text:
India »
Can't build prosperous society unless India is tolerant: Chidambaram
"If intolerance leads to more and more conflict, it will certainly hold back the intention of this country from becoming prosperous and rich," he said.
By IANS | Published: 24th Oct 2016 10:58 amUpdated: 24th Oct 2016 11:02 am
Congress leader P. Chidambaram
Kolkata: Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Monday cautioned against intolerance as an impediment to India's prosperity.
"We must create a more humane and tolerant society. We can't build a prosperous society unless society is tolerant to each other, is more humane, unless it's accepts diversity and unless it adopts the philosophy of live and let live," Chidambaram said at a session organised by IIM Calcutta in association with Observer Research Foundation on economic reforms.
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"If intolerance leads to more and more conflict, it will certainly hold back… this country from becoming prosperous and rich," he said.
The debate on intolerance has been grabbing much public space over the past two years that saw issues like cow vigilantism coming to the fore.
Speaking on economic growth and inflation, Chidambaram said the Reserve Bank of India must strike a balance between price stability and economic growth by formulating monetary policy.
He also highlighted that the country needed tax revenue to finance public infrastructure in health and education.
"As we don't have sufficient tax revenue, public sector space in education and health is shrinking," Chidambaram said.
He mentioned that many of the top business houses in the 1970s and 1980s "could not survive in competition" in the post economic reform era.
"The space for new private entrepreneurs has shrunk. Country must continue to create opportunity for new entrepreneurs," he said while delivering the keynote address at the conference titled '25 years of Economic Reforms: Retrospect and Prospects'.
Chidambaram also said inequality increased in the last 25 years and prescribed raising the minimum wage across the board to reduce inequality. "It will increase some prices, but inequality is not acceptable," he said.
Raising concerns over the flexible fiscal deficit concept, he said that India must achieve the target of fiscal deficit in 2017-18. "We must remain below that level and should not breach


Arriving home from work at my usual hour of 5 p.m., I discovered that it had not been one of my wife's better days.
Nothing I said or did seemed to be right.
By 7 p.m., things had not changed, so I suggested I go outside, pretend I had just gotten home, and start all over again.
My wife agreed. I went outside, came back in and, with a big smile, announced, "Honey, I'm home!"


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About InfraGard Sacramento
InfraGard is a National partnership between the FBI and the private and public sectors. It is an association of individuals who represent businesses, academic institutions, state and local law enforcement agencies, and other participants dedicated to sharing information and intelligence to prevent hostile acts against the U.S.
The InfraGard Sacramento Member Alliance (IMA) has been established in partnership with the FBI Sacramento Division for close to a decade and is one of 85 chapters in the FBI's InfraGard network and a member of the InfraGard National Members Alliance.
The Sacramento IMA holds regular meetings and provides members with a forum for information sharing within a secure environment, while focusing on protecting the critical infrastructure of Sacramento and surrounding areas.
The members of the Sacramento IMA are part of a national network of FBI-vetted volunteers who are Subject Matter Experts (SME) for critical infrastructure in one or more critical sectors. It provides a trusted forum for the real-time exchange of information, training, and expertise related to the protection of critical infrastructure.
The Sacramento IMA Chapter is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with over 200 members. It is governed by a dedicated group of volunteers that comprise a Board of Directors, an Operating Committee, and the Advisory Board.
Since incorporation in 2006, the Sacramento-IMA has been providing outstanding leadership, management, information technology, and related security training through its network of SME, whom for the most part are secure members of the FBI's National InfraGard Program.
Join InfraGard Now!
Click any image for a print-friendly version.
FBI Sacramento
2001 Freedom Way
Roseville CA 95678
Outside Directors at-large
Aaron Tarver
IMA President & CEO
Stephanie Cervantes
IMA Vice President
Howard Duck
IMA Secretary
Crystal Allen
IMA Treasurer
Brian Banning
Director at-large
Nicholas Borton
Ria de Grassi
Gary Quisenberry
Director at-large South Area delegate
Dennis Garton
Director at-large North Area delegate
Mark "Doc" Dochtermann
• Standing Member: FBI, InfraGard Coordinator
• Alturi, Srinivas • Lum, Brandon
• Armstrong, Gary • Orlove, Jack
• Bailey, Tim • Pratt, Kimberly
• Barrow, Bob • Sellner, Joe
• Chow, Bob • Stovall, Larry
• Dochtermann, Mark "Doc" • Vargas, Tony
• Lozado, Paul
InfraGard
InfraGard National Site
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lnfraGard Sacramento Members Alliance is a non-profit organization serving as a public-private partnership among U.S. businesses, individuals involved in the protection and resilience of U.S. critical infrastructures, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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Contact InfraGard Sacramento
Please provide your contact information along with a brief message. A representative from InfraGard Sacramento will then reach out to you.
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The Showman - Myron Saathoff
Today we welcome another feature from our friend Brittni Drennan Communications Coordinator for the International Brangus Breeders Association. Meet Myron Saathoff a true showman! He began showing cattle in FFA and his career in the ring continues today.
Myron Saathoff enters the show ring grasping a lead rope in one hand and a show stick in the other trailing a line of perfectly fitted Brangus heifers. At the other end of the halter, Pearl glides alongside Saathoff following his directions. After getting set, Saathoff anxiously awaits the judge's selection, knowing his heifer is bound to receive the prized purple banner.
Saathoff has stepped foot into many show rings over the last 40 years and is no stranger to the winner's circle. He initially began showing heifers and steers in high school through FFA while growing up in Hondo, Texas. Now after two back surgeries, one hip replacement, and countless ribbons and awards won, Saathoff is unsure of how many more times he will be able to return to the show ring.
The earlier account was one of the most memorable moments of Saathoff's show career. Pearl was the offspring of a champion that Saathoff bred and raised at JLS, Pearl's dam, Tally, was awarded Show Heifer of the Year in 2003-2004, winning three of four major shows that year. Pearl was named International Champion and Show Heifer of the Year in 2009. The very next year, Tally had another daughter, Kelly, who was also an International Champion.
"I like being able to work with show cattle and demonstrate what you're breeding and what you're producing," Saathoff explained. "It's a way to advertise and showcase your operation to the public and showcase your best cattle."
Upon graduating from high school, Saathoff attended Texas Lutheran College in Seguin, Texas, on a baseball and football scholarship and finished at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He then began working at the local auction barn where his father worked before transitioning to the ranch management sector. He first worked for Larry Blackman of B2B Farms at 20 years old. He got involved in showing again this time in open shows. It was at B2B farms that Saathoff used Big Sir 75/6 and Justana 40/8 as clean up bulls, two of the Brangus foundation sires of today. Big Sir was the grand sire of Titan, who was the sire of Transformer, Big Sir also sired General, one of the maternal foundation sires of the breed. Justana was the foundation sire of Robert Vineyard's 100 family. Both of these bulls can be found somewhere in most pedigrees popular today.
After working for B2B Farms, Saathoff managed several other operations including Escoba, T Diamond, Star J Ranch, and Star Creek Ranch owned by Curly Taylor where all the Brinks 392 progeny was developed. Saathoff tried his hand in sale management and consulting before settling in at JLS International owned by Jeff Smtih located near Devine, Texas. Now almost 13 years later, Smith and Saathoff together have more than 70 years of experience in the Brangus seedstock business.
Saathoff has built an outstanding reputation breeding numerous champion heifers and bulls. To date, JLS is the only operation to win the Futurity three times. JLS was also recognized as the IBBA Breeder of the Year in 2007, and Saathoff has been honored as Herdsman of the Year twice. However, Saathoff still has goals for the operation and feels like he still has more to learn.
"I'm still going. Nobody has produced a perfect animal yet, but we're getting closer," Saathoff said. "Show animals and breeding stock are becoming more similar and are looking more alike than they did several years ago."
With approximately 550 head of cattle plus bulls and heifers, JLS is still expanding and trying new techniques. Having obtained the most desirable cattle and some of the best performance cattle in the industry, Saathoff's primary goal now is to improve genetic consistency in the registered herd. In order to achieve that goal, JLS recently generated five cloned heifer calves from the original 915C cow. Saathoff said the only way to tell them apart is by their ear tag number, and they even came into heat within three days of each other without using synchronization. Saathoff attributes the 915C cow for contributing to the success JLS has experienced over the last 13 years with last year marking 115 descendants from the 915 family.
JLS is also expanding their operation to include red Brangus cattle and now have seven red Brangus females. Saathoff showcased their red Brangus program in the show ring last year and received Red Brangus Show Heifer of the Year. JLS has implemented a breeding up to Brangus program in order to introduce new genetics and avoid line breeding. When it comes to genetic selection, Saathoff knows what to look for, and the success JLS has had is a testament to the extensive knowledge and experience he has gained.
When selecting cattle and making breeding decisions, Saathoff's number one priority is performance. He wants a bull that can work in the South Texas climate and tough, rugged environment, which is the ultimate reason why he likes the Brangus breed.
"I've had experience with Angus, Brangus, Braunvieh, and from experience, Brangus by far out did everything as far as adaptability," Saathoff said. "Brangus were the most fertile and had the best performance and best milking ability across the board."
Saathoff said infusing Brangus into a herd will improve milking ability and mothering ability, and he compliments the Brangus female for being the best in the industry. He believes Brangus can improve the beef industry with the breed's tremendous adaptability qualities as long as purebred breeders produce bulls the commercial man needs and can use. The biggest challenge Brangus breeders face involves marketing.
"They need to believe in the product they are producing and market their own product," Saathoff said. "If you believe in what you have and are knowledgeable about your program, you can sell it."
Saathoff said it was important for the Brangus breed to obtain more accurate data and genetic markers in order to improve consistency within the breed, but also to improve the market and increase the demand for Brangus cattle. With the constant change in marketing trends, Saathoff is still trying to learn new tricks.
"I definitely still have room to learn more about marketing and how those trends have changed," Saathoff said. "The Internet is one really good tool that I need to learn more about."
Saathoff said he follows examples by others who were successful marketers like Glen Brinkman and Joe Reznicek, who were both very involved and knowledgeable about their respective programs, but the Internet is a marketing tool breeders can easily take advantage of. It is accessible to everyone from businessmen to cattlemen, and all it takes is getting the information out there to the people who are looking for it, and Saathoff is one who continually looks for opportunities to keep growing.
"If you've got the information in front of them, you've got a better chance of selling them something," Saathoff said. "Like live Internet auctions are an area that we can grow in, and it's beneficial because people can view and buy cattle without travelling."
Saathoff's new goal for JLS is simple- to keep improving by increasing consistency. Maybe Saathoff is slowing down, but he is not done yet. He and his wife, Neva, are supporters of the junior association, IJBBA, and Saathoff said he enjoys watching juniors show his cattle as much as he liked showing. He likes the opportunity to give youth the experience they might not otherwise have been able to enjoy. Having two children who grew up involved in the IJBBA, Tanessa Sawyer and Tate, Saathoff knows how beneficial the youth organization is.
After 41 years in the cattle industry, Saathoff knows how to seek out and take advantage of the opportunities before him. He has made a name in this business and created a reputation built on integrity, and his reputation alone is what markets his cattle, selling close to 200 bulls on the ranch each year.
"Honesty is what has made JLS successful," Saathoff said, "and everyone is treated the same regardless of experience in the breed or business."
Among a library full of memories made in the show ring, Saathoff recalls another memorable moment in 2004 when the National Western Show was first hosted in Phoenix, Ariz. That year, JLS brought back both big prizes of Grand Champion Heifer and Grand Champion Bull. Another outstanding memory was in 2003 when JLS won Grand Champion Heifer at the Futurity for the third time by the same breeder. This third win allowed Saathoff to be the first person to take home the Brangus Futurity trophy engraved with all the past Futurity winners. This trophy had previously been displayed at the IBBA office and is now proudly displayed at JLS.
Saathoff is a true cattleman and showman!
Thanks Brittni for bringing us this great feature! To meet more Brangus producers check out their webpage, blog and Facebook page.
How are you involved in agriculture? We want to hear your story! Contact us a foafeature@gmail.com for more info about being the next feature!
Posted by Mrs. Martin at 7:49 PM
Labels: Brangus, cattle, FFA, show calves, Texas
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Q: What is the correct way to encode querystring in javascript and decode properly on asp.net-mvc serverside? I had an asp.net-mvc site and I have an issue where I had an "&" in my  query string that I am building with javascript and then using ajax to my server. Something like this:
 www.mysite.com/MyController/Load?Tag=M&Ms

when I passed this to my server using ajax, it was showing up as
Tag="M"

so, in my javascript code, I changed my code from this:
  "Load?Tag=" + tag;

to:
  "Load?Tag=" + encodeURIComponent(tag);

and this fixed my issue. My server code looks like this
 public ActionResult Load(ProjectParams projectParams)
 {
      //go do stuff
 }

where ProjectParams looks like this:
public class ProjectParams
{
    public string Tag {get;set;}
}

So everything was great until I realized that making this change on the javascript side, had a knockon effect. I just ran into an issue where if I have spaces in my tag name, it shows up on the server as:
  My%20Tag%20Name

instead of:
  My Tag Name

what is the correct way to encode on the javascript side for a url querystring and ensure that it shows up properly on the serverside controller action

A: you can decode it easily with
Server.UrlDecode()

and you could do that on the setter

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Is there a way to use an actionCommand in a switch case for a MouseListener? I am working on a navigation panel in a Java swing application.
On the left side I have a navigation menu:

*

*Order status

*Check reports

*Documentation

*...

*Go back to main menu

The elements in the navigation are re-configurated JButtons that look like lables, are underlined if the mouse hovers over them in order to simulate a hyperlink navigation.
This works fine, but I am using a MouseListener on the buttons (not an ActionListener, since I want to be able to register the mouse hovering over a button, the mouse cursor leaving the button etc.) and if-statements to check, which button/label had been clicked.
    if (e.getSource() == btn_orderStatus) {
        // Clean everything, then hang in the MAIN navigation panel
        buttonPanel.setVisible(true);
        createLandingPage("centerPanel");
        pageCards.show(centerPanel, "PageOne");
    }

    if (e.getSource() == btn_goBack) {
        // Clean everything, then hang in the MAIN navigation panel
        buttonPanel.setVisible(false);
        createLandingPage("empty");
    }

    if (e.getSource() == btn_checkReport) {
        ...
    }

Since the navigation might be longer later, I wanted to convert the if-statements into a switch-case and check, which button had been clicked. Switch-case mostly works with types like int, String, so you have to switch over a String for example.
When there is an ActionListener registered to the re-configured JButtons, you can use the switch-case like this:
switch(e.getActionCommand()) {
    case: "Order status":
          ....
    case: "Check reports":
          ....
}

Notice: The getActionCommand() has not been set before! If it is not set, it defaults to the button text!
But since I am using a MouseListener instead of an ActionListener, there is no e.getActionCommand()!
The alternative is getting the source and casting it into a JButton, which works, but might be longer and less elegant than it could be:
switch(((JButton) e.getSource.getText())){...

So is there a way for a MouseListener-switch to use something similar to the e.getActionCommand()? Or is the cast-approach already acceptable?
EDIT: Here is a GIF of my navigation, so it's easier to understand, why I want to use buttons.

But to be clear: My question is not about the visuals, but instead if there is a way to write the line
switch(((JButton) e.getSource.getText())){...

shorter / more elegant by using something similar to e.getActionComman(), which does not exist in a MouseListener.
EDIT2:
This is how I change my JButtons to look like JLabels:
for (JButton jButton : navigationButtonSecondList) {
    jButton.setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(2, 2, 2, 2));
    jButton.setBorderPainted(true);
    jButton.setContentAreaFilled(false);
    jButton.setFocusPainted(false);
    jButton.setHorizontalAlignment(SwingConstants.LEFT);
    jButton.addMouseListener(this);
    jButton.setEnabled(false);
    jButton.setFont(new Font("SansSerif", Font.PLAIN, 12));
}

EDIT 3:
With this code the re-worked JButtons are bolded and underlined. I've also tried to work with buttontext, but somehow I was unable to de-underline the text correctly. So I've used the approach shown here:
@Override
public void mouseEntered(MouseEvent e) {
    // Makes the text in the labels / JButtons bold and "pop out", so the
    // user sees, which label / JButton they are hovering over
    JButton buttonSourceHelper = ((JButton) e.getSource());
    buttonSourceHelper.setFont(new Font("SansSerif", Font.BOLD, 12));
    // This is used to underline the labels (JButtons) in order to make them
    // look like hyperlinks
    Font font = buttonSourceHelper.getFont();
    Map attributes = font.getAttributes();
    attributes.put(TextAttribute.UNDERLINE, TextAttribute.UNDERLINE_ON);
    buttonSourceHelper.setFont(font.deriveFont(attributes));
}

When the mouse exits the JButton, I simply put the font back to size 12 and PLAIN:
buttonHelper.setFont(new Font("SansSerif", Font.PLAIN, 12));


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Tech news, reviews and mobile photography
Handset News
Accessories/Wearables
Home > Comparison / Feature / Smartphones
Affordable Phone Round-Up: Get great performance without breaking the bank
Author Jonathan Morris
One week from now, everyone in the mobile biz will be heading off to Barcelona to see a huge number of new phone releases for 2017, but the majority of them are going to be flagships. And that means expensive.
The mix of a weak pound and manufacturers now trying to make more profit per device, to compensate for slowing sales in a saturated market, means that by the end of 2017 (maybe sooner) we'll perhaps see some phones selling for over a grand.
Google and Apple are each almost there, and HTC, Samsung and others are keen to cash in on an ever-growing premium market. Samsung would have been closer had it not been for the Note 7 fiasco, but the Galaxy S8 isn't far away.
This is an awful lot of money for a SIM-free purchase, and even more money if you sign up on a contract and work out the total cost of ownership. £600, £700 or £800 isn't cheap either, but are you getting considerably more for your money, or just paying for a badge?
There's nothing wrong with shelling out if you want to, and can afford to, but do you actually have to?
I am a firm believer that you can get an awful lot of bang for your buck for a lot less money, if you know where to look. £300 and less can get you a great phone, combining great performance, decent battery life, a good screen, and excellent camera performance.
I therefore decided to do a round-up of some examples to get you thinking. All of them are available to buy right now and they're all a lot less than a current flagship, be that a Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, a Google Pixel XL, or indeed any Apple iPhone.
I'll be in Spain for Mobile World Congress and bringing news of all the new flagship releases, but don't expect many of them to be less than £400 or £500 when they go on sale, and some (like the Galaxy S8, likely for a separate announcement next month) will likely be at least £700, £800 or above.
Let me know your thoughts below on this round-up and feel free to add any recommendations of your own.
Honor 8 Key Specifications
Price* £319.90 (frequently discounted by up to £50)
Size/Weight 145.5 x 71 x 7.5mm / 153g
Screen Size/Resolution 5.2-inch 1080×1920
Camera (Rear/Front) 2x12MP rear, 8MP front
Storage 32GB + microSDXC
OS Android Nougat
Battery 3,000mAh
Connector USB-C + 3.5mm headphone socket
Other Infrared port, fingerprint sensor, NFC, Dual-band Wi-Fi
* Correct at time of publication
The Honor 8 is a firm favourite of mine, not just because of its awesome camera, impressive performance, battery life and so on. It's because it also looks so gorgeous too!
The Honor 8 only makes it into this round-up because Honor regularly does promotions and bundles, bringing it down from its retail price of £320. Occasionally, you'll get short notice of a deal such as £50 off, which then brings the phone down to just £270.
It's worth monitoring Honor's social media accounts, Hot Deals UK, as well as visiting the vMall.eu store from time to time to check for such offers. Wherever possible, I'll also Tweet any specials that I spot on the Honor 8 and other phones.
Amongst a sea of generic designs, the unique multi-layered glass back looks particularly stunning in blue, and it makes the Honor 8 stand out amongst a crowd. It becomes a talking point, and not in a one-upmanship kind of way. Rather a 'that looks bloody nice' kind of way.
People will probably not believe you paid around £300, and may well start to wonder why they shelled out twice as much on something that looks far more bland and derivative.
The Honor 8 has many improvements over the more expensive, Huawei-branded, P9. More RAM (4GB over 3GB), similar benchmarking results (despite a fractionally slower CPU than the P9) and more internal storage. It even comes with a combined fingerprint sensor and smart key, and an infrared port to control your TV.
It all adds up to a phone that is still as worthwhile for consideration now as it was when launched almost six months ago.
The key feature for the phone is the dual-lens camera, which offers excellent performance in all lighting conditions, plus some great aperture adjustments to play with depth-of-field and get very creative.
There are a number of different camera modes to play with, full HD video recording, a respectable selfie-camera and a very bright, very vivid, full-HD screen to enjoy playback.
As I write this, Honor is also rolling out Android Nougat with Emotion UI V5, that brings an app-drawer to the default launcher, and a huge number of improvements (including split screen) that come with Android's latest OS build.
The Honor 8 is a firm favourite of mine, and it doesn't take long with one in your hands to feel the same way.
Read my full review to see why the Honor 8 is such a good phone and possibly worth stumping up a little more for.
Wileyfox Swift 2 Range
Wileyfox Swift 2 Range Key Specifications
Swift 2 Swift 2 Plus Swift 2 X
Price* £153 £183.99 £219.99
Size/Weight 143.7 x 71.9 x 8.6mm / 155g 143.7 x 71.9 x 8.6mm / 155g 144 x 72.2 x 8.8mm / 155g
Screen Size/Resolution 5-inch 720×1280 5-inch 720×1280 5.2-inch 1080×1920
Camera (Rear/Front) 13MP rear / 8MP front 13MP rear / 8MP front 16MP rear / 8MP front
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 430
RAM 2GB 3GB 3GB
Storage 16GB + microSDXC 32GB + microSDXC 32GB + microSDXC
OS Android Marshmallow (Nougat upgrade coming Q2/17)
Battery 2,700mAh 2,700mAh 3,010mAh
Other Fingerprint sensor, NFC, Single-band Wi-Fi, Quick Charge 3.0
Wileyfox came out of nowhere in late 2015 and had great success with the original Swift. Even with limited distribution, it quickly got a reputation as a fantastic low-cost alternative to everything else on the market, including the Moto G.
Things went back a step with the rather disappointing release of the somewhat lacklustre Spark phones (my Spark review unit failed before I could finish my review), but now the Swift is back – and this time with three new models.
The cheapest model is the Swift 2, which also has the lowest specification. Above that is the Swift 2 Plus and then the Swift 2 X. The 2 Plus and 2 X are essentially identical, with the 2 X having a bigger screen and battery.
All three phones are powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 430 chipset, but the entry level Swift 2 has a lower resolution camera (13 megapixels instead of 16MP) and less RAM (2GB instead of 3GB). There's also less internal storage. Frankly, for just £30 you really should trade up as you can't upgrade these things later on.
If you want a slightly larger screen, step up again to the 2 X. But, here £30 is really just getting you an extra 0.2-inches of screen (and a bigger battery) so it's not quite so easy to justify the extra outlay.
All three models come with USB-C fast charging and a fast finger-print reader on the back. There are decent sized batteries in each version, and a number of power-saving options. All three phones also come with dual SIM slots, of which one slot can be used instead for a memory card up to 256GB in capacity.
You can also find various bundle deals on the phones, seeing a protective case thrown in and screen replacement cover. Wileyfox also do accessories and now sell the phones in a wide range of colours.
Wileyfox is yet to come out with more powerful phones, but Snapdragon 430 is a powerful enough chipset for most usage, and everything is focused on affordability.
So what made the Swift and subsequent models a firm favourite with tech-savvy users? Well, the unique selling point was very much the use of Cyanogen OS, a modified build of Android that came with a bunch of enhancements, from a multitude of extra menu settings, enhanced security options, a huge choice of custom skins, boot animations, fonts and more.
Cyanogen OS was a great way to allow a phone to be as simple or complex as you wanted it to be, and also make a phone truly your own. Android fans loved it.
But sadly Cyanogen OS is no more and in March or April, all Wileyfox owners should get an update to bring a generic build of Android Nougat, with a loss of the many unique features Cyanogen afforded owners.
It's not going to be too drastic for many users, and especially not if native Android is something you'd favour over a custom build, but it does mean Wileyfox no longer has the unique hook that attracted many Android users wanting something different.
However, Wileyfox is a 'cool' brand and the handsets look great, and are very affordable. Hopefully the company has a bright future and will go on to consider a slightly higher performance on its next releases, but resisting temptation to jack up the prices too much!
Blu Vivo 6 Key Specifications
Price* £184.99
Size/Weight 154.3 x 74.9 x 7mm / 170g
Camera (Front/Back) 13MP rear / 8MP front
Chipset MediaTek MT6755 Helio P10
OS Android Marshmallow
Other Fingerprint sensor, NFC, Quick charging
Here's a strange one. On the one hand the Vivo 6 looks like a Samsung or HTC phone, but once you boot up, it's clear it really wished to be running iOS over Android. Right from the off, BLU has given the phone the look and feel of an iPhone, right down to swiping up from the bottom to access settings. As a long-term Android user, it takes a bit of getting used to.
On the other hand, anyone moving from iOS to Android will be instantly familiar, making it a great way to gently get used to Android and all of its differences.
Despite its low price, the Vivo 6 build quality is quite exceptional, and the phone looks and feels like something that should have set you back at least twice the amount of money. The rose gold model that I have can easily hold its own alongside an iPhone 7.
The phone has a pretty good spec too, with a big 5.5-inch full-HD display, a MediaTek Helio P10 SoC (that benchmarked pretty well in my hands-on test, getting a score of 46953)), and packing a 13-megapixel camera with Phase Detection Autofocus. The camera isn't class-leading, but it's quite acceptable.
There's a combined home key and fingerprint reader on the front, which is not my favourite position (but that's subjective of course). The location of the sensor isn't as big a deal as the number of failed attempts to unlock the phone when using it. As sensors go, it's far from the best. Or perhaps it's just my sausage fingers.
The large display is great, if a little muted in colour vibrancy, and audio output is decent too. There's a respectable battery (3,130 mAh) to keep you going, and the phone is very responsive – once you get used to the slightly different way of doing things.
Like many of the phones listed here, there are two SIM slots, one of which can be used for a memory card instead (and take cards up to 256GB in size). However, with an extremely generous 64GB of internal storage, there's probably no need to rush to add more anytime soon.
4GB of RAM also makes this one of the higher specified phones in the group (up there with the more expensive Honor 8) and arguably makes this phone excellent value for money if you want a big screen experience.
The following are phones I've yet to get my hands on and give a real opinion of, but they are certainly worthy of consideration.
Honor 6X Key Specifications
Price £224
Size/Weight 150.9 x 76.2 x 8.2mm / 162g
Camera (Front/Back) 12+2MP rear / 8MP front
RAM 3GB or 4GB
Storage 32 or 64GB + microSDXC
Connector microUSB + 3.5mm headphone socket
* Correct at time of publication (Three version 3GB RAM/32GB storage)
Sitting below the Honor 8 is the Honor 6X, with a dual-camera combo that brings the experience of having of two image sensors to a wider audience, albeit with a slightly different configuration.
On paper it seems odd to be combining a 12-megapixel sensor with a 2-megapixel one (the Honor 8 has two 12-megapixel sensors), but the secondary sensor is used primarily for depth measuring, allowing for awesome bokeh/depth-of-field effects.
There are also many selfie modes to beautify your face, or just have fun with, as well as a couple of new camera modes. There's a very large battery and a full-HD display, plus a nice Wi-Fi extender feature that lets you use your phone to boost a Wi-Fi connection and share with other devices.
All things considered, it's another impressive offering from Honor and seems considerably better than last year's Honor 5X that used the somewhat flawed Snapdragon 61n chipset and lagged at times for no discernible or justifiable reason. I have no idea why Honor opted to use a microUSB charging connector instead of USB-C though.
This time around, Honor has used a home-grown Kirin 655 chip, meaning it is perfectly optimised. The only downside is that it ships with Android Marshmallow and the older Emotion UI, but an update will be rolled out in the coming months to address both of these issues.
Like the Honor 8, you should always keep checking for bundles and discounts that will bring the retail price down.
Lenovo P2 Key Specifications
Price* £199.99 on Three PAYG
Size/Weight 153 x 76 x 8.3mm / 177g
Unveiled at German consumer show IFA last year, the P2 would almost be any other generic £200 Android phone if it were not for the crazy 5,100mAh battery packed inside. A battery that answers all the prayers from users who suffer battery anxiety, and then some.
With this phone, there's little likelihood of needing to find a place to top up the battery as you will struggle to kill the battery even with the highest level of usage.
Although I've not had the phone in my hands to test, other users have boasted of 11 or 12 hours of screen on time. It's like having a normal phone with a portable battery pack glued on the back, yet it's little bigger than any other phone – measuring just 8.3mm in depth and weighing very little more than the other phones I've talked about here.
177g is not heavy, especially compared to the alternative option of having to carry a secondary battery pack to charge the phone. It's perfect proof, as if any proof were needed, that manufacturers can put in larger batteries without compromise.
Available exclusively on Three, the phone also has support for Three's Super-Voice (aka VoLTE) service and will have an update to Nougat released soon.
It also appears to feature a pretty decent camera too, so there seems to be little reason not to check out this phone, especially if long battery life is a key consideration. In fact, if battery life is important then this is an absolute no-brainer.
I really hope that the Lenovo P2 does well, and encourages more phones with large batteries fitting inside as standard. We're seeing a gradual nudge from 3,000mAh batteries towards 3,500mAh, but there's still a way to go – but Lenovo is pretty much already there.
Image: GSMArena.com
Huawei P8 Lite (2017) Key Specifications
Price* £185.00 on Vodafone PAYG
Here's an odd one. Not the phone itself that, bar the dual-cameras, isn't far off the specification of the Honor 6X (including a microUSB port instead of USB-C), but rather its name.
The P8 Lite (2017) seems to have two problems. Firstly, the P8 was the flagship phone from Huawei in 2015, so anyone who knows a bit about such things will instantly think this phone is old.
Secondly, anyone who does a search for this phone without remembering to add the 2017 bit will be taken to the details of the P8 Lite that did come out in 2015.
It's not the same phone, but how many people won't realise that and skip over this phone because of a rather silly name?
Available from Vodafone on PAYG for just £185, the P8 Lite (2017) is a very affordable offering – although a network lock will make it more expensive for anyone looking to take it elsewhere. It can also be purchased on contract (along with every other phone featured here).
Another option might be the Vodafone Smart Ultra 7, a £130 PAYG offering that was released last June. I had some mixed views on the camera but it's now very affordable and should perhaps be given a look at.
Other phones to look out for
At Mobile World Congress, Motorola is expected to launch its fifth-generation of Moto G phones, which I've raved about since the first Moto G arrived back in 2013. Details have already begun to leak, so hopefully there will be even more choice once we go into March and April.
Alcatel is also rumoured to be releasing five new phones, many of which are likely to be affordable and ideal for future round-ups. Parent company TCL is also behind most of the Vodafone Smart handsets, as well as other network-exclusive phones. Their new handsets will be announced on the morning of February 27th 2017.
In addition to the Motorola G5, parent company Lenovo might also announce some more devices under its own brand. A successor to the Lenovo P2? Maybe a bit too early, but you never know.
All will be revealed in early March.
Meanwhile, I hope this round-up has proved useful for anyone wanting some alternative options to far more expensive phones.
Tags:AndroidBudget round-upComparisonFeatureHead to HeadHonorHuaweiLenovoMotorolaThreeVodafoneWileyfox
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Q: jOOQ sets timestamps with local time zone when UTC was expected In my jOOQ configuration file I have this line:
<javaTimeTypes>true</javaTimeTypes>

If I create this table in HSQLDB:
CREATE TABLE T1 (C1 TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW() ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP NOT NULL);

The generated jOOQ code is like this:
public final TableField<T1Record, LocalDateTime> C1 =
createField("C1", org.jooq.impl.SQLDataType.LOCALDATETIME.nullable(false).
defaultValue(org.jooq.impl.DSL.field("LOCALTIMESTAMP",
org.jooq.impl.SQLDataType.LOCALDATETIME)), this, "");

My JVM starts with the CET time zone and, no matter if I set it or not to GMT before creating the DSLContext, when inserting or updating rows (without setting a value explicitly) jOOQ always uses the CET time zone.
When using JDBC directly timestamps are inserted in GMT, which is what I want.
How can I configure jOOQ to have the same effect?
I'm checking the database contents with IntelliJ IDEA.

A: You are using the wrong data type. LocalDateTime cannot represent a moment. It is only a date and a time of day, without time zone or offset-from-UTC.
For a database column akin to the SQL-standard type TIMESTAMP WITH TOME ZONE, you should be using the Instant, OffsetDateTime, or ZonedDateTime classes.
This has been covered many many times already on Stack Overflow. Search to learn more.
Do not write your code to depend on the current default time zone of your JVM or your database. Specify the desired/expected zone or offset by passing explicitly the optional argument.


Please with the details of other sites that may be of interest.
The main entry location for the Hawk Migration Association of America (HMANA).
This is the only site in the Greater Toronto area where you can view hawks from a cliff vantage point. Often the birds come through at eye‐height.
Holiday Beach hawk watch site on Lake Erie near Windsor.
Locate hawk watch sites on the net.
Hawks and other wildlife in Central Park and New York City. "Pale Male" is here.
Fire Island, New York, hawk watch site. Known as "FIRE" for Fire Island Raptor Enumerators!
Hawk Mountain hawk watch. At Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in east-central Pennsylvania, this is the original hawk watch site. Posts on the home page a daily count of raptors seen.
Current weather conditions, plus a five-day forecast and links to radar, satellite, and weather maps. Click on "Show Details".
This website gives you "thermal soaring parameters" over Eastern North America displayed on a colour coded outline map. To find the TUV value for the day locate your poisition on the white outline map and read off the predicted TUV.
The map readings are for 1pm EST (2pm EDT) and are made 6, 9 and 21 hours in advance of that time. If you are checking on the same day as you are observing, use the Forecast Map link. In the early morning before 7am, you will get the 9 hour forecast; later in the morning after 7am, you will get the 6 hour forecast. This may explain the morning's flight, and can be useful for the next day's prediction. If you are checking in the evening for the next day's observing, use the First Today link. This will give you the situation for 1pm of the next day (21 hours ahead).
In this sample map, all three Hawk Watch sites are in the TUV = 0 range of the map.
Hawks page at Carol Horner's website.


text:
Raytheon to Deliver New Submarine Communications System
The Los Angeles-Class fast-attack submarine USS Cheyenne (SSN 773) and its crew arrive at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, after completing their latest deployment, April 26, 2019. Raytheon Intelligence & Space has been awarded a $90 million contractor for Submarine High-Data Rate antenna systems. U.S. Navy / Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Hinton ARLINGTON, …
Indonesia Using ROV in Search for Sriwijaya Air Plane Crash Victims
Indonesia has deployed a remotely operated underwater vehicle to help divers search for the remains of victims and recover the flight recorders from a Sriwijaya Air jet that crashed into the sea three days ago soon after takeoff. The Boeing 737-500 plane with 62 people on board plunged into the Java Sea Saturday afternoon, four …
Saab signs MuMNS contract for Franco-British MMCM program
Saab has received the first order from prime contractor Thales, acting as System Integrator of the end to end solution, for the Multi-Shot Mine Neutralisation System (MuMNS). The order value is approximately 300 MSEK and deliveries of the first systems will take place in 2022. The order received from Thales is part of the Franco-British …
PORTSMOUTH NAVAL SHIPYARD RETIRES BUOYANCY TANKS AFTER 46 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH UNDOCKING OF USS SANTA FE
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard — In 1969, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard halted its production of submarines and began its journey as a maintenance facility. Advancements in technology were drastically changing what was possible in developing larger, more complex submarines. With the advent of these new, improved platforms came the dilemma of outdated infrastructure. The floor of Portsmouth's …
Saab Delivers 2nd Upgraded Gotland-Class Submarine To Sweden
HMS Uppland Ubåt. Saab picture. Sista provturen efter HTM Saab has today, on Wednesday 16th of December, delivered the second submarine of Gotland-class to the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) after a Mid-life upgrade. Saab has conducted a Mid-life upgrade of HMS Uppland. Taking all necessary measures to ensure the submarine's operational availability, the upgrade includes …
SOUTH AMERICAN AQUACULTURE GETS THIRD FALCON
Ideal for their aquaculture work, a third Seaeye Falcon has been delivered to Chile-based Underdeep Solutions. Underdeep operators readying the Falcon for inspection tasks. Reliability when working in extremely remote locations is a key reason for adding another Falcon to their fleet, says Underdeep Solutions. It is rated the top underwater robotic vehicle in class …
JFD conducts remote audit for Heerema Marine
In July we conducted a remote audit for Heerema Marine who required 2 x ROV audits to be conducted onboard their vessel by a third party provider, as part of the assurance process from their client. THE REQUIREMENT Heerema Marine's client were contracting the vessel and ROV's and needed to ensure they were complaint to …
Dry Ice & COVID-19 How Analox are protecting those who are protecting us
After the news that vaccine trials have been successful in the fight against COVID-19, the world is now waiting in anticipation for the roll out to begin and for us all to get back to some kind of normality. One vaccine in particular caught Analox's eye, the Pfzier & BioNTech vaccine. For this vaccine to …
An abandoned German submarine lies beneath a park in Devon
Buried beneath the ground of a park in South Devon sits the remains of a German submarine dating back to the First World War. The military submarine vessel has been under the soil of Coronation Park in Dartmouth, since the 1920's the Dartmouth Museum confirms. Curator and ex-Chairman of Dartmouth Museum, David Lingard said: "A motor torpedo boat is …
DIO delivers SMERAS training building for British Royal Navy
The UK Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has announced the delivery of a submarine escape, rescue, abandonment and survival (SMERAS) training building. The UK Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has announced the delivery of a submarine escape, rescue, abandonment and survival (SMERAS) training building. The facility is said to have been delivered with an investment of £34m. …


text:
Search for : Go
Dopamine Primer
Homo Sapiens Sopranos: How Dopamine Addicts Hijacked Evolution
by Charles Lyell on July 4, 2011
"There is nothing to winning, really. That is, if you happen to be blessed with a keen eye, an agile mind, and no scruples whatsoever." – Alfred Hitchcock
Most people don't know and/or care if our species is on the brink of extinction for the same reason we're speeding towards self-annihilation. Recent scientific discoveries have revealed a majority of us are addicted to the neurotransmitter dopamine. Eons ago the biggest dopamine addicts stole control of the species and their descendants have been in charge ever since.
Getting a handle on how we ended up in this predicament is as easy as watching reruns of HBO's The Sopranos. The Sopranos might be fictional but Tony and his crew, like the real-life crime families they're based on, provide a glimpse into the workings of the primitive gangsters, I call Homo Sapiens Sopranos, who replaced survival of the fittest with survival of the dopamine addicts. And they did it using the same tricks of the trade that still work for both modern-day mobsters and chimpanzees — collusion, bribery, and murder. Because like every crime boss before him, Tony understood that if you want to steal from Peter all you have to do is cut Paulie Walnuts in for a piece of the dopamine.
Once the first crime families cut to the head of the evolutionary line they initiated the tradition of letting cronies slip in behind them. In return, the assistants helped eliminate anyone who had a problem with the fix. As a reward for their inhumanity, the flunkies, cheats and enforcers got to sire more flunkies, cheats and enforcers.
By corrupting the natural laws of genetic inheritance with malleable legalities and propping up inferior offspring with extra helpings of schooling, opportunities, positions, possessions, and gratuitous certainty, the bosses turned gangs into nations and their kin into kings. With the selection process perverted to fit the mobsters' needs it was only a question of time before contenders were dominated by cogs bred by and for warring crime families competing to prove who was most aggressive and least humane.
Think Lord of the Flies. Think "D" students taking over by organizing the "F" students and offering the "A" "B" and "C" students the choice of falling in line, torture, or death. Think firmly entrenched, amoral, unconscious, murderous, self-deceptive chimpanzee-hybrids purging the new-humans-on-the-block shackled by reason, awareness and conscience. Same difference: the dummies stealing control and bequeathing dopamine-induced addictions that require deception, cheating, stealing and killing.
Inured to taking what they wanted, the brutes stole the title human beings and whitewashed the notion that the need to cheat is indicative of inferiority with the flattering deception that power and position connote superiority. The miscreants threatening our species' viability might prefer to be called financiers, bankers, hedge fund managers, congressmen, CEOs, wheelers, dealers, capos, and dons, but when you strip away the pricey suits and veneer of respectability what's left are packs of destructive, depraved, out-of-control, mindless criminals, colluding, corrupting, destroying, and killing to feed insatiable dopamine addictions.
One Response to "Homo Sapiens Sopranos: How Dopamine Addicts Hijacked Evolution"
I just discovered your site and read through quite a few of the articles. This is all quite fascinating, and I have also pondered for a long time about why us humans seem to be so violent, abusive, self-deceiving, etc. etc. in spite of seeming to have such an enormous potential for very much higher capacities, as Maslow pointed out in his studies.
One possibility for the origin of the dopamine addiction you write about is the hypothesis of a massive ancient world climate change that traumatized a large section of humanity, who became violent and then took over from the more gentle, untraumatized ones who remained. I found this at this site:
http://www.orgonelab.org/saharasia.htm
But I think it is more likely that it is something in human evolution itself, and in human development, which recapitulates that in each of us as we grow up. The sepration from Life-Pleasure that happens during individuation (following the individuation stage of human evolution) causes a disconnection of the higher congitive functions from primitive pleasure-pain instintual feeling-perceptions, and thereby also causes the inability to distinguish true instinctual pleasure (dopamine flow) from substitute pleasures (dopamine addictions.) And then, when this separation became entrenched historically, substitute pleasure (dopamine addiction), and all its "evils," became entrenched, and came to dominate humanity.
I think that the origin of the addiction matters because that shapes how to go about dealing with it. The way I see it, as above, it is a "felix culpa" which is in fact an evolutionary spur for humanity, and individuals, to go to an entirely new evolutionary/developmental level, where the natural pleasure-flow of primitive/infant life is integrated with the higher cognitive functions that got separated off.
If this higher integration can happen, humans can then operate at a much higher level, and be both pleasure-filled and rational at the same time.
Anyway, though, this is just speculation. (But it IS something I've been working on for 45 years.)
Thank you for your really interesting and good work.
David Cicia
Posted by David Cicia | June 26, 2014, 11:06 pm
Dopamine Profile: Why Power/Money/Esteem Addicts Are More Dangerous Than Junkies
Dopamine Awareness and Self-Actualization, Rethinking Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Anorexia Study Supports the Dopamine Addiction Hypothesis
Same Neurochemistry, One Difference: Dr. Robert Sapolsky on Dopamine
Dopamine Dialogues: Advice from a Junk Food, Sex, Porn, Acceptance, Music, and Drug-Disdaining Addict
B.F. Skinner, Dopamine, Superstition, and the Addictive Power of "Maybe"
The Pope vs. the Friar: Dopamine Addiction in the Italian Renaissance
When, What, Why, and How The Who Knew About Self-Actualization
Chapter 8: Satirists Have Been Writing About DIM for Centuries
Dopamine Profiles: Karl Rove and Joseph Goebbels, Revenge of the Turds
The Dopamine Project Is Looking For One Smart, Aware, Courageous Billionaire
Introducton
Chapter 1: A Good Place To Start
Chapter 2: Deficiency Needs and DIM
Chapter 3: Primitive Binary Programming and the Human Heisenbug Fix
Chapter 4: The Dopamine Glitch
Chapter 5: How to Make Enemies and Infuriate DIMwits
Chapter 6: A Confederacy of DIMwits
Chapter 7: Thinking Outside the Asylum
Chapter 9: An Introduction to Dopamine Games
Chapter 10: Dopamine Games – The Great DIMwit Addiction Hustle
Chapter 11: Dopamine Games – What Problems? What Disease? What Pandemic?
Chapter 14: How Dopamine Games Keep Neuroscientists From Learning About Dopamine
Chapter 15: Is Sex Addiction THE Biggest Threat to DIMwit Survival?
DA History
DA Wall of Shame
Dopamine Appeal
Dopamine Dialogues
Dopamine Diary
Dopamine for DIMwits
Dopamine Games
Dopamine Profiles
Dopamine Reviews
Featured Content Gallery
Mass Denial
Self-deception
Dome Health
e! Science News
Nature.com
New Relevant
ScienceAlerts.com
© 2011 Onus Press | Admin Login


text:
Sorbus pseudothuringiaca is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae. It is a small tree endemic to Bavaria in Germany, where it is found growing on rocky or forested areas.

References

Flora of Germany
pseudothuringiaca
Vulnerable plants
Endemic flora of Germany
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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What is the "Easy 1-2-3 Advisor Connect" program?
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text:
package org.batfish.common.bdd;

import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkArgument;
import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkState;

import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.BitSet;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Optional;
import javax.annotation.Nonnull;
import net.sf.javabdd.BDD;
import net.sf.javabdd.BDDException;
import net.sf.javabdd.BDDFactory;

public class BDDInteger {

  private final BDDFactory _factory;
  private final BDD[] _bitvec;
  private final long _maxVal;

  // Temporary ArrayLists used to optimize some internal computations.
  private final List<BDD> _trues;
  private final List<BDD> _falses;

  /** Certain API calls are only valid when this BDD has only variables in it. */
  private boolean _hasVariablesOnly;

  private BDD _vars;

  /*
   * Create an integer, but don't initialize its bit values
   */
  private BDDInteger(BDDFactory factory, int length) {
    checkArgument(length < 64, "Only lengths up to 63 are supported");
    _factory = factory;
    _bitvec = new BDD[length];
    _maxVal = 0xFFFF_FFFF_FFFF_FFFFL >>> (64 - length);
    _hasVariablesOnly = false;
    _trues = new ArrayList<>(length);
    _falses = new ArrayList<>(length);
  }

  public BDDInteger(BDDInteger other) {
    this(other._factory, other._bitvec.length);
    setValue(other);
  }

  /**
   * Returns true if this {@link BDDInteger} has only variables in its bitvec, as opposed to
   * zero/one and more complex BDDs.
   *
   *
This is typically true only for {@link BDDInteger} values constructed from {@link
   * BDDInteger#makeFromIndex(BDDFactory, int, int, boolean)} or copied from them.
   */
  public boolean hasVariablesOnly() {
    return _hasVariablesOnly;
  }

  /** Returns the number of bits in this {@link BDDInteger}. */
  public int size() {
    return _bitvec.length;
  }

  /*
   * Create an integer, and initialize its values as "don't care"
   * This requires knowing the start index variables the bitvector
   * will use.
   */
  public static BDDInteger makeFromIndex(
      BDDFactory factory, int length, int start, boolean reverse) {
    assert factory.varNum() >= start + length;

    BDDInteger bdd = new BDDInteger(factory, length);
    for (int i = 0; i < length; i++) {
      int idx;
      if (reverse) {
        idx = start + length - i - 1;
      } else {
        idx = start + i;
      }
      bdd._bitvec[i] = bdd._factory.ithVar(idx);
    }
    bdd._hasVariablesOnly = true;
    return bdd;
  }

  /** Find a representative value of the represented integer that satisfies a given constraint. */
  public Optional<Long> getValueSatisfying(BDD bdd) {
    if (bdd.isZero()) {
      return Optional.empty();
    }
    if (_hasVariablesOnly) {
      return Optional.of(satAssignmentToLong(bdd.minAssignmentBits()));
    }
    return Optional.of(satAssignmentToLong(bdd.satOne()));
  }

  /**
   * Returns the smallest long produced when evaluating the given assignment {@link BDD} over the
   * representative bits in {@link #getBitvec()}.
   *
   *
When this {@link BDDInteger#hasVariablesOnly()} is {@code false}, this function will perform
   * better if the assignment {@link BDD} is smaller, i.e., is produced by {@link BDD#satOne()}
   * instead of {@link BDD#fullSatOne()}.
   */
  public Long satAssignmentToLong(BDD satAssignment) {
    checkArgument(satAssignment.isAssignment(), "not a satisfying assignment");

    if (_hasVariablesOnly) {
      // Shortcut for performance.
      return satAssignmentToLong(satAssignment.minAssignmentBits());
    }

    if (_bitvec.length > Long.SIZE) {
      throw new IllegalArgumentException(
          "Can't get a representative of a BDDInteger with more than Long.SIZE bits");
    }

    long value = 0;
    for (int i = 0; i < _bitvec.length; i++) {
      BDD bitBDD = _bitvec[_bitvec.length - i - 1];
      // a.diff(b) is a.and(b.not()). When the input is only a partial assignment (like satOne),
      // this biases towards lexicographically smaller solutions: set a 1 only if you can't set 0.
      if (!satAssignment.diffSat(bitBDD)) {
        value |= 1L < Long.SIZE) {
      throw new IllegalArgumentException(
          "Can't get a representative of a BDDInteger with more than Long.SIZE bits");
    }

    long value = 0;
    for (int i = 0; i < _bitvec.length; i++) {
      BDD bitBDD = _bitvec[_bitvec.length - i - 1];
      if (bits.get(bitBDD.level())) {
        value |= 1L << i;
      }
    }
    return value;
  }

  /**
   * Return a list of values satisfying the input {@link BDD}, up to some maximum number.
   *
   * @param bdd A constraint on this.
   * @param max The maximum number of values desired.
   * @return The satisfying values.
   */
  public List<Long> getValuesSatisfying(BDD bdd, int max) {
    ImmutableList.Builder<Long> values = new ImmutableList.Builder<>();

    checkArgument(max > 0, "max must be > 0");

    int num = 0;
    BDD pred = bdd;
    while (num < max) {
      if (pred.isZero()) {
        break;
      }
      long val = satAssignmentToLong(pred.satOne());
      values.add(val);
      pred = pred.diff(value(val));
      num++;
    }
    return values.build();
  }

  /*
   * Create an integer and initialize it to a concrete value
   */
  public static BDDInteger makeFromValue(BDDFactory factory, int length, long value) {
    BDDInteger bdd = new BDDInteger(factory, length);
    bdd.setValue(value);
    bdd._hasVariablesOnly = false;
    return bdd;
  }

  /*
   * Map an if-then-else over each bit in the bitvector
   */
  public BDDInteger ite(BDD b, BDDInteger other) {
    BDDInteger val = new BDDInteger(this);
    for (int i = 0; i < _bitvec.length; i++) {
      val._bitvec[i] = b.ite(_bitvec[i], other._bitvec[i]);
    }
    val._hasVariablesOnly = false;
    return val;
  }

  /*
   * Create a BDD representing the exact value
   */
  public BDD value(long val) {
    checkArgument(val >= 0, "value is negative");
    checkArgument(val <= _maxVal, "value %s is out of range [0, %s]", val, _maxVal);
    long currentVal = val;
    _trues.clear();
    _falses.clear();
    for (int i = _bitvec.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
      if ((currentVal & 1) != 0) {
        _trues.add(_bitvec[i]);
      } else {
        _falses.add(_bitvec[i]);
      }
      currentVal >>= 1;
    }
    return _factory.andAll(_trues).diffWith(_factory.orAll(_falses));
  }

  // Helper function to compute leq on the last N bits of the input value.
  private BDD leqN(long val, int n) {
    assert n <= _bitvec.length;
    long currentVal = val;
    BDD acc = _factory.one(); // whether the suffix of BDD is leq suffix of val.
    for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i) {
      BDD bit = _bitvec[_bitvec.length - i - 1];
      if ((currentVal & 1) != 0) {
        // since this bit of val is 1: 0 implies lt OR 1 and suffix leq. ('1 and' is redundant).
        acc.invimpEq(bit); // "not i or acc" rewritten "i implies acc" and flipped.
      } else {
        // since this bit of val is 0: must be 0 and have leq suffix.
        acc.diffEq(bit); // "not i and acc" rewritten "i less acc" and flipped.
      }
      currentVal >>= 1;
    }
    return acc;
  }

  /*
   * Less than or equal to on integers
   */
  public BDD leq(long val) {
    checkArgument(val >= 0, "value is negative");
    checkArgument(val <= _maxVal, "value %s is out of range [0, %s]", val, _maxVal);
    return leqN(val, _bitvec.length);
  }

  // Helper function to compute geq on the last N bits of the input value.
  private BDD geqN(long val, int n) {
    assert n <= _bitvec.length;
    long currentVal = val;
    BDD acc = _factory.one(); // whether the suffix of BDD is geq suffix of val.
    for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i) {
      BDD bit = _bitvec[_bitvec.length - i - 1];
      if ((currentVal & 1) != 0) {
        // since this bit of val is 1: must be 1 and have geq suffix.
        acc.andEq(bit);
      } else {
        // since this bit of val is 0: 1 implies gt OR 0 and suffix geq. ('0 and' is redundant.)
        acc.orEq(bit);
      }
      currentVal >>= 1;
    }
    return acc;
  }

  /*
   * Greater than or equal to on integers
   */
  public BDD geq(long val) {
    checkArgument(val >= 0, "value is negative");
    checkArgument(val <= _maxVal, "value %s is out of range [0, %s]", val, _maxVal);
    return geqN(val, _bitvec.length);
  }

  /*
   * Integers in the given range, inclusive, where {@code a} is less than or equal to {@code b}.
   */
  // This is basically this.geq(a).and(this.leq(b)). Differences:
  //   1. Short-circuit a == b
  //   2. Save work in the case where a and b have a common prefix, including when a and/or b is the
  //      start/end of the prefix.
  public BDD range(long a, long b) {
    checkArgument(a <= b, "range is not ordered correctly");
    checkArgument(a >= 0, "value is negative");
    checkArgument(b <= _maxVal, "value %s is out of range [0, %s]", b, _maxVal);

    if (a == b) {
      return value(a);
    }

    long bitOfFirstDifference = Long.highestOneBit(a ^ b);
    int sizeOfDifferentSuffix = Long.numberOfTrailingZeros(bitOfFirstDifference) + 1;
    assert sizeOfDifferentSuffix < 64;

    long suffixMask = 0xFFFF_FFFF_FFFF_FFFFL >>> (64 - sizeOfDifferentSuffix);
    BDD lower = ((a & suffixMask) == 0) ? _factory.one() : geqN(a, sizeOfDifferentSuffix);
    BDD upper = ((b & suffixMask) == suffixMask) ? _factory.one() : leqN(b, sizeOfDifferentSuffix);
    BDD between = lower.andWith(upper);
    long currentVal = a >> sizeOfDifferentSuffix;
    for (int i = sizeOfDifferentSuffix; i < _bitvec.length; ++i) {
      BDD bit = _bitvec[_bitvec.length - i - 1];
      if ((currentVal & 1) != 0) {
        between = between.andEq(bit);
      } else {
        between = between.diffEq(bit); // "not i and x" rewritten "i less x"
      }
      currentVal >>= 1;
    }
    return between;
  }

  /*
   * Set this BDD to have an exact value
   */
  public void setValue(long val) {
    checkArgument(val >= 0, "Cannot set a negative value");
    checkArgument(val <= _maxVal, "value %s is out of range [0, %s]", val, _maxVal);
    long currentVal = val;
    for (int i = _bitvec.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
      if ((currentVal & 1) != 0) {
        _bitvec[i] = _factory.one();
      } else {
        _bitvec[i] = _factory.zero();
      }
      currentVal >>= 1;
    }
    _hasVariablesOnly = false;
  }

  /*
   * Set this BDD to be equal to another BDD
   */
  public void setValue(BDDInteger other) {
    for (int i = 0; i < _bitvec.length; ++i) {
      _bitvec[i] = other._bitvec[i].id();
    }
    _hasVariablesOnly = other._hasVariablesOnly;
  }

  /*
   * Add two BDDs bitwise to create a new BDD
   */
  public BDDInteger add(BDDInteger other) {
    BDD[] as = _bitvec;
    BDD[] bs = other._bitvec;

    checkArgument(as.length > 0, "Cannot add BDDIntegers of length 0");
    checkArgument(as.length == bs.length, "Cannot add BDDIntegers of different length");

    BDD carry = _factory.zero();
    BDDInteger sum = new BDDInteger(_factory, as.length);
    BDD[] cs = sum._bitvec;
    for (int i = cs.length - 1; i > 0; --i) {
      cs[i] = as[i].xor(bs[i]).xor(carry);
      carry = as[i].and(bs[i]).or(carry.and(as[i].or(bs[i])));
    }
    cs[0] = as[0].xor(bs[0]).xor(carry);
    sum._hasVariablesOnly = false;
    return sum;
  }

  /*
   * Subtract one BDD from another bitwise to create a new BDD
   */
  public BDDInteger sub(BDDInteger var1) {
    if (_bitvec.length != var1._bitvec.length) {
      throw new BDDException();
    } else {
      BDD var3 = _factory.zero();
      BDDInteger var4 = new BDDInteger(_factory, _bitvec.length);
      for (int var5 = var4._bitvec.length - 1; var5 >= 0; --var5) {
        var4._bitvec[var5] = _bitvec[var5].xor(var1._bitvec[var5]);
        var4._bitvec[var5] = var4._bitvec[var5].xor(var3.id());
        BDD var6 = var1._bitvec[var5].or(var3);
        BDD var7 = _bitvec[var5].less(var6);
        var6.free();
        var6 = _bitvec[var5].and(var1._bitvec[var5]);
        var6 = var6.and(var3);
        var6 = var6.or(var7);
        var3 = var6;
      }
      var3.free();
      var4._hasVariablesOnly = false;
      return var4;
    }
  }

  public BDD[] getBitvec() {
    return _bitvec;
  }

  /** Returns a {@link BDD} containing all the variables of this {@link BDDInteger}. */
  public @Nonnull BDD getVars() {
    checkState(
        _hasVariablesOnly,
        "getVars can only be called on a BDDInteger with hasVariablesOnly() true");
    if (_vars == null) {
      _vars = _factory.andAll(_bitvec);
    }
    return _vars;
  }

  public BDDFactory getFactory() {
    return _factory;
  }

  @Override
  public boolean equals(Object o) {
    if (!(o instanceof BDDInteger)) {
      return false;
    }
    BDDInteger other = (BDDInteger) o;
    // No need to check _factory, and _hasVariablesOnly is 1-1 with _bitvec.
    return Arrays.equals(_bitvec, other._bitvec);
  }

  @Override
  public int hashCode() {
    return Arrays.hashCode(_bitvec);
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Man! This is a good cookbook! It was written for singles who are unwilling to live on processed, prepared foods or whatever the slow cooker can produce. Yet if you are not single and not a cook, Anita Lo's writing is so good, so entertaining and full of good humor that you might as well skip the recipes and read the text that comes as headnotes with every recipe in Solo It is about her adventures as a person, as a trained chef. Lo created an unusual cookbook with very good, though rarely simple, recipes. These are not for everyday cooking, as most take ingredients you may need to order online. The recipe instructions are crystal clear, easy to follow, well laid out on single pages, and are meant to be for seasoned cooks living on their own. It's a relief to find little quirky sketches throughout illustrating the cookbook instead of the tiresome professional food photography so common in cookbooks. The recipes are mostly Asian-inspired and Lo nicely downsized and translated them from her professional repertoire. Details on ingredients, equipment, and organizing your freezer are a useful touch at the end of the book, culminating in a good index.


text:
New schools and IT Lab commissioned in Regions Five and Six – Over $128M expended
Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry, and the Departments of Education for Regions five and six, yesterday commissioned four new schools and one Information Technology laboratory.
Calcutta Nursery School
The schools in Region Five are Perth Nursery, Calcutta Nursery and Champagne Primary, and in Region Six, No. 36 Primary.
At the commissioning ceremonies, Minister Henry reiterated the commitment of the government and the Ministry of Education to providing education for all Guyanese.
She said that every child in Guyana must have access to quality education whether they live in the city or in rural communities.
She said that the construction of the new schools is in keeping with the Ministry's vision and goal to reduce the disparity that exists between the coastal communities and rural communities. This point was of great importance, particularly at the commissioning of Champagne Primary.
According to Minister Henry, "each and every child in the school system must have access to quality education."
She expressed her happiness that all the schools have met the standards recognised by the Education Ministry, and added that she is confident that great things will happen within the walls of the new schools.
No. 36 Primary School
Minister Henry applauded the officers within the Department of Education and the Regional Administration for their great work to improve the quality of education in the region.
She stressed that education is important since it can take a nation and its people from poverty to prosperity.
According to the Regional Education Officer (REdO), Ms. Deon Lyn Lewis-Clarke, modern facilities not only improve the physical environment but also the learning culture.
And Deputy Regional Executive Officer (DREO), Mr. Sherwin Wellington, informed that the cost to construct the Perth Nursery School was $40M; Calcutta Nursery was built at a cost of $33M and Champagne Primary School totalled $13M.
Head teacher of Perth Nursery, Ms. Patricia Rutherford, said that over the years, teachers and children
Minister Henry interacting with one of the pupils of Gibraltar/Courtland Primary School in their new IT Lab
were accustomed to a building owned by the Perth Burial Society, which was most uncomfortable.
On behalf of her staff and students, she thanked the government, the Department of Education and the Regional Administration for providing a building to house the school.
She made a commitment that the building will be used to mould the minds of the children in Perth Village.
Ms. Candace Griffith, headmistress of Calcutta Nursery, said that it was indeed a happy day in Calcutta Village. She said that the school was previously housed in the bottom flat of the Primary School, which she also described as uncomfortable.
She said that now, her teachers are able to deliver the curriculum in an environment that is conducive.
The headmistress of Champagne Primary School, Ms. Suzette Dubisette thanked the government and the Regional Administration for providing the new edifice for the teachers and pupils to ensure that quality education can be accessed.
Meanwhile, over at the No. 36 Primary School, Minister Henry said that an investment in people is an investment in the country. She said that notwithstanding the new building, there is still a lot of work that has to be done.
She said that the new building represents progress and growth and thanked the Regional officials for their contribution to the project.
According to the Regional Executive Officer of Region Six, Ms. Kim Williams-Stephen, the construction of the school was made possible through collaboration between the government and the private sector.
She explained that the land on which the two-storey school sits was donated by the Nand Persaud Group of Companies. She said that the project started in October 2016 and was completed in March 2018 at a total cost of $42.642M.
Moreover, the IT Lab that was commissioned at the Courtland/Gibraltar Primary School was another example of collaboration.
The computers were donated by a former student of the school and resident of the community, Ms. Merlyn Crandon.
Delivering remarks on behalf of Ms. Crandon was Rev. Ingrid Peters who said that the new IT Lab marks the beginning of a journey for the children.
The children were encouraged to "seek out every opportunity and go for it". Rev. Peters noted that computers are a wonderful tool to reach horizons that are available to others in schools that are better equipped.
The Education Minister highlighted again the importance of partnerships. She said that computer learning is very important for 21st Century education.
Head teacher of the school Ms. Melanie Thomas said that the IT Lab will enable students to reach their full potential. She said that the computers will help to break the passive learning model that the children are exposed to daily.
Ms. Thomas added that the students and teachers of her school embrace the opportunity as they strive to make a positive difference.


Here you can generate a postpaid return label for returns from Germany, Austria, France, Great Britain, Italy and Spain. Please use our cardboard box and the manufacturer's original package to return the item.
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Official Viwawa Blog: Happy Halloween!
It's 31st Oct again, and we would like to wish all our Viwawa players a Happy Halloween!
Do check this costume out. It's so cool the electrons in our Viwawa blood are transforming!
COOL! this robot was created by who?
Maybe next year Halloween we could have a Viwawa Halloween costume contest!!!


text:
Mississippi Lock and Dam No. 5a
'Dam Saloon' sign at Lock and Dam No. 5a
Lock and Dam No. 5a
Located on Mississippi River mile 728.5 near Fountain City, Wisconsin, Lock and Dam No. 5a was constructed in 1932 and placed in operation in 1936. The dam consists of a concrete structure 682 feet long with five roller gates and five tainter gates. The earth embankment is 22,000 feet long with a concrete overflow spillway that is 1,000 feet long. The lock is 110 feet wide by 600 feet long. The lock is on the Minnesota side of the channel, but the channel is not wide here so vessels transiting are easily seen. There is a small parking area with a walkway across the railroad tracks to the river where the Dam Saloon fishing barge is moored.
Body of Water: Mississippi River
Trail Name: Inland Waterways
Nearest Address: State Hwy 35
Nearest City: Fountain City
County: Buffalo
Latitude: N 44°05.38100'
Longitude: W -091°39.98700'
Open to public?: Yes
Mooring buoy?: No
Mooring buoy in place?: No
Snorkelable?: No
Dive guide?: No
Trails sign?: No
National Register?: No
Fountain City Historical Society
© 2020 - Wisconsin Sea Grant, Wisconsin Historical Society


The Canal & River Trust is the charity that cares for England and Wales' legacy of 200-year-old waterways, holding them in trust for the nation forever.
The Trust is among the UK's biggest charities, with responsibility for 2,000 miles of canals, rivers, docks and reservoirs, along with museums, archives and the country's third largest collection of protected historic buildings.
As part of our commitment to the long-term maintenance and restoration of the waterways, we are looking to recruit 14 Waterways Heritage Trainees to be based around the country.
This entry was posted in Placements on July 31, 2014 by admin.
The Early Bird entry deadline is 27th August.
This entry was posted in Awards on July 22, 2014 by admin.
Sarahjayne Clements, the Royal Commission's CBA Community Archaeologist, is looking for volunteers to interview for an oral histories project she is running in Swansea with the Young Archaeologist Club. They would like to record memories of the city and scan any old photographs that you might have. They are also interested in any First World War memories, photographs and memorabilia that you may have.
Birmingham Conservation Trust – After over a decade of fundraising and a year of refurbishment, Birmingham Conservation Trust are delighted to be opening to the public the Newman Brothers factory at the Coffin Works, Jewellery Quarter, from late October 2014. This fantastic grade II* listed factory which made coffin furniture for over 100 years, will offer visitors the extraordinary opportunity to 'step back in time' and experience the factory as a 'time-capsule', set in the 1960s; full of original stock and machinery and with many a tale to tell!
Doors Open Days – are looking for volunteers to support us in coordinating this year's festival. We are looking for a Festival Production volunteer and an Online Marketing Volunteer. Apply now and come and join the team!
The Scottish Civic Trust seeks a Festival Production Volunteer and an Online Marketing Volunteer to assist us in coordinating Doors Open Days, Scotland's annual nationwide festival of architecture and built environment.
NTS – Volunteering makes you happy! Recent research has shown that volunteering significantly improves the happiness levels of individuals – what fantastic news! In recognition of this, and in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Volunteers' Week, we're holding a competition: 'Volunteering: the Key to Happiness!' Read on to find out how you can get involved.
The Built Environment Forum Scotland (BEFS) is seeking a new Chair. As the current BEFS Chair, Professor Emeritus Cliff Hague, is stepping down at the next AGM and Annual Congress on 11 November, having served three years, we are inviting expressions of interest from potential candidates for the role.
Building Conservation within the Welsh School of Architecture. You will work under the supervision of a module or route leader.
As a 50% appointment, the post would be ideally suited to a candidate completing a PhD in a related subject area.
This exciting opportunity funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund's Skills for the Future programme and West Dunbartonshire Council allows two successful applicants to gain a professionally recognised heritage qualification whilst undertaking paid work. This is also an excellent opportunity to gain new skills in heritage venue operations, including working with school groups and the general public as well as working with historical artefacts. This is a post that will work in various venues across West Dunbartonshire and as well as experiencing a number of professional specialisms, a challenging yet rewarding post.


Your readers aren't dunces. Respect their abilities to skim and decide.
I presented a webinar on email newsletter strategy for CharityHowTo last week, and one of the key messages was to make the email itself very skimmable, with links to your website where the bulk of the content would be. In the email itself, you can include short teaser content. This is especially important for newsletters that include more than one or two articles. That way your readers can quickly see if there is anything relevant and interesting to them, and click for more when they find something intriguing.
I used the Daily Grist email newsletter as an example of how you can quickly share content on many different stories at once in a very skimmable way.
I understand where this concern comes from. It's based in what's called the "curse of knowledge." Because you work in your field, you are consumed by the details — so consumed that you end up believing that everyone else needs the same level of detail as you have in order to understand anything about your issue. Wrong!
I believe that writing for skimmers — providing strong headlines and teaser text — is actually more respectful and gives your readers more credit for their intelligence than trying to dump all of that content on them at once in the body of your email. Giving people a clear and concise taste of your content with an easy-to-see link to click for more says you respect their time in their inbox and trust them to decide whether your article is right for them or not.
I'm not saying that you should never put a full article in your email newsletter. I do that often, and it works well. But I don't put five full-length articles in an email newsletter, and neither should you.


text:
'The Library of Fates' has clever mythology, delicious language
Aditi Khorana's young adult novel sets up a stunning premise but falters en route to conclusion.
The Library of Fates By Aditi Khorana Penguin Young Readers 336 pp.
By Katie Ward Beim-Esche
In the idyllic kingdom of Shalingar, a sort of fictional Bhutan, the king and his daughter prepare to welcome the most feared conqueror and commander ever known – Sikander (a repellent riff on Alexander the Great). The chance of Shalingar remaining free after his visit is slim, so Princess Amrita is steeling herself to be married off and spend the rest of her days in the metropolitan city of Macedon.
When everything goes pear-shaped, Amrita becomes a fugitive, on the run with an oracle and former slave of Sikander named Thala. Thala promises her that if they can make it to the mythical Library of All Things, they can erase all the tragedies of their pasts and undo what has just happened. Together, Amrita and Thala embark on a quest to save their respective worlds, embracing history and mythology along the way.
Aditi Khorana's The Library of Fates is a classic example of a book that sets up a stunning premise but trips on its own shoelaces in the rush to fulfill it.
Let's begin with honest praise: Khorana's mythology is exceedingly clever. The interplay of mortals with mythical beings known as "Diviners" and "vetalas" was strong. Plus, Khorana opens with a Shalingarsh parable about the earth before mankind, and you'd better believe it's baked into every chapter that follows.
In addition, Khorana's use of language is delicious. While watching Sikander's welcome procession from her balcony high above the capital, Amrita muses, "There was always beauty here. Shabahaat. It was one of my favorite Shalingarsh words. It meant beauty, grace. Our language had nearly fifty words for the different varieties of beauty, but Shabahaat also included a certain subtext; it alluded to how beauty made one feel: full, whole, transformed."
You've almost certainly experienced "shabahaat" – perhaps the deep satisfaction of that one perfect moment, or the transcendence of viewing a masterpiece or favorite work of art.
Amrita's initial assessment of Sikander the Great is equally striking: "His face looked weathered, severe, humorless. There was no evidence of all those victories. Or maybe it was evidence of what a lifetime of military victories can do to a person."
There was so much to like in the first half – the palace scenes are so great – but what ultimately spelled the end was an unsteady hand with the pacing.
A lovely embroidery of small moments couldn't mask the dropped stitches in the larger plot fabric. The pace of the first 10 chapters, kicking off the fugitive plotline, led me to believe that a brisk escape yarn was in store, then maybe some backstory for Amrita and Thala, leading up to a juicy cliffhanger and an inevitable book two.
But instead, "The Library of Fates" slipped abruptly on the critical hinge chapters and found itself upside down and backwards, grappling with all the plot points at once, without the depth that an evenly-paced novel would have lent them.
Readers rarely, if ever, know what goes on pre-press or why a story ended up the length or shape that it did. This one makes me wonder, as it feels like the hinge material of Book Two was compressed into a dozen or so chapters.
(It's worth mentioning that "The Library of Fates" is typeset with a breathy font and large leading. Two hundred pages just evanesce with that format.)
I found myself in a bit of a pickle with Princess Amrita, as well. She's remarkably self-possessed, which isn't altogether surprising, given her royal upbringing. She's educated, insightful, diplomatic, and warm.
And yet, once again, I quibble with Khorana's pacing. Amrita's poise lends itself to a significant number of moments where it's tricky to gauge whether her self-awareness is natural or narratorial. Amrita makes large-scale leaps in logic and emotion in the heat of a moment that, I confess, I could not in her place. Within mere hours of losing everything and everyone she's ever known, a princess who has never really left her palace is calm, analytical, and empathetic. She doesn't seem to need time to get to the clarity and self-knowledge, with brand-new information or a high-stakes circumstance, that I would expect of a 15-year-old girl. It's extraordinary, unsettling presence of mind in a moment of tragedy.
I wish we could have had the time to see "The Library of Fates" ripen. It's a peach that was picked too early – hard, a little tart, all the more disappointing because of its potential.
Test your knowledge How much do you know about young adult novels?
Review 'When Dimple Met Rishi' is a zippy, charming update on arranged marriage
Review 'Literally' is a bouncy summer read built on a sleight-of-hand trick


Press Release (ePRNews.com) - Singapore - Mar 21, 2019 - Purolatex has always been about bringing a difference to the bedrooms of individuals and families that want to have the full benefits of ultra-comfortable sleeping time. The company has by taking to account the body demands for a deep rest developed a line of premium latex mattresses and pillows which provide more than anyone can ever bargain for in the market. Today, the pride of Purolatex is in providing their clients with solutions that will be a life-changing experience and bring back the beauty of worry-free nights.
Individuals who want to have a top-class luxury in their bedrooms can now easily purchase latex mattress in Singapore thanks to Purolatex. Clients have the option of either physically visiting the store or settling for the more convenient online shopping through the company's website. Purolatex has two models of their mattresses namely the deluxe 2-layer latex and natural 7-zone latex which are primarily differentiated by their structural design. However, all clients have the assurance of the much desired pressure-less feel when using either of the two models.
The search for a mattress topper in Singapore comes to an end at Purolatex where clients have the guarantee of a solution that will give their mattresses an instant uplift. As with all other products by the company, the toppers are made of natural latex and come in handy for clients that want an affordable alternative to making a complete change of their mattresses. Purolatex maintains the highest standards in their productions and for all their products including the mattress toppers clients have the assurance of durability due to the excellent resilience of natural latex.
Purolatex has for more than a quarter of a century been dedicated to ensuring that the ultimate comfort and luxury in the bedroom becomes a reality through their 100% natural latex sleeping products which are now available in Singapore.


Pope Francis, who has spent the past several months pressing nations, including America, to embrace those fleeing the unrest in the Middle East, Africa and Asia with open arms – and open borders – is now taking that stance to a new political level and planning a solidarity stand with migrants along the U.S.-Mexico boundary. Market Watch reported Francis is due to arrive in Mexico on Friday for a six-day visit. And as part of that visit, he is planning to stand on the U.S. border, in Ciudad Juarez, and deliver a mass.


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Don't look to the new home market for glad economic tidings: Home builders had another dismal sales month in October, falling to just one-fifth of the sales rate during the boom five years ago.
New home sales dropped to an annual pace of just 283,000, according to the Commerce Department. That was down 8.1% from a slow September and 28.5% from 12 months ago when the annualized sales rate was at 430,000.
Housing experts from Briefing.com had forecast a sales pace of 314,000.
"The new home market delivered another turkey of a performance last month," said Mike Larson, a housing market analyst with Weiss Research. "Sales fell sharply across most of the country."
Sales are off nearly 80% from the housing boom peak pace of 1.4 million, set in July 2005. Sales have remained near historic lows this year despite very attractive mortgage interest rates that slash the monthly costs of homeownership.
The Commerce Department also revised August sales figures downward to 275,000, which represents the record low point for new homes sales since it started tracking figures in 1963.
There's a major factor depressing home sales of all kinds, according to David Crowe, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders.
"We're fallen significantly in the number of people forming their own households," he said. "They're worried about the economy and they're worried about their jobs."
Usually, household formation rises 1% a year or more as people get married, come to the states from overseas, and start careers.
But the poor economy has meant that many grads can't find jobs, and so they move in with parents instead or double up with peers. Fewer immigrants arrive and couples delay marriage. All of those things diminish home sales.
When people do look for homes, they find a glut of existing homes competing with new homes for sale, according to Larson.
"So much bargain-priced, 'used' home inventory is available that the builders just can't compete," he said. "Over time, we'll work through that mountain of existing home supply. But the key words are 'over time.' New home builders won't have much to be thankful about any time soon.
The median price for existing homes sold in October was just $170,000, compared with $194,900 for new homes. That's the lowest median price for new homes sold in seven years and down 13.9% from September.
Crowe said that indicates many of the buyers were first timers. They're less constrained than older potential buyers because they don't have to worry about selling their existing homes in order to purchase new ones.
Another obstacle for buyers is that there are still challenges in obtaining mortgages, according to Leif Thomsen, CEO of Mortgage Masters, a mortgage lender.
"A lot of potential buyers just can't get financing," he said. "The underwriting is very strict."
One encouraging aspect of the report for home builders is that inventory continued to wane. The number of new homes for sale at the end of October was about 202,000, less than nine months' supply at the current rate of sales. The number of homes on the market has dropped about 20% since October 2009.
"The builders have been smart enough to not overbuild," said Thomsen. "Once the economy turns around, that inventory could vanish quickly."


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