE Data. Some E-Type content, a lot that's not!
A boy's dream! Which boy doesn't have one!? On these pages I will tell you about mine: restoring my Jaguar E-type!
The official record of a long running restoration of my Etype Jaguar.
These are pics of a 1969 Jaguar E-type series II.


text: Q: How can I change the WebStorm shortcut so that I press Enter to complete my code instead of using Tab I'm used to VS code using Enter to complete code, but WebStorm uses Tab to complete code, how can I change this setting for WebStorm, I already added VScode keymap, but it didn't work

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Lauro Olmo Gallego (El Barco de Valdeorras, Orense, 9 de noviembre de 1921 - Madrid, 19 de junio de 1994) fue un dramaturgo español. Está considerado «uno de los dramaturgos más representativos del estilo del realismo social durante los años de la dictadura franquista y las primeras décadas de la democracia. También poeta, novelista, y escritor de narraciones breves y cuentos, sufrió los avatares de la emigración de su padre, la II República, la Guerra Civil y los años más duros de la censura de la dictadura franquista».

Biografía
Hijo de Lauro Olmo Arias (1888-1967) y Carmen Gallego Miranda (1896-1977), nació en el Barco de Valdeorras el 9 de noviembre de 1921. De ascendencia gallega, pronto el padre emigró a Buenos Aires, donde falleció. Por su parte, cuando Lauro contaba con ocho años, la familia se instaló en Madrid, ciudad donde se establecería definitivamente.

En 1934, debido a las necesidades familiares, Lauro y varios de sus hermanos ingresaron en un asilo hasta el estallido de la Guerra Civil, durante la cual fueron evacuados a San Juan (Alicante) por el gobierno de la República. Tras la contienda y de vuelta en Madrid, completó su formación de manera totalmente autodidacta con múltiples lecturas en la biblioteca del Ateneo de Madrid, dedicándose a diferentes oficios, en especial ejerciendo como mozo y, posteriormente dependiente, de una tienda de pasteles y fiambres, uno de cuyos dueños era primo hermano de su madre, situada junto a la populosa estación de Atocha.

En 1943, comenzó el servicio militar obligatorio, pero debido a un accidente que había sufrido a su llegada a Madrid, fue operado en el hospital militar Gómez Ulla y, posteriormente, debido a una complicación médica, ingresó en el Sanatorio Militar de Ronda, donde llegó a permanecer casi tres años, divididos en dos etapas, regresando a Madrid definitivamente a finales de 1948. Gracias a su frecuente asistencia al Ateneo, empezó a conocer a diversas figuras del ámbito literario, dando a conocer en estos pequeños círculos sus primeros escritos. En 1951, Dionisio Gamallo Fierros organizó su primer recital de poemas en el Centro Gallego de Madrid, escribiendo también en estas fechas su primera pieza teatral (El Milagro, representada en una taberna del barrio de Delicias en 1954) y su primer cuento (Cuno). En 1956, ganó el I premio "Leopoldo Alas" con su obra Doce cuentos y uno más (1953), premio creado por Enrique Badosa y Esteban Padrós de Palacios y que incluía la publicación de la obra, tras su pertinente paso por la censura.

También en el Ateneo conoció a Pilar Enciso, compañera de vida de Lauro Olmo, con quien escribió varias obras infantiles y dirigió diversos proyectos literarios, contrayendo matrimonio el 29 de octubre de 1954, fruto del cual tuvieron dos hijos: Lauro (1955) y Luis (1958).

Por otra parte, cabe destacar que Olmo se identificó con todas las causas progresistas y militó entre los intelectuales durante la Dictadura y los vaivenes partidistas de la Transición política, siendo así conocido no solo por su calidad de dramaturgo, sino también por su ejemplo de ciudadanía activa.Cabe destacar que, a principio de los años 70, protagonizó en primera persona la lucha contra el derribo de las viviendas del Barrio de Pozas. Durante tres años mantuvo una pancarta de protesta en el balcón de su casa, localizada en el número 2 de la desaparecida calle de la Hermosa, hasta que policía desahució a su familia por la fuerza en 1972, desahucio que aún retrasó unas horas pintando en la puerta una bandera española que los agentes no se atrevían a golpear. Hasta ese momento, su vivienda se mantuvo como la última en el derribo. El caso Pozas tuvo un fuerte seguimiento en la prensa de la época, conociéndose como la Numancia de las inmobiliarias y el mismo Lauro Olmo como "el escritor sitiado". En su afán de lucha había estado escribiendo coplas, villancicos y poemas de protesta contra el desahucio. Tras el derribo se realizó la construcción de los grandes almacenes de El Corte Inglés de Arguelles y el entonces Hotel Princesa. Años más tarde, el Tribunal Supremo le daría la razón.

Trayectoria literaria
En 1962 se estrenó una de sus obras emblemáticas: La camisa, obra que refleja el drama de los condenados a emigrar a otro país para poder subsistir. Con ella obtuvo numerosos premios y gran reconocimiento internacional.

Entre sus obras cabe destacar La pechuga de la sardina (1963), El Cuarto Poder (Italia 1969), La Condecoración (Francia 1965), English spoken (1968), Pablo Iglesias (1984), Ayer 27 de Octubre (1957), Golfos de bien (1955), Cuno (1954), Los leones (1954), Asamblea General (1961), Luis Candelas (1987), Desde Abajo (1993) y un largo etc.

Algunas de sus obras han sido representadas por todo el mundo, siendo traducidas y adaptadas a diferentes idiomas. Otras fueron prohibidas en España debido a la confrontación de sus ideas progresistas con el régimen dictatorial de Franco o con los intereses partidistas de la democracia, convirtiéndose una de los autores más censurados. A pesar de ello ha obtenido numerosos premios entre los que destacan: el Premio Nacional de Teatro, el Premio Leopoldo Alas, el Valle-Inclán, el Premio Larra, el Álvarez Quintero de la Real Academia Española (en dos ocasiones), Premio Mejor Obra extranjera de Buenos Aires, Premio Manuel Espinosa y Cortina de la Real Academia, Premio del Círculo de la Crítica de Uruguay, Finalista del Premio Nadal, el Premio Nacional de Teatro para la Infancia y la Juventud, el Premio Fastenrath de la Real Academia, etc.

Asimismo, Lauro Olmo fue una persona muy activa en el Ateneo de Madrid, siendo vicepresidente de este y donde a su vez dirigió la Cátedra Valle-Inclán, falleciendo en Madrid el 19 de junio de 1994.

Fondo Lauro Olmo
El Fondo Lauro Olmo, constituido por la obra literaria y documentación recibida y producida por Lauro Olmo y Pilar Enciso, se custodia en el Centro de Documentación de las Artes Escénicas y de la Música (CDAEM).

Obra

Textos dramáticos
 El Milagro  (1953)
 El perchero  (1953)
 El rubí del Inspector General (1955)
 La camisa  (1960)
 La pechuga de la sardina  (1962)
 La condecoración  (1963-1964)
 El cuarto poder  (1963-1965)
 La noticia  (1963)
 La niña y el pelele  (1965)
 Ceros a la izquierda  (1965)
 La metamorfosis de un hombre vestido de gris  (1965)
 Nuevo retablo de las maravillas y olé  (1965)
 El mercadillo utópico o de cómo el hombre limpión tiro de la manta  (1965)
 El tonto útil  (1965)
 El cuerpo  (1965)
 Mare Nostrum, S.A.  (1966)
 English spoken  (1967)
 Plaza menor  (1967)
 Cronicón del medioevo o Historia de un pechicidio o La venganza de don Lauro  (1967)
 Spot de identidad o Los maquilladores  (1975)
 Don Especulón  (1979)
 Pablo Iglesias  (1983)
 La jerga nacional  (1986)
 Un cierto sabor a angulas  (1987)
 Sombrerete Jazz  (1987)
 Luis Candelas  (1987)
 Instantáneas de fotomatón  (1991)
 Estampas contemporáneas  (1992)
 Desde abajo  (1992)

Textos dramáticos escritos en colaboración con Pilar Enciso

 El león engañado  (1954)
 El león enamorado  (1959)
 La maquinita que no sabía pitar  (1960)
 El raterillo  (1960)
 Asamblea general  (1961)

Textos novelísticos

 Golfos de bien  (1955)
 Doce cuentos y uno más  (1956)
 Ayer, 27 de octubre  (1957)
 El gran sapo  (1958), titulada inicialmente El zócalo negro, premio Elisenda de Moncada 1963, publicada al año siguiente.
 Tituladlo como queráis  (1993)

Referencias

Enlaces externos
 El teatro de Lauro Olmo, Ricardo Doménech
 Fondo Lauro Olmo (CDAEM)
 Cronobiografía de Lauro Olmo, Ángel Berenguer
 La problemática de la mujer en algunas de las obras de Lauro Olmo, Martha T. Hasley
 Lauro Olmo o la denuncia cordia, José Monleón
  Análisis de La camisa, A. Amorós, M. Mayoral y F. Nieva
  Obra y semblanza de Lauro Olmo, Francisco García Pavón
 Lauro Olmo y la generación realista, Stephan Tanev

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Mitigation Update: Technological Progress Fuels Renewables Growth
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Research and development have paid off with strong growth in the renewable energy sector, which promises to contribute greatly to climate change mitigation.
"International cooperation and partnerships are essential to accelerate universal access, renewable energy and energy efficiency development." Many big businesses are setting emission reduction targets, but more is needed to reach Paris Agreement goals.
31 October 2016: With a focus on 'Science, Technology & Innovation for Better Life,' the Seoul Science and Technology (S&T) Forum discussed how technological advances can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including climate change-related objectives. This theme has been amplified by various news items and reports over the past couple weeks, especially in the renewable energy sector.
Organized by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the National Research Council of Science & Technology (NST) on 27-28 October 2016, in Seoul, Republic of Korea, the Forum considered: government-funded research institutes; science, technology and innovation overseas development assistance (ODA); and climate technology cooperation. In the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change, ESCAP Executive Secretary Shamshad Akhtar emphasized that "committing government funding for research and development will be an investment for a better future…." As detailed below, research and development have paid off with strong growth in the renewable energy sector, which promises to contribute greatly to climate change mitigation. [ESCAP Press Release]
Big Developments in Wind, Biofuels on Horizon
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has released two 'Innovation Outlooks,' one of which is predicting a possible 650% increase in offshore wind capacity by 2030. 'Innovation Outlook: Offshore Wind' sees technological advancements, such as larger turbine blades and floating turbines, and a decline of approximately 57% in the cost of electricity generated as driving an offshore wind boom. IRENA predicts about 100 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity will be installed by 2030, up from 13 GW in 2015. Wind farms at the scale envisioned by this Outlook have the potential to replace conventional forms of electricity generation and provide reliable, emission-free power. [IRENA Press Release] [IRENA Publication Webpage] [Innovation Outlook: Offshore Wind]
According to IRENA, to reduce global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and avert the worst effects of climate change, advanced liquid biofuels must be a part of the equation. In 'Innovation Outlook: Advanced Liquid Biofuels,' IRENA considers these biofuels as a practical alternative for powering airplanes, ships and heavy freight trucks. A number of promising developments in the sector are outlined in the report. Noting that transport is responsible for a third of global energy use and a fifth of the world's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, yet viable climate-friendly alternatives are limited, the report advocates decisive policy actions in support of advanced biofuels, which are now reaching commercialization after decades of research and development. [IRENA Press Release] [IRENA Publication Webpage] [Innovation Outlook: Advanced Liquid Biofuels]
In addition to climate change benefits, switching to cleaner energy forms for our transport systems can have a large, positive impact on air pollution, and, subsequently, our health. The effects of air pollution are the subject of a new World Health Organization (WHO) campaign, 'BreatheLife: Clean air. A healthy future.' However, as a recent report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP, or UN Environment) reminds, there are many other transportation solutions, besides switching out fuel, that improve air quality, mitigate climate change and improve health. The 'Global Outlook on Walking and Cycling' urges countries to put 20% of their transport budgets toward walking and cycling infrastructure, because, as UN Environment Executive Director Erik Solheim notes, "Designing transport systems around cars puts more vehicles on the road, increasing both [GHG] emissions and deadly air pollution. We must put people, not cars, first in transport systems." [UN Press Release] [UN Environment Press Release]
Clean air is also the focus of a report of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), which reveals that almost one in seven of the world's children, 300 million, live in areas with the most toxic levels of outdoor air pollution – six or more times higher than international guidelines. UNICEF urges world leaders attending COP 22 to take four urgent steps in their countries to protect children from air pollution. [UNICEF Press Release] [Clean the Air for Children] [UN Press Release]
Multilateral, Government Support Critical for Progress
Another recent event, a high-level seminar organized by the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the UN Office of High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS), Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) and the Government of Austria, focused on 'Accelerating SE4All in Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) through Innovative Partnerships.' Held from 24-25 October 2016, in Vienna, Austria, the event highlighted that "international cooperation and partnerships are essential to accelerate universal access, renewable energy and energy efficiency development" in LLDCs. [UNIDO Press Release] [Event Webpage]
However, as many recent examples demonstrate, it is not only in LLDCs where cooperative international institutions, such as intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), multilateral development banks (MDBs) or global partnerships, are forging a path for sustainable energy development.
One important role multilateral public institutions play is helping the demonstration and deployment of the first prototypes of good ideas and technologies. The Asian Development Bank (ADB), for instance, has inaugurated one of Myanmar's first solar photovoltaic (PV) mini-grid systems, which is the first to have a pay-as-you-go system in the country. Such systems can help Myanmar electrify the remaining two-thirds of its nearly 64,000 villages without increasing emissions. Financed by the Government of Japan through the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, the project is also providing training on designing and implementing off-grid, small-scale renewable energy systems. [ADB Press Release]
The World Bank is also supporting solar pilot projects. In Bangladesh, the Second Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development (RERED II) project is installing solar-powered irrigation pumps as a clean energy alternative to diesel-powered pumps. In addition to being emission-free, the solar systems will help the Government of Bangladesh reduce expenditures on diesel subsidies. [World Bank Press Release]
A first-of-its-kind-project in Africa, supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB) Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), is promoting innovation in cooling technology by using cold ocean water to air condition buildings. Given its high dependence on imported petroleum to fuel its grid, the Government of Mauritius is looking toward innovative low-carbon technology to lower emissions and meet its energy needs. With its newly introduced marine engineering platform – the largest of its kind – the Deep Ocean Water Applications (DOWA) project in Mauritius will conduct marine surveys to understand the geomorphology of the seabed and the seawater properties. The surveys will allow the laying of offshore pipes to create the seawater cooling system, which is expected to free up 26 megawatts (MW) of electric power capacity and reduce CO2 emissions by 40,000 tons per year. [AfDB Press Release]
MDBs have also taken an active role in aiding countries with their energy strategies and planning. For example, AfDB has announced the validation of Zimbabwe's SE4All Action Agenda, the document that will guide the country's work toward its realization of the three SE4All goals, which align closely with the targets under SDG 7: universal energy access; doubling the global rate of energy efficiency improvement; and increasing the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. AfDB serves as the SE4All Africa Hub, which assists African countries with their SE4All Action Agenda development. [AfDB Press Release]
Corporations Also Mitigating, Still More Action Needed
A recent report from CDP and We Mean Business shows that multilateral institutions are not the only ones taking big steps toward a low-carbon world. Big business is setting emission reduction targets. Titled 'Out of the Starting Blocks: Tracking Progress on Corporate Climate Action,' the report looks at 1,089 companies over five years and finds that a group of 62, which each decreased their emissions by 10% or more and increased revenues, managed to collectively reduce emissions by 26% while their overall revenue increased 29%. The rest of the companies over the same period realized a 6% decrease in revenue while their emissions rose 6%.
While 85% of the businesses have at least one target in place to reduce emissions, achieving those targets will only get them 25% of the way toward the levels needed to accomplish the Paris Agreement objective of keeping global average temperature rise well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. The report covers 2015 actions. Since the Paris Agreement was only adopted at the end of that year, CDP notes that it is expecting many businesses to recalibrate their plans to align with the Agreement's goals. In addition to the report, CDP also launched its Climate A List for this year, which highlights companies that have taken significant climate action. [CDP Press Release] [Out of the Starting Blocks: Tracking Progress on Corporate Climate Action]
7. Affordable & Clean Energy13. Climate Action
Atmosphere, Renewables, Energy, Governance, Health, Biomass & Bioenergy, Energy Efficiency, Solar, Transport, Wind, Off-grid, Energy Poverty/Access, Sustainable Development, Agriculture & Food Security, Oceans & Coasts, Science, Economics & Investment, Climate Change, Mitigation, National Action
Means of Implementation, Finance, Technology / Transfer, Capacity Building & Education
UNESCAP, UNEP, UNICEF, UNIDO, WHO, IRENA, World Bank, International Financial Institution, Intergovernmental Organization, Regional Development Bank, UN Programme, Agency or Fund, UN Regional Economic & Social Commission, UN Secretariat, OHRLLS, National Government
Outcome, Meeting, Project, Publication, Announcement / Statement
Africa, Asia, Europe, Southern Africa, SIDS, Pacific, Eastern Asia, South-Eastern Asia, Southern Asia
Climate Change Mitigation Update
Outlook for Global Energy Efficiency, Renewables Bright
Outlook for Global Energy Efficiency, Renewables B...
July 2015 Sustainable Energy Finance Update
Adaptation Finance Update: Green Bonds on the Rise but Will Adaptation Projects Benefit?
Adaptation Finance Update: Green Bonds on the Rise...
Energy Actors Showcase Innovative Sustainable Energy Tools, Resources, Technologies and Business Models
Energy Actors Showcase Innovative Sustainable Ener...
Sustainable Energy Finance Update: Public Finance Leverages Private Flows to Renewables
Sustainable Energy Finance Update: Public Finance ...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


With two dimensional small angle diffraction data sasmodels will calculate scattering from oriented particles, applicable for example to shear flow or orientation in a magnetic field.
In general we first need to define the reference orientation of the particle's \(a\)-\(b\)-\(c\) axes with respect to the incoming neutron or X-ray beam. This is done using three angles: \(\theta\) and \(\phi\) define the orientation of the \(c\)-axis of the particle, and angle \(\Psi\) is defined as the orientation of the major axis of the particle cross section with respect to its starting position along the beam direction (or equivalently, as rotation about the \(c\) axis). There is an unavoidable ambiguity when \(c\) is aligned with \(z\) in that \(\phi\) and \(\Psi\) both serve to rotate the particle about \(c\), but this symmetry is destroyed when \(\theta\) is not a multiple of 180.
The figures below are for an elliptical cross section cylinder, but may be applied analogously to other shapes of particle.
It is very important to note that these angles, in particular \(\theta\) and \(\phi\), are NOT in general the same as the \(\theta\) and \(\phi\) appearing in equations for the scattering form factor which gives the scattered intensity or indeed in the equation for scattering vector \(Q\). The \(\theta\) rotation must be applied before the \(\phi\) rotation, else there is an ambiguity.
Fig. 134 Definition of angles for oriented elliptical cylinder, where axis_ratio b/a is shown >1. Note that rotation \(\theta\), initially in the \(x\)-\(z\) plane, is carried out first, then rotation \(\phi\) about the \(z\)-axis, finally rotation \(\Psi\) is around the axis of the cylinder. The neutron or X-ray beam is along the \(-z\) axis.
Fig. 135 Some examples of the orientation angles for an elliptical cylinder, with \(\Psi\) = 0.
Having established the mean direction of the particle (the view) we can then apply angular orientation distributions (jitter). This is done by a numerical integration over a range of angles in a similar way to particle size dispersity. The orientation dispersity is defined with respect to the \(a\)-\(b\)-\(c\) axes of the particle, with roll angle \(\Psi\) about the \(c\)-axis, yaw angle \(\theta\) about the \(b\)-axis and pitch angle \(\phi\) about the \(a\)-axis.
The \(\theta\) and \(\phi\) orientation parameters for the cylinder only appear when fitting 2d data. On introducing "Orientational Distribution" in the angles, "distribution of theta" and "distribution of phi" parameters will appear. These are actually rotations about the axes \(\delta_1\) and \(\delta_2\) of the cylinder, which correspond to the \(b\) and \(a\) axes of the cylinder cross section. (When \(\theta = \phi = 0\) these are parallel to the \(Y\) and \(X\) axes of the instrument.) The third orientation distribution, in \(\Psi\), is about the \(c\) axis of the particle. Some experimentation may be required to understand the 2d patterns fully. A number of different shapes of distribution are available, as described for size dispersity, see Polydispersity & Orientational Distributions.
but the orientation is defined over a sphere, we are left with a map projection problem, with different tradeoffs depending on how values in \(\Delta\theta\) and \(\Delta\phi\) are translated into latitude/longitude on the sphere.
Sasmodels is using the equirectangular projection. In this projection, square patches in angular dispersity become wedge-shaped patches on the sphere. To correct for the changing point density, there is a scale factor of \(\sin(\Delta\theta)\) that applies to each point in the integral. This is not enough, though. Consider a shape which is tumbling freely around the \(b\) axis, with \(\Delta\theta\) uniform in \([-180, 180]\). At \(\pm 90\), all points in \(\Delta\phi\) map to the pole, so the jitter will have a distinct angular preference. If the spin axis is along the beam (which will be the case for \(\theta=90\) and \(\Psi=90\)) the scattering pattern should be circularly symmetric, but it will go to zero at \(q_x = 0\) due to the \(\sin(\Delta\theta)\) correction. This problem does not appear for a shape that is tumbling freely around the \(a\) axis, with \(\Delta\phi\) uniform in \([-180, 180]\), so swap the \(a\) and \(b\) axes so \(\Delta\theta < \Delta\phi\) and adjust \(\Psi\) by 90. This works with the current sasmodels shapes due to symmetry.
Alternative projections were considered. The sinusoidal projection works by scaling \(\Delta\phi\) as \(\Delta\theta\) increases, and dropping those points outside \([-180, 180]\). The distortions are a little less for middle ranges of \(\Delta\theta\), but they are still severe for large \(\Delta\theta\) and the model is much harder to explain. The azimuthal equidistance projection also improves on the equirectangular projection by extending the range of reasonable values for the \(\Delta\theta\) range, with \(\Delta\phi\) forming a wedge that cuts to the opposite side of the sphere rather than cutting to the pole. This projection has the nice property that distance from the center are preserved, and that \(\Delta\theta\) and \(\Delta\phi\) act the same. The azimuthal equal area projection is like the azimuthal equidistance projection, but it preserves area instead of distance. It also has the same behaviour for \(\Delta\theta\) and \(\Delta\phi\). The Guyou projection has an excellent balance with reasonable distortion in both \(\Delta\theta\) and \(\Delta\phi\), as well as preserving small patches. However, it requires considerably more computational overhead, and we have not yet derived the formula for the distortion correction, measuring the degree of stretch at the point \((\Delta\theta, \Delta\phi)\) on the map.
Note that the form factors for oriented particles are performing numerical integrations over one or more variables, so care should be taken, especially with very large particles or more extreme aspect ratios. In such cases results may not be accurate, particularly at very high Q, unless the model has been specifically coded to use limiting forms of the scattering equations.
For best numerical results keep the \(\theta\) distribution narrower than the \(\phi\) distribution. Thus for asymmetric particles, such as elliptical_cylinder, you may need to reorder the sizes of the three axes to acheive the desired result. This is due to the issues of mapping a rectanglar distribution onto the surface of a sphere.
Users can experiment with the values of Npts and Nsigs, the number of steps used in the integration and the range spanned in number of standard deviations. The standard deviation is entered in units of degrees. For a "rectangular" distribution the full width should be \(\pm \sqrt(3)\) ~ 1.73 standard deviations. The new "uniform" distribution avoids this by letting you directly specify the half width.
Some more detailed technical notes are provided in the developer section of this manual Orientation and Numerical Integration .
This definition of orientation is new to SasView 4.2. In earlier versions, the orientation distribution appeared as a distribution of view angles. This led to strange effects when \(c\) was aligned with \(z\), where changes to the \(\phi\) angle served only to rotate the shape about \(c\), rather than having a consistent interpretation as the pitch of the shape relative to the flow field defining the reference orientation. Prior to SasView 4.1, the reference orientation was defined using a Tait-Bryan convention, making it difficult to control. Now, rotation in \(\theta\) modifies the spacings in the refraction pattern, and rotation in \(\phi\) rotates it in the detector plane.
© Copyright 2019, The SasView Project. Created using Sphinx 1.4.1.


All keys function as intended and play great. Tremolo and volume control works well.
Two sliders tips (volume and treble tone control) are broken off but the controls still function as intended. Includes sustain pedal and power cord.
Piano includes its own built in road case which is also used for the stand. Dimensions: 53" (L) x 25" (D) x 11 (H) Weight: 152 lbs. The item "Baldwin Kustom 88 Electric Piano with Built in Road Case" is in sale since Saturday, July 21, 2018.
This item is in the category "Musical Instruments & Gear\Pianos, Keyboards & Organs\Electronic Keyboards". The seller is "allsoundstore" and is located in Elk River, Minnesota.


Named for George W. Norton of Kentucky, who about 1882 bought and later developed the divide between Oak and Valley creeks. Post office, established in 1894, was at first in home (1.5 mi. NE) of postmaster Marion A. Wilkerson. This facility and a few country businesses - including stores, cotton gins, blacksmith shops - were drawn into town, which was platted by O.C. Bivins in 1903.
First homes are said to have been built by Dr. W.W. Mitchell and Les Trimmier. High school was established in 1906. Early institutions included several churches and a Masonic lodge.
This marker can also be identified by its HM code. You can use the hashtag #HM1K00 in tweets, and any other place where you might refer to this marker, including when searching on this site.


myHair.com is the online supplier of hair cosmetics and hair dressing supplies, for both hair dressers and consumers. We have years of experience in the field of hair dressing and are therefore capable of bringing together quality brands, a high level of service and the ease of shopping at home. If you have any questions about our products or need some personal hair advice, please do not hesitate to contact us. We're happy to help!


text:
Norfolk Shows
Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Irving Berlin's White Christmas at Four County Players
Four County Players
5256 Governor Barbour Street
Barboursville, 22923
Based on the beloved, timeless film, this heartwarming musical adaptation features seventeen Irving Berlin songs and a book by David Ives and Paul Blake. Veterans Bob Wallace and Phil Davis have a successful song-and-dance act after World War II. With romance in mind, the two follow a duo of beautiful singing sisters en route to their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge, which just happens to be owned by Bob and Phils former army commander. The dazzling score features well known standards including Blue Skies, I Love A Piano, How Deep Is the Ocean and the perennial favorite, White Christmas. WHITE CHRISTMAS is an uplifting musical worthy of year-round productions. IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS is presented through special arrangement with R & H Theatricals: www.rnh.com.
Add a Norfolk Show Listing
Winners Announced For The BroadwayWorld 2021 Central Virginia Awards
Little Theatre of Virginia Beach Presents THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
Lowell's The Town And The City Festival Adds More Artists To 2022 Lineup
Charlottesville Opera Names New General Director
CENTRAL VIRGINIA SHOWS
Sandler Center for the Performing Arts (1/13 - 3/10)
Thrive Or, What You Will
American Shakespeare Center (7/7 - 8/7)
American Shakespeare Center (3/31 - 5/15)
Clue: On Stage
Little Theatre of Virginia Beach (5/13 - 6/5)
American Shakespeare Center (12/8 - 12/30)
Central Virginia Email Alerts


text:
package com.microsoft.azure.management.vmwarecloudsimple.v2019_04_01;

import rx.Observable;

/**
 * Type representing Operations.
 */
public interface Operations {
    /**
     * Implements list of available operations.
     * Return list of operations.
     *
     * @throws IllegalArgumentException thrown if parameters fail the validation
     * @return the observable for the request
     */
    Observable<AvailableOperation> listAsync();

    /**
     * Implements get of async operation.
     * Return an async operation.
     *
     * @param regionId The region Id (westus, eastus)
     * @param operationId operation id
     * @throws IllegalArgumentException thrown if parameters fail the validation
     * @return the observable for the request
     */
    Observable<OperationResource> getAsync(String regionId, String operationId);

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Are you doing what you want and love? If not what is stopping you from doing what you love? Yep, more work but each time you remove a layer you move closer to your abundant birthright. We are supposed to be living our passion a.k.a. following our bliss.
KC: Even though I don't like what I'm doing I don't know what my heart's desire is. I honor my frustration and am open to shifting that.
KC: Even though I don't have a clue as to what would make me happy I'm open to discovering that.
KC: Even though I don't think I have a passion I'm open to the possibility.
CB: I can start seeing where and how I can be of service and that might lead to a career I never thought of. I like helping people and this might be just the ticket to figuring out what I'm passionate about.
So go out and have a great weekend. Look around for events that you enjoy and check out their website and enquire how you might work one of the events. Then start talking to the people there for the types of jobs that the organization employees- sometimes they train you?!?!?


Established for more than a century, Sharkey Funeral Directors are a family owned and independent firm. Having had businesses also in coffin & casket manufacture, timber milling & coach building as well as funeral directing, the firm have developed world class knowledge of the funeral business.
Now in the fourth generation, Sharkey Funeral Directors provide professional service and advice in all aspects of funeral arrangements and funeral services.
Written by Tom Sharkey III of Sharkey Funeral Directors, the following article appeared in an industry journal in 2003.
Sharkey Funeral Directors, 100 years of caring tradition.
Tom Sharkey & Sons have been funeral directors for more than four generations. At the beginning of the last century Tom Sharkey I, was the proprietor of an extensive business in Ballaghaderreen that included sawmills, forge, coach building, joinery and coffin and casket manufacturing works.
In those early years funerals were relatively simple for the funeral director (or undertaker) in that the usual order simply consisted of coffin, habit/shroud and hearse. It was therefore a natural progression from making coffins to follow onto a complete undertaking service. So he purchased a horse drawn hearse and established himself as an undertaker. Before long he needed additional hearses and ended up with four, which consisted of two "Town Hearses" and two "Country Hearses" and the appropriate accompany of carriages for mourners. The Town Hearses were not, as the name would suggest used for town funerals only, rather they were used for all funerals. For long journeys the Country Hearses were used because they had a much lighter structure and were less tiring on the horses.
Irish-American poet William Brendan McPhillips was born in the Bronx on April 4th, 1937. His poetry anthology "The Place" contains over one hundred poems, a significant portion of which deal with discovering his ancestry in Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon in the west of Ireland. One of these poems surrounds his memories of Sharkey Funeral Directors, captured in his poem "In Sharkey's Yard".
From time to time we receive kind messages of support and thank you's for our work. We have presented a few of them here as a testament to the quality of our service.
Names and such have been withheld as appropriate.
Just to say thank you for all the help, the patience and for being so caring at a time that was so hard and upsetting. You were totally fantastic and understanding to me and my family, and I wish you and your family from the bottom of my heart all the best in the future. The world's a better place with you in it.
Thank you all, E. and family.
Irish TV programme "Roscommon County Matters" paid us a visit to take a look at the long tradition of caring for people at their time of death at Sharkey Funeral Home in Ballaghaderreen. To skip directly to our part go to the 12 minute mark.


As part of my attempt to improve my Go game as logged at my blog, I put together a study plan after talking to a number of strong players.
The first step to tracking my progress will be to get a solid rank on KGS, where I plan to do most of my playing outside of the local go club. As Roy Laird and Barry Phease pointed out, I'll need to be careful not to just play fast, careless games online.
Review all of my games for strategic mistakes (reviewed games will be linked from the blog) and at least one missed opportunity to play Yosu Miru. In cases where I'm not sure what happened, ask a stronger player or submit the game to the Go Teaching Ladder.
Watch games of players 5 or so stones stronger and try to guess the next move as a way of identifying, for example, places where I would fail to punish a bad move, take a big points over urgent points, or play a move that was too slow.
Study Pro Games - I plan to do this occasionally, though not with the frequency of the points listed above. At the moment, I'm partial to the games of Takagawa Shukaku.
Credits: Steve Fawthrop for ideas on how to review my own games, Roy Laird for suggesting I study pro games, Roy and Richard Mullens suggesting using Cho's life and death dictionary, and Roy and Barry Phease for debating the value of playing games online.


Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Belfast earlier this year.
The Royal Wedding will grant Meghan Markle a host of titles — including "Princess Henry of Wales."
She can be called that because she takes the official first name of her husband — and Harry's real name is Henry.
However, recent royal bridges have ignored the title, and recent tradition dictates that the odd-sounding style will never be used.
Princess Michael of Kent, who married in 1978, is the only living royal to be known by her husband's name.
When Meghan Markle ties the knot with Prince Harry on May 19, she will officially become part of the royal family. That brings with it a new career, instant celebrity, a colourful cast of relatives — and several royal titles.
It is highly likely that Markle will become a duchess, like Kate Middleton did. But there's another title she will gain from the marriage that she will almost certainly never use for anything.
In keeping with royal tradition, after she marries Markle can technically be called Princess Henry of Wales.
She gets that title from the days when royal spouses took their husband's name (Prince Harry's name is not actually Harry, but Henry).
However, the realities of modern life mean that nobody will call her Princess Henry, mainly because it sounds really weird.
Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge with their newborn son, Prince Louis.
The clunky name emphasises the fact that Markle won't be a princess in her own right, but through marriage. Women who are royal by blood, like Princess Charlotte or Princess Eugenie, get to use their own name.
The same rule means that Kate Middleton can also be called Princess William of Wales. But in reality she is never called that, even in official royal documents, which usually call her the Duchess of Cambridge.
Only one royal still sticks to this convention: Princess Michael of Kent. The 73-year-old took the name when she married Prince Michael back in 1978, when it wasn't so strange.
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent in 2016.
The present Duchess of Gloucester also used to be known as Princess Richard, after her husband Prince Richard, but dropped the title when Richard inherited the dukedom from his father.
The situation has become so odd that Princess Michael's website includes a "frequently asked questions" section explaining why she seems to have a man's name.
So, although this convention is perfectly correct — and indeed the only way Markle will be able to refer to herself as a princess — it is extremely unlikely to make a comeback.


Back: Bobby Ardrey, John Martin, Mike Kelly, Dave Willis, Ted Murphy, Roy Law. Front: Les Brown, Brian Martin, Eddie Reynolds, Geoff Hamm, Norman Williams.
Amateur Cup Winners: Back: John Martin, Bobby Ardrey, Mike Kelly, Roy Law, Ted Murphy, Dave Willis. Front: Les Brown, Brian Martin, Eddie Reynolds, Geoff Hamm, Norman Williams.
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text:
Review: Super Tennis
Full Title: Super Tennis
Ahhh tennis games. The staple of many an early console's launch library. I guess the format of the sport just lends itself to video games and with the launch of Sega's glorious Master System in 1986 it was only natural that the console should have its own tennis game. Known as Great Tennis in Japan on the Japanese version of the Master System namely the Sega Mark III, the game is clearly a hangover from Sega's first console namely the SG-1000 Mark I/II.
It's tennis. Yep, there's not much more you need to know other than that really. You play from a portrait viewpoint of the court as opposed to a landscape one such as with "Tennis Ace" but you don't change sides. Even when the CPU serves you play from the bottom of the screen which is something I actually prefer. All the regular tennis rules are here so you have to get the ball to bounce within the lines to score. The scores go up 15-30-40-game as in a real game and if you mess up you get FAULT yelled at you by the umpire. As I said it is just tennis. You can customise the difficulty of your CPU opponent before the match. Leaving it all on the default settings will give you one of the most relaxed and carefree tennis games you have ever played. The ball just seems to casually glide between players although even at this speed you have to time those returns just right.
Bare minimum. Like I said in the introduction, this is clearly a hangover title from the SG-1000 MarkI/II and as was common with that console towards the end of its life before the more powerful MarkIII/Master System arrived, it was intended as a card game rather than cartridge. As such the memory space was only around 32kb so graphics only served the purpose of showing you where everything was.
The title screen gives you a rather upbeat little jingle but that's the only music in the game. Serving or returning the ball comes with a rather tinny ding sound while landing on the ground gets a little distortion. And that's about it.
Button 1 is your main serve/return button while button 2 will give you a high "lob" shot. Be warned using button 2, if the opponent successfully returns it to you then the ball will have much more energy than normal as it blasts towards you meaning its that much harder to hit. It's not as if it's easy to return the ball in the first pace since you have to time your swing just right. It's not uncommon to be running around the court swinging away like your swotting flies and never hit the ball that is right next to you.
If you had this back in the day then I suppose nostalgia will bring you back. I never did so I am not encouraged to pop the cartridge in often.
This is not going to blow anyone's mind and there are better tennis games on the Master System. It has that early game charm but honestly, unless you are a collector I wouldn't bother. If you are collecting then the good news is that in cartridge form at least it is dirt cheap to pick up boxed with a manual. At present (late 2018) they go for somewhere in the region of �5-6 on ebay.


Happy Friday and CHEERS for the weekend!! I am finally off work this weekend and the weather is supposed to be sort of good so I'm EXCITED!! I feel like lately when I'm off work for the weekend it's super rainy and gross. Not that the weather will affect my "big plans" or anything. Probably because I don't have any super big plans other than going to Orange Theory twice and hopefully taking Sophie to the park to walk.
I also want to hit up a bookstore in Little Rock that I have been meaning to go to but the weather has been so yucky on my days off I don't ever want to leave the house. So fingers crossed the weather cooperates and I can do the few things I really want to do!
So back to today. Friday. And since it's Friday you know what that means, it's time for the Friday Five!If you are new around here then you should know that I reserve Fridays for five random things, things that maybe wouldn't warrant a full blog post or things I'm trying and giving you a littl teaser info on before a big post. Either way most of the time it's random and today is no exception.
So enough rambling and let's get to it!
ONE. I recently tried a new eyebrow pencil and I hated it!! It was soooo BAD! I have used IT Cosmetics Brow Power for so long that pretty much anything else I use is just awful. Or maybe that means I need to learn to use other products? No thanks! I finally remembered to grab a new pencil at ULTA the other day and all they had was the travel size in stock but I grabbed it! I probably should have grabbed a few now that I'm thinking about it…hmmmm….
Confession – I have been wanting to try a jade roller for so long but kept forgetting to order one so I was super excited to see this citrine one in my package! I also can't wait to share more about the Confidence in a Neck Cream, Confidence in a Cream Rosy Tone, and Confidence in a Gel Lotion with y'all! IT Cosmetics products really are the BEST!!
THREE. I feel like this spring's ULTA 21 Days of Beauty sale is kind of hit or miss for me. I was pretty pumped about this Tarte Tartiest Pro Glow palette though because their blushes and bronzers have always been so good!! I can't wait to really give this one a try!
Aren't those colors just dreamy???
FOUR. I mentioned in this post that Mary Kay Andrews was one of my all time fave chick lit authors and would you believe that it wasn't too long after that that her PR team contacted me to see if I wanted an advanced copy of her newest book, Sunset Beach, that comes out in May?? Of course I said YES< I read the book in less than 24 hours and now I need more MKA in my life. I think I want to go back and read the Callahan Garrity series again! It's been a while since I read them and I LOVE them!!
FIVE. And last, but most certainly not least, I have a new show obsession!!! After seeing several IRL friends talk about Hulu's new original show, Shrill, on social media I finally sat down and binged and I LOVE IT!! It is all about female empowerment, size inclusivity, and just real life being a girl! If you are a woman you NEED to watch this show!!
So there you have it, this week's Friday Five! I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you have a fabulous weekend!!
I can't wait to read the new Mary Kay Andrews book. I love all her books! I wear IT Cosmetics CC Cream and love it. I also use their concealer when I need to cover dark circles. I'm looking forward to seeing your review of the new products you received. Happy Friday!
i cant wait to read that book too- i swear they are sooo inspiring and encouraging ha i also love that cosmetics CC cream- such a game changer for my skin care routine!
Ooo I need to try out this makeup. And I keep hearing about jade rollers. I might have to pick one up and see if I like it or not. If anything, my daughter will use it. She's more into makeup and accessories than I am.
I love it when you give something a bad rating so honest and refreshing. I have to see that show it looks really good to binge.
I keep hearing about jade rollers, I really must try and order one for myself! they sound like they can be so good for your skin!
I think I'll have to sign up for Hulu! I am a fan of Aidy Bryant, and I want to see Shrill now.
Our daughter is home from college this weekend and we had a lovely family dinner then off to do dome thrifting and catching up. We scored some great finds… so this weekend it's all about family!
P.S. I LOVE those jade rollers. I want one!
Tarte is one of my go-to brands for sure. Never tried that blush / glow palette though. Looks promising!
I am putting the book on my list and eagerly awaiting your thoughts on the neck cream. I have been searching high and low for an effective one.
I am always looking for new beauty products to try. I will try these soon!
This is a fun idea, recapping the week. Looks like you did find some good products, despite the issue with the brow pencil. Hopefully the weather stays nice for you!
The products look great! I need to watch the Shrill movie, I bet it a really good show!
I love the shades of the blush! Not sure if it would fit under my skin tone though. But I guess I will take a loot at it and try.