I'm getting a report that the menu entries don't launch a systemback GUI, that is, you don't get a root login dialog, or the message that something else has apt locked. Has anyone else seen this--I can't reproduce it.
Tim read the source code and found out why--it looks for a file in your /home called .Xauthority, and won't launch if missing. Rebuilt using gksu to get root authorization to get around this, should be in repos soon.
Last edited by Stevo on Sun Mar 23, 2014 3:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I am still confused: if I put the snapshot.iso onto a DVD and live-boot from it, it will not offer a gui installer but it will offer a CLI installer ?
As I said, there is only the cli-installer option at the moment.
Stevo wrote: I'm getting a report that the menu entries don't launch a systemback GUI, that is, you don't get a root login dialog, or the message that something else has apt locked. Has anyone else seen this--I can't reproduce it.
Last edited by loco on Mon Mar 24, 2014 11:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Wheezy squashfs is now using squashfs-xz by default, which allows for what was maybe 820-850 MB with the older compression to now fit in 700 MB. It's still amazing that there's all these programs plus LibreOffice on there--I remember when I first tried a 700 MB Ubuntu disc years and years ago, and there was almost nothing on it compared to the MEPIS at the time.
Tracked it down. If the ~/.Xauthority file is missing then Systemback exits with a popup saying it can't connect to the X-Server. It doesn't have to a correct .Xauthority file - there just has to be one. One of my machines nearly always fails to get one when it should at install time. Can't figure out why. Just oddball hardware I guess. Stevo fixed the debs anyway to eliminate that problem. If you have Synaptic open you will get the message that something has apt locked - because it's true.
The .Xauthority file should be created anew. It should not be distributed. This would be akin to giving everyone the same root password. The .Xauthority file contains some random data called a cookie that acts like a password to gain access to the X-server.
This is one of the main differences between xinit and startx. The startx program calls xinit but it first secures access to the X-server by setting up authorization. You can look in the startx script for a (perhaps poor) example of how to set up X authorization.
OK...we aren't messing with that file, though. I just changed the .desktop launcher files for the GUI part of Systemback to use gksu to get root, instead of the method that is built into gambas3.
Stevo wrote: OK...we aren't messing with that file, though. I just changed the .desktop launcher files for the GUI part of Systemback to use gksu to get root, instead of the method that is built into gambas3.
I wish I could be of some help to you but I got lazy and frustrated at some point and just threw the kitchen sink at it. I can say that both gtk and qt4 versions are fully functional. For what their worth, the commit logs are below.
gambas3-gb-gui is the critical package that was missing. The new version will have that as a dependency.
Isn't it just a whole lot easier to boot a Live-USB, set it up the way you want it, add/remove apps as you wish and then run the remastercc tool before you close off your live-session?
This remastercc creates an alternative antix/linuxfs file on your USB stick with the extension .new and it contains all your changes to the installed base, minus user settings unless you copy them to the /etc/skel folder.
When you next boot, the original antix/linuxfs file is renamed to /antix/linuxfs.old and the .new is removed from the fresh linuxfs file so it becomes the standard boot selection by becoming the /antix/linuxfs compressed file system loaded as the OS. When you're satisfied that all is well, you can just delete the original file now renamed linuxfs.old and have your own fully customised boot USB.
If you have a relatively small amount of RAM, simply fire up the System profiler and benchmark tool (hardinfo) and keep it on the summary screen, you'll see your RAM usage in real time and you can keep consuming RAM until you have about 50Mb remaining, then run the remastercc to lock in your changes. If you can't do enough in one hit because you have too little RAM, do it over several boots and you can opt to lose the oldest backup of the linuxfs file.
If you also include isomaster, you can take edit the original ISO to remove the original /antix/linuxfs file and replace it with your modified version, then save the whole thing as a new ISO file and viola, you have both a live-USB and a fresh Live-ISO image that can be burned to CD/DVD while retaining the grub boot prompts, cheatcodes and the improved MX installer, but your original ISO is untouched because you have a new one that you made yourself.
Doing it this way, no changes are made to the grub boot menu offered on the live-ISO, but the installed OS is whatever you have on the ISO or live-USB and it can be used with unetbootin or the antix2usb script because it's a regular ISO, albeit a bit larger because you've added to it.
I used this process to make a fully customised multimedia ISO from RC2. I saved a new ISO of this build which measured 1.5GB and created a Live-USB using the new ISO. It starts like RC2 but it is better suited to media production, and it includes all the updates up to the point of running the remastercc. It installs perfectly using the MX installer.


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PingOne Site Reliability Engineering
Beau Christensen
The PingOne service has a unique and sometimes frightening job of providing authentication middleware service to some of the worlds largest companies. We take this responsibility quite seriously within Ping Identity, so much so that a new type of operations team was embedded within the engineering organization to handle uptime, security, and integrity of the service. It's our interpretation of Site Reliability Engineering. Combining Site Reliability with Development is what we call the PingOne DevOps Team.
Hosting a Tier 1 SSO service that the most security conscious enterprises in the world depend on forces you to make the most secure design choices possible, even when it makes things very, very hard to execute. This is a common ethos throughout Ping Identity's culture.
Do things the right way, even if it's hard. No compromises.
The SRE Team had hands-on input designing PingOne, working within DevOps to build security and reliability into the service at the foundation. Ping has been running PingConnect, the first cloud ever enterprise identity SaaS Application, since 2008. Operations has had plenty of experience developing process, infrastructure, and sourcing talent. The PingConnect infrastructure provided us with a world-class private-cloud based on VMware, spanning two data centers in Boston and Denver already 98% virtualized and a foundation for automating the private cloud.
PingOne was designed to be a completely different system than PingConnect. Where PingConnect has components built for multi-tenancy, PingOne is 100% multi-tenant. From the foundation, PingOne was designed as a cloud scale application with components and services built for durability in a multi-datacenter environment. The aim of the team was to build an application that could retain 100% functionality in the event of a complete datacenter failure, allowing reads and writes to continue unimpeded, and failover to occur autonomously by intelligent monitoring systems. The key to this challenge is what we call PingOne's multi-master data layer. It utilizes a mix of Galera MySQL clusters that allows applications to write to any node in any cluster in any datacenter location, and a enterprise-class Cassandra cluster for our NoSQL storage needs. We will talk more in depth about this technology in a later post.
This highly capable data layer, combined with the twin data centers we already had in place for servicing PingConnect, provided the foundation we needed to fulfill PingOne's design requirement for 100% active/active data center load balancing and autonomous failover. On top of this foundation, the DevOps team built multiple sub-systems and services with the ability to scale individually at different rates, and attached them to the multi-master data layer. We designed load balancer pools and virtual servers to peer into each one of theses services and take them offline if needed, and feed that failure information up to the top tier DynECT global load balancers which then decide whether or not to take a service offline and fail it over to another location.
The PingOne application itself is not a large, monolithic stack. It's designed in little pieces. Subsystems that all have one or maybe two functions. The interconnecting systems and services communicate over internal networks only, never between public cloud resources or networks, and only in private secure zones. This fleet of subsystems and services can be deployed all at once during data center provisioning, or as individual layers, one at a time. This gives us a few key advantages:
Service Segmentation. We deploy these services into different security zones, depending on how sensitive their function is. We can create incredibly granular security between datacenters, zones and services. It gives the SRE Team the ability to statefully inspect traffic where needed, at any interchange between security zones. IDS systems not only inspect traffic at the border DMZ, but can also be deployed into internal zones, monitoring inter-system traffic in our own private networks for anomalies.
Independently Scalable Services. Maybe the messaging systems don't require as many resources as the web site? The token processor nodes are way more efficient than the logging service? No problem, each one of these gets it's own scaling group and pool of servers, letting the SRE Team provision resources far more efficiently across the service stack. If we need to change the shirt size of an instance for one component that requires additional memory, the change is added to deployment automation, and pushed to only the system that needs it.
Instance deployment, not code deployment. Because each of the services is small and self contained, it allows us to spin up entirely new layers of the service during deployment. Developers don't push code into production, they spin up a new version of the service, test it, and pass the packages to Site Reliability. SRE then deploys the new service version into production along side the current service. Once complete, traffic is flipped to the new service version, and monitored closely for errors or performance anomalies. If we need to roll back changes, the versions are flipped back and we're running the previous version of code within a few minutes. Once the new service version has bedded in for a few hours, the old versions are recycled. Generally between all the system and service deployments, this usually equates to an entirely new PingOne infrastructure every 3 weeks. The front-end of the system gets re-deployed every 7 days. Instances usually aren't around long enough to fail or fill up disk. It's like getting a new fleet of fresh new machines all the time.
Since going live, the SRE Team has continued to improve speed, process and functionality of PingOne's infrastructure. We've gone through quite a few iterations of monitoring, building on mistakes of the past, and filling gaps where we see them. Deployment of instances and code has become far faster and more feature packed as our internal tools get more and more sophisticated. We have grown the system into a true AWS / VMware hybrid cloud while retaining our fundamental design requirement of active/active autonomous failover. We will dive deeper into these challenges, and hope to provide a transparent and holistic view of the design and philosophy we use to keep our customers coming back to us time and time again.
Do things the right way, even if it's the hard way.
PingOne

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Shaken binding with cracked hinges. Pages tanned with light reading wear throughout. Decorative cloth over boards is edge worn at top and bottom of spine and corner tips, with bumped corners, overall shelf wear, and light soiling. ; Classic Horatio Alger story about a youth who works hard and makes good. ; 7.25" (19 cm) tall; 286 pages; Re#.


Short-term parking at Inverness Airport, in three lots next to the terminal building, is free for the first 10 minutes. Long-term parking is available in a separate lot to the right of the terminal building.
Flights to Inverness Airport are available via Flybe, Lufthansa, easyJet, Helvetic Airlines, and Discover Jersey, among others.
Aspire Lounge is available at a price, regardless of travel class or airline. The lounge features high quality complimentary food and drink, and facilities geared for both work and relaxation.
Inverness Airport Taxis: the taxi fares above are intended as a guideline only.


The CPMR is a partner in a new EU project to support the implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) in the north Atlantic region.
The SIMNORAT project, which is managed by SHOM (the French Hydrographic and Oceanic Service), is funded by DG Mare through the EMFF. It aims to support the implementation of the MSP Directive by Member States in their marine waters in the North Atlantic region of Europe (OSPAR IV). It also supports cross-border cooperation between the Member States.
The CPMR will contribute to work on land-sea interaction and regional participation, as well as organising a mid-term workshop in 2017 and the final conference in 2018 with EU partners, regions and institutions.
It will also produce a report on land-sea interactions in the implementation of the MSP Directive, using the information gathered by the Member States in the framework of this project. And it will contribute to updating the project portal with MSP news, in connection with its observer status in the European Commission's expert groups.
The launch meeting of the project took place in Bordeaux on 26 January and brought together the entire partnership: SHOM (French Hydrographic and Oceanic Service) (France), the French Agency for Biodiversity / Marine Protected Areas Agency (France), the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) (Spain), the Center for Studies and Experimentation of Public Works (CEDEX) (Spain), the Center of Studies and Expertise On Risks, Environment, Mobility and Development (CEREMA) (France), and the University of Aveiro (UA) (Portugal).
The meeting gave the partners the opportunity to take stock of the administrative aspects of the project and to develop out a constructive plan of action for the project.
These included discussions on the assignment of tasks, the expected results, the deliverables and the interaction between the different axes of the project, as well as the main timeline of meetings.


Vaccinations up to date, spayed / neutered, special needs. She has no broken bones but has a compressed spine. She is seeing a chiropractor to see if that will help. She gets along great but drags her back leg slightly. She cannot always feel when she needs to go to the bathroom so we have cute leopard diapers for her.
Sparkle has a smile that is contagious. She looks up at every person she meets wanting to be loved. She was at a local shelter and about to be killed. We do not know what her past is but she evidently didn't have a happy life. She has a compressed spine from an injury and we are taking her to a Chiropractor. She is doing much better with walking. She does have a bit of a lame leg but is getting better. If you want a beautiful, precious baby that needs a loving home this is your girl. Special needs? Yes but so worth it. She LOVES to play with other dogs and runs as fast as the can even though she has a partial gimpy leg. Nothing stops her from smiling and being happy. She is a doll!!!
She is about a year 2 years old and weighs about 11 lbs.


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Home > Cancer > Hormone Levels May Help Predict Breast Cancer Risk, Study Finds
Hormone Levels May Help Predict Breast Cancer Risk, Study Finds
By LadyLively on October 29, 2013
TUESDAY, Oct. 29Doctors might better predict a woman's risk for breast cancer by tracking levels of key hormones, Harvard researchers report.
One expert said such a test could be useful.
"A large part of my practice involves counseling and educating women on their risk of developing breast cancer," said Dr. Myra Barginear, a breast medical oncologist at North Shore-LIJ Cancer Institute in Lake Success, N.Y. "If the study's findings are validated and confirmed, a simple blood test to evaluate hormone levels, as the Investigators did in the study, would be a very useful, additional tool to evaluate a woman's risk of developing breast cancer."
According to the researchers, monitoring hormone levels could be added to markers already routinely looked at by physicians, including the number of pregnancies a woman has had and when she began menstruation.
Study author Shelley Tworoger, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston, explained that "postmenopausal women with high levels of the hormones estrogens, androgen and prolactin, have a higher risk of breast cancer than women with low levels."
"At this point in time, however, no hormones are included in breast cancer risk prediction models," she said in a news release. However, the new study suggests that adding in levels of three hormones — estrone sulfate, testosterone and prolactin "may provide the biggest improvement in risk prediction for breast cancer," Tworoger said.
In the new study, her team analyzed breast cancer risk for a group of 473 postmenopausal women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, as well as 770 women without the disease.
The researchers concluded that including the presence of high levels of key hormones boosted the accuracy of predicting those women at higher risk of invasive breast cancer.
According to Barginear, the finding "is not surprising and actually quite logical," especially since treatments for certain types of breast cancer hinge on lowering levels of hormones such as estrogen.
She added that "evaluating these hormones to help predict the risk of breast cancer in a postmenopausal woman is most valuable, as over two-thirds of breast cancer occurs in postmenopausal women."
Dr. Stephanie Bernik, chief of surgical oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said that while the findings are promising, "more work needs to be done before circulating hormone levels will be included" in routine estimates of breast cancer risk.
The study is to be presented Tuesday at the American Association for Cancer Research's annual meeting on cancer prevention, in National Harbor, Md. Findings presented at medical meetings are typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
For more on breast cancer, visit the U.S. National Cancer Institute.


Villegas studied Fine Arts at Florida International University, and has completed numerous courses with renowned international art agent Lilla Rogers (Make Art That Sells) and Rachael Taylor (Make it in Design). She has a love for bass guitar, heavy metal, hula-hoops, chai lattes and chihuahuas. She plays the bass in an all-female rock band called Lilith. Catalina currently divides her time between La Ceja, Colombia, and Pompano Beach, Florida.


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Q: Applications of Excision and Computations of Homology Groups I was wondering where exactly we are using Excision.
I read the relation between relative homology and quotient homology recently.  It says something like it can be applied  on good pairs. I am looking for examples  of good pairs upon which I can apply this.
Is $(B^n, S^{n-1})$ a good pair?
I think yes. Take the open set $U=\{x\in B^n: 1/2 < \|x\|\leq 1\} \subset B$ and I think this open set of $B$ strongly deformation retracts to $S^{n-1}$ and now I can apply the corollary to Excision Theorem which states for all good pairs $(X,A)$ we have
$$H_n(X,A)=H_n(X/A, A/A)$$ where $H_n(X/A, A/A)$ is the reduced Homology of $X/A$. Am I correct?
Where else can I put Excision, its corollary to use?

A: There is a theorem that states that any CW-pair $(X,A)$ is a good pair. Here are two examples where you can use this:

*

*Consider the torus $T$ with its subcomplex $S^1 \vee S^1$. Since $T/(S^1 \vee S^1) \simeq S^2$, you get $H_n(T,S^1 \vee S^1) \cong H_n(S^2,*) \cong \tilde{H}_k(S^2) \cong (0,0,\mathbb{Z},0,0,...)$.

*Consider the CW-pair $(\mathbb{R}P^k,\mathbb{R}P^{k-1})$. If you look at the cell structure, you'll see that $\mathbb{R}P^k/\mathbb{R}P^{k-1} \cong S^k$, and hence $H_n(\mathbb{R}P^k,\mathbb{R}P^{k-1}) \cong H_n(S^k,*) \cong \tilde{H}_n(S^k)$.
Here is another nice example for when $(X,A)$ is not a CW-pair, but just a good pair:

*Consider $(T,S^1 \times \{0\})$, i.e. a torus with some fixed $S^1$ lying inside $T$. Then Hatcher shows in example 0.8 that $T / (S^1 \times \{0\}) \simeq S^2 \vee S^1$, and hence $H_n(T,S^1 \times \{0\}) \cong \tilde{H}_n(S^2 \vee S^1) \cong (0,\mathbb{Z},\mathbb{Z},0,0,...)$.

I hope this helps!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Ban on direct-hiring for overseas employment 101
⦁ Employers, whether local or overseas, are prohibited from hiring Filipino workers for overseas employment.
⦁ There are exceptions.
⦁ If not falling under the exceptions, the employer has to contract with a duly licensed private employment agency for overseas employment.
1. Concept
The ban on direct-hiring for overseas employment is found in P.D. 442, otherwise known as the Labor Code of the Philippines:
ART. 18. Ban on Direct-Hiring. No employer may hire a Filipino worker for overseas employment except through the Boards and entities authorized by the Secretary of Labor. Direct-hiring by members of the diplomatic corps, international organizations and such other employers as may be allowed by the Secretary of Labor is exempted from this provision.
P.D. 442, Labor Code of the Philippines
To simplify, in terms of rules, and the provisions being restated for easier understanding:
General Rule: Employers, whether local or foreign, are prohibited from directly hiring Filipino workers for overseas employment.
1) Members of the diplomatic corps;
2) International organizations; and
3) Such other employers as may be allowed by the Secretary of Labor.
Since the promulgation of the Labor Code in 1972, the above-cite legal provision has not been amended nor revised. Notwithstanding, this provision has been the subject of subsequent regulations issued by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
2. Current regulation
POEA Memorandum Circular No. 8, Series of 2018 ("Circular No. 8") is the current regulation.
3) Heads of state and government officials with the rank of at least deputy minister; or
4) Other employers as may be allowed by POEA, such as:
a) Those provided in Nos. 1, 2, and 3 above who bear a lesser rank, if endorsed by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), or Head of Mission in the absence of the POLO;
b) Professionals and skilled workers with duly executed verified/authenticated contracts containing terms and conditions over and above the standards set by the POEA. The number of professionals and skilled OFWs hired for the first time by the employer shall not exceed five (5). For the purpose of determining the number, workers hired as group shall be counted as one; or c) Workers hired by a relative/family member who is a permanent resident of the host country, except domestic workers (live-in caregiver/care worker or household service workers).
a. Employment Standards
Pursuant to Section 134 of the 2016 Revised POEA Rules, the Administration shall secure the best possible terms and conditions of employment for OFWs. As such, it shall develop and continually review employment standards in accordance with policy thrusts and market developments, including Direct Hire OFWs. (Part II, Circular No. 8)
1) Life and insurance coverage
It is the primary responsibility of the employer that the Direct-Hire OFW is provided with a compulsory insurance coverage. The repatriation insurance of an OFW and his/her remains, and the transport of his/her personal effects shall be the obligation of the employer to cover actual repatriation cost and other attendant costs, including airfare and immigration fines/penalties. (Part III[a], Ibid.)
2) Minimum Provisions of Employment Contracts
Pursuant further to Section 135 of the same Rules, the following shall be the minimum provisions in employment contracts for all Direct-Hire OFWs:
1. Complete name and address of the employer/company;
2. Position and jobsite of the Overseas Filipino Worker;
3. Basic monthly salary, including benefits and allowances and mode of payment. The salary shall not be lower than the prescribed minimum wage in the host country or prevailing minimum wage in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, whichever is higher;
4. Food and accommodation or the monetary equivalent which shall be commensurate to the cost of living in the host country, or off-setting benefits;
5. Commencement and duration of contract;
6. Free transportation from and back to the point of hire, or off-setting benefits, and free inland transportation at the jobsite or off-setting benefits;
7. Regular work hours and day off;
8. Overtime pay for services rendered beyond the regular working hours, rest days and holidays;
9. Vacation leave and sick leave for every year of service;
10. Free emergency medical and dental treatment;
11. Just/valid/authorized causes for termination of the contract or of the services of the workers, taking into consideration the customs, traditions, no rms, mores, practices, company policies and the labor laws and social legislations of the host country;
12. Settlement of disputes;
13. Repatriation of worker in case of imminent danger due to war, cala mity, and other analogous circumstances, at the expense of employer; and
14. ln case of worker's death/repatriation of Overseas Filipino Workers human remains and personal belongings, at the expense of the employer. (Part III[b], Ibid.)
3) Standards for Professionals and Skilled Direct-Hire OFWs
For professionals and skilled Direct -Hire OFWs, the employment offer should be over and above the minimum provisions of employment contract stated above, and may include provisions such as, but not limited to:
1. Basic compensation package above the minimum prescribed minimum wage in the host country;
2. Provision of secured conveyance to and from the work site;
3. Bonuses;
4. Annual vacation with full pay and free airline tickets;
5. Gratuity pay;
6. End of service award benefits;
7. Free education for OFW children who are18 years old or younger;
8. Stock option program. (Part II[c], Ibid.)
The POEA may likewise formulate country or skill specific policies and guidelines for Direct-Hire OFWs based on the following:
• Existing labor and social laws of the host country;
• Relevant bilateral and multilateral agreements or arrangements with the host country; and
• Prevailing conditions/realities in the market. (Paragraph 2, Part III[a], Ibid.)
b. Medical Examination
Direct-Hi re OFWs shall undergo and pass the pre employment medical examination (PEME) by a hospital or a medical clinic accredited by the Department of Health (DOH) for the conduct of such examination in accordance with the medical requirements of the host country.
A Direct-Hire OFW may be exempted from PEME if the worker has undergone a medical examination as a requirement for issuance of visa by the country of destination. A copy of the medical certificate shall be submitted to the POEA. (Part IV, Ibid.)
c. Pre-Employment and Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PEOS and PDOS)
All Direct-Hi re OFWs are required to undergo Pre-Employment Orientation Seminar (PEOS) and Pre-Departure Orientations Seminar (PDOS), Comprehensive Pre-Departure Orientation Program and submit their Certificates as part of the documentary requirements in their registration a copy of the certificates for completing the said seminars. However, OFWs with previous legal deployment and can present their valid Certificates of completion of the said seminars and will be returning to the same jobsite shall be exempted from this requirement. (Part V, Ibid.)
d. Documentary Requirements for Registration of Overseas Filipino Workers Hired by Employers who are Exempted from the Ban on Direct Hiring
Pursuant to Section 125 of 2016 Revised POEA Rules, the Direct-Hire OFWs hired by those employers exempted from the ban on direct hiring may be registered by the Administration upon submission of the following documents to the Direct Hire Assistance Division:
a. For Professional and Skilled Workers
1. Verified/authenticated original employment contract signed on each page by the employer or the authorized representative containing terms and conditions which are over and above the POEA employment minimum standards with the company profile, business license/commercial registration of the employer;
2. Passport valid at least six (6) months before the date of intended departure;
3. Valid and appropriate visa or work permit;
4. Certificate of medical fitness to work from a DOH-accredited medical clinic for OFWs ;
5. Proof of certificate of insurance coverage covering at least the benefits provided under Section 37-A of RA 8042 as amended;
6. Notarized statement by the worker on how the employment was secured, attaching the photocopy of the employer's passport/ID and contact details and,
7. Certificate of attendance to the Pre-Employment Orientation Seminar (PEOS) and Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) conducted by OWWA. (Part VI[a], Ibid.)
b. For Domestic Workers under I. Coverage a., c., and d.1 of this Guidelines
1. Employment contract duly signed by the employer and worker and duly verified/authenticated and endorsed by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) or by the Philippine Embassy which has the jurisdiction over the jobsite;
4. Certificate of medical fitness to work from a DOH-accredited medical clinic for OFWs;
6. TESDA Skill Certification equivalent to National Certificate II (NCII) or higher;
7. Notarized statement by the worker on how the employment was secured, attaching the photocopy of the employer's passport/ID and contact details;
8. Certificate of attendance to Pre-Employment Orientation Seminar (PEOS); and
9. Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) and Comprehensive Pre Departure Education Program (CPDEP). (Part VI[b], Ibid.)
d. Procedure
The documentation of Direct-Hire OFWs shall be managed by the Direct Hire Assistance Division (DHAD) under the Pre-Employment Services Office. Workers with employers who do not belong to the exempted category shall undergo the following procedure and the DHAD s ha ll:
a. Receive the application to process as Direct -Hire and evaluate requirements for documentation from the Direct-Hired OFW and inform the worker if the employer may be allowed to dire c tly-hire workers;
b. If the employer may be allowed, evaluate the received application and completeness of the documents;
c. Recommend the issuance of a clearance by the Administrator;
d. If the Clearance is gran ted, the following steps shall follow:
1. DHAD shall inform the worker to proceed to the DHAD and the DHAD authorized officer shall approve/sign the employment contract ;
2. Issuance of an OFW Info Sheet to be filled-up by the Direct-Hire OFW;
3. Encoding relevant information of Direct-Hire OFW into the Direct-Hire E Processing System;
4. Endorsement for assessment of appropriate fees for POEA Processing; and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA); PhilHealth, Pag-lBIG Fund and Philhealth contributions and the worker pays to the authorized cashier for the release of the OEC to the Direct-Hire OFW applicant whose employer is deemed exempted from the ban on direct hire;
5. Endorsement of processed records of Di rect-Hi re OFWs to the POEA Central Records Division for storage after the period of retention of the OFW records. (Part VII, Ibid.)
e. Fees and Costs
1). Cost to the Employer
The following fees and costs shall be paid by the employer:
1. Visa, including the stamping fee;
2. Work permit and resident permit;
3. Round trip airfare or offsetting benefits;
4. Transportation from the airport to the jobsite;
5. POEA processing fee;
6. OWWA membership fee; and
7. Insurance coverage. (Part VIII, Ibid.)
2) Cost to the Worker
The worker shall shoulder the following documentation costs for his/her overseas employment as well as his/her membership to social protection program of the government:
1. Passport;
2. NBI/Police Clearance;
3. NSO authenticated birth certificate;
4. Transcript of Records and diploma issued by the school, certified by CHED and authenticated by the DFA;
5. Professional license issued by the PRC, authenticated by DFA;
6. Certificate of competency issued by TESDA or other competent certifying body for the job applied for;
7. DOH prescribed medical/health examination based on the host country Medical protocol; andI
8. Membership with Phil Health, Pag-lBIG Fund and Social Security System. (Part VII[b], Ibid.)
f. Non-Exemption for Employers Accredited with a licensed Philippine Recruitment Agency (PRA)
Foreign employers with previous or current accreditation with any licensed Philippine recruitment agencies shall not be allowed to directly hire workers. Employers with previous accreditation with PRAs may be allowed to directly hire workers after the lapse of one (1) year from the cancellation/revocation/expiration of its accreditation or registration with a PRA. (Part VIII-A, Ibid.)
g. Registration at the POEA Main Office and the Regional Centers and Units
The registration of Direct-Hire OFWs shall be carried out at the POEA Main Office and its Regional Centers and Units. The Regional Centers shall course their requests to the Administrator for Clearance for Direct Hiring through the Regional and Overseas Coordinating Office. (Part IX, Ibid.)
⦁ P.D. 442, Labor Code of the Philippines
⦁ POEA Memorandum Circular No. 8, Series of 2018
Atty. Jericho Del Puerto
Lawyer, Author, Mentor
Disclaimer: All information is for educational and general information only. These should not be taken as professional legal advice or opinion. Please consult a competent lawyer to address your specific concerns. Any statements or opinions of the author are solely his own and do not reflect that of any organization he may be connected.
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Tuberculosis prevention and control, mandatory policy
1. Preliminary DOLE Department Order No. 73, Series of 2005 provides for the Guidelines for The Implementation of Policy and Program On Tuberculosis (TB) Prevention
DOLE IRR/Guidelines on Mental Health Workplace Policies and Programs in the Private Sector
DOLE Department Order No. 208, Series of 2020 ("DO-208"): Guidelines for the Implementation of Mental Health Workplace Policies and Programs for the Private Sector —
Summary ▪ A CBA is a contract entered by the employer and the workers' sole and exclusive bargaining agent, who shall be the only one
Legitimate labor organizations
1. Summary ▪ Legitimate labor organizations refer to labor organizations that registered with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). ▪ A labor organization generally
Cases: Management Prerogative
Labor jurisprudence on management prerogative


text:
Driver charged and arrested in fatal crash that killed 7-year-old in back yard
By: Melissa Hudson Facebook | Twitter
Posted: Jul 19, 2018 5:50 PM EST
NOW: Driver charged and arrested in fatal crash that killed 7-year-old in back yard
Inflation at 39-year high in US, creating struggles for Michiana...
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More cold temperatures and sunshine for Sunday
Annual Niles festival continues through the weekend
Bitter cold temperatures through the weekend
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Some Hoosiers crossing state lines to get tested amid limited...
A cold, snow-free weekend
18th annual Hunter Ice Festival kicks off Friday in Niles
South Bend Common Council looking for citizens to serve on standing...
Mishawaka mom remembers son fatally struck by car
Child hit and killed by neighbor's car in Mishawaka
MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- Charges have been filed against the driver who allegedly drove over and killed a 7-year-old who was playing in his back yard in Mishawaka on June 1. She allegedly had THC in her system at the time.
Kayla Bennett, 22, has been charged with one count of causing death when operating a motor vehicle with a schedule I or II controlled substance in the blood, a level 4 felony.
Mishawaka Police were called to a home in the 800 block of W. 6th Street on June 1 to investigate a crash.
When they arrived they found 7-year-old Briyson Councell lying in the yard behind a duplex in critical condition.
There were tire marks and a Lincoln Navigator registered to Bennett in the yard as well, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Councell was taken to the hospital with life threatening injuries and died at the hospital. His cause of death was blunt force injury to the head.
During the investigation, officers learned Councell's family lived in one half of the duplex and Bennett lived in the other half.
Several people were interviewed including Councell's 8-year-old sister, his mother and Bennett.
Councell's sister told police she and her brother were playing in the back yard. At one point they were kneeling down on the sidewalk that goes from the alley to the back porch of the house playing in the dirt when she saw the SUV pull into the back yard right towards her and her brother, according to the probable cause affidavit.
She said she was able to get up and out of the way, but her brother couldn't get away and was run over.
The girl said she didn't witness him being run over, but she saw him right after he had been run over, reports said.
Councell's mother told police she had asked Bennett to park in front of the house because her children play in the back. She had mentioned this to Bennett the day before the fatal crash, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Bennett spoke with police and said she drove through the alley to park in the back yard when she realized she ran something over. She thought it was a bike, but looked back and saw the boy on the ground, reports said.
Bennett admitted to police to smoking marijuana the day before, but denied using marijuana that day, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Blood tests sent to a lab showed active and inactive THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in Bennett's system at the time of the crash, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Police also noted there was no driveway in the back of the house.
Bennett was arrested Thursday evening.


moderate viscidity, emulsification, stableness and anti-recrystallization, low water absorbability, less agglomeration, better carrier for sweeteners.
The beverages are scientifically prepared with Maltodextrin, which add more flavor, soluble, consistent and delicious, and reduce sweet taste and cost.
There are more advantages of these kinds of beverages than that of the traditional drinks and foods such as ice-cream, fast tea and coffee etc.
As a nice stuffing or carrier, it can be used in infant foods for improving their quality and health care function. It is beneficial to children.


To bring self awareness, pride, dignity and confidence to people who have learning disabilities, through training,skills development and continuing education, especially in numeracy and literacy.
To enable them to derive the benefits of meaningful occupation in a productive workshop which replicates as closely as possible its commercial counterpart. To further develop social awareness and interaction by participating in trading and retailing through which they gain self worth, realising that they are valued not only by those around them but by society at large.


text:
Desert View students act out play about a school lockdown to shed light on gun violence
The scenes that follow school shootings have become all too familiar. But what's not as widely seen, are the lockdown drills schools hold in preparation for the worst.
By: Natalie Tarangioli
Posted at 10:16 PM, Feb 07, 2020
TUCSON, Ariz. — The scenes that follow school shootings have become all too familiar. But what's not as widely seen, are the lockdown drills schools hold in preparation for the worst.
Desert View High School on Tucson's south side wanted to bring attention to what it's really like inside a classroom when a school is on lockdown.
The theatre department put on a play on a topic that the students felt like they could relate to. 'Lockdown' by Douglas Craven started out as a lockdown drill.
But then it got to the point where the eight students and teacher in the classroom were not aware if it was a drill, or a real threat.
Nothing violent is shown, but the audience gets a sense of the fear and powerlessness the students and teacher feel.
There's another showing of 'Lockdown' on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. at the school's theatre. Admission is $3.


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FLO at work
Plug in at work and return home fully charged every day
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FLO provides turnkey and affordable solutions for workplaces. Refer your employer to our FLO for workplaces section for more information about how we can help.
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Meet some EV-friendly employers
Bell Canada positioned itself as an innovative, forward-thinking employer by installing charging stations at its headquarters on Nun's Island in Montreal. The site is equipped with 24 charging stations, which are part of a larger network across the company's many business places. Bell's goal was to increase employee satisfaction and support EV adoption, and the numbers speak for themselves: since the company installed charging stations, it has seen the number of EV-driving employees quadruple!
See the full story
Cascades has deployed a large-scale electric mobility program for its employees. The Quebec company has installed 30 charging stations at its various plants in Kingsey Falls as part of a commitment to reduce its environmental footprint and set an example in sustainable development. Cascades even went one step further in supporting EV adoption: the company is offering employees who make the switch a $2,000 financial incentive, which can be combined with the rebate offered by the Quebec governement's Drive Electric program.
Innovative Automation
Innovative Automation is a future-focused manufacturing employer situated in Barrie, Ontario. They recently installed EV charging stations for their employees by taking advantage of the Workplace Electric Vehicle Charging Incentive Program. After expanding into their new state-of-the-art facilities, Innovative Automation added EV charging as part of their company mission to reduce their environmental footprint and support EV adoption. By including charging, their goal was also to support their employee satisfaction rate, and to continue to attract top-quality talent.


text:
Dora is an unincorporated community in Coos County, Oregon, United States. It is about  east of Coquille near the East Fork Coquille River on the former route of the Coos Bay Wagon Road. It is in the Southern Oregon Coast Range.

Dora post office was established in 1874. The first postmaster was John H. Roach, and, according to Oregon Geographic Names the location may have been named for his daughter, Dora. The office ceased operations in 1939.

At one time Dora had a United Brethren academy, a Grange hall, and a public school.

Dora shares a rural fire protection district with nearby Sitkum.

References

External links

Unincorporated communities in Coos County, Oregon
1874 establishments in Oregon
Populated places established in 1874
Unincorporated communities in Oregon

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Ukraine mulls conscription to tackle Russian 'aggression'
Apr 17, 2014, 11:33 pm SGT
http://str.sg/rxb
KIEV (AFP) - Ukraine's Parliament voted on Thursday to have acting President Oleksandr Turchynov urgently consider bringing back conscription to boost military readiness in the face of Russian "aggression".
The move came as tensions ratcheted up in Ukraine's east, where separatist rebels have taken control of public buildings in nearly 10 towns and rebuffed attempts by the army to oust them.
Kiev's leaders and many Western countries say Moscow is fomenting the insurgency and playing a leading role by deploying its special forces and military intelligence officers to the region. Russia also has tens of thousands of troops massed on Ukraine's border in what NATO fears could be preparation for an invasion.
The lawmakers in Kiev approved a text "to recommend to the acting president to restart conscription into the Ukraine armed forces without delay" in order to "bolster Ukraine's defence capabilities in connection with aggression from the Russian Federation".
Ukraine scrapped compulsory military service for young men only this year, under a law introduced in 2013 by Viktor Yanukovych, the Kremlin-friendly president who ended up fleeing mass pro-Western demonstrations two months ago.
Ukraine currently has 130,000 personnel in its armed forces.


text:
The victors: Jim Knight, right, holds a bottle of champagne as he stands in front of a Sherman tank with a buddy at the end of World War II in Germany. Photo provided
Jim Knight was a German POW in World War II
Jim Knight went overseas as a BAR (Browning Automatic Weapons) man with Patton's 3rd Army, 76th Infantry Division, 17th Regiment, Company L. Of all of the actions he took part in two are indelibly etched in his memory. The first is his assault across the Sauer River and the seconds the action which resulted in his capture.
"We had just finished up in the Battle of the Bulge when we were trucked south to Echternach, Luxembourg. This city is on the bank of the Sauer River which separates Luxembourg from Germany. The 'Siegfried Line' starts just across the river. We faced not only crossing a swift flowing river at flood tide, but also the ferocious defense provided by camouflaged pill boxes and fortresses.
"We met flatbed trucks about a mile west of the river. These trucks carried wooden scow-like boats that were stacked on the trucks, one nested into the other. Each squad carried its own clumsy, heavy boat to the edge of the river.
"By this time it was dusk and we could barely see the river which was several hundred yards below us. But we could see the opposing German cliff which loomed even higher above the river. I suppose this was supposed to be a surprise assault, but we started receiving artillery fire even before we started our descent, which turned out to be a terrible fiasco.
"I was officially the assistant squad leader, but since the squad leader had just shot himself, the boat was mine. Somehow my squad got to the water's edge with only bumps and bruises but now we were faced crossing this river under fire with flares that made us feel naked and with no one who knew anything about boats. I saw that the river was moving fast from left to right. The boat came equipped with six oars so I put four on the right side and two on the left to somehow keep the boat from being turned to left and heading down stream.
"We shoved off and paddled through a hellish scene. Boats went by us overturned and guys were in the water yelling. German 20-millimeter automatic weapons rounds were flying everywhere and exploding on contact.
"The boats were so dispersed that only our boat and one other, from another company, were close when we landed. As usual we had been given no plan or other instructions. We were on our own.
"Enemy fire was heavy and now included small arms fire. I could barely make out a draw to our left and I had my squad go in that direction. We had no more casualties until we hit mines about halfway up the draw. One of my guys was beyond help and several were hit, but remained ambulatory. The mine explosions told Jerry were we were, which resulted in our being pinned down for quite some time.
"We eventually reached the crest of the cliff, found a position and stayed there for the balance of the night. At dawn we found other elements of our company and prepared to deal with the Siegfried Line.
"For the first few days our company attacked pill boxes during the daylight hours with heavy casualties, too heavy to continue in that fashion. We had crossed the river with full platoons which were now decimated. The pill boxes and fortresses had connecting cross fires. We were hit by everything the enemy had from multiple directions.
"We were forced to hole up during the day and try and advance at night. This worked much better and we fought our way to the Prum River but casualties continued to take their toll and our battalion was finally relieved because there were too few of us to be an effective force. At the end of the action the entire platoon numbered 11 men. Our unit received the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions.
"A month or so later, we were dug in on a ridge line having pushed Jerry and company off the same ridge-line the previous night with only desultory fire and no casualties in our squad.
"Word came down that we were moving to another section and indeed another company from our battalion came to replace us.
"We slogged along a couple miles to the south and then turned east on a road that ran through a valley with high hills on each side. Pretty soon we came upon some blown-up Jeeps and a few halftracks from the 10th Armored Division. We all smelled trouble.
"By now anybody with half a mind should have known the 10th Armored vehicles and the intensity of the fire indicated the enemy was sizable and stubborn. It turned out that it was an SS battalion fighting an organized retreat while inflicting as many casualties as it could.
"By the time I got my second squad dug in on the right side of the road on the approaches to the town it was pitch dark. Another squad was on the other side of the road and the third squad was in the building behind us. About one hour later, all hell broke loose. A couple of light artillery pieces opened up, beyond rifle range, and the hills both left and right poured small arms fire down on us.
"We started taking casualties right away so I pulled my squad into the house directly behind us as did the squad on the other side of the road. From that point on it was a wild melee of shooting from windows and jumping fences into the next yard.
"I kept my squad together as best I could. Seven of us and four or five from the other squads ended up in the last house on our side of the road. Some of this group were wounded and four of my guys didn't make it to the last house. In any event, the SS surrounded the house and told us to come out which we did.
"When they got us all out of the house, they lined us up against a wall. This was shortly after the 'Malmedy Massacre' and I was ready to bolt if that guy nursing the MG-42 (machine-gun) started looking serious. But the moment passed and we were marched east under guard for several hours. We could hear firing a little west of us, but whenever it got closer we were marched to the next town east.
"After almost two weeks of this, someone forgot to tell our guards to move us. Incoming artillery fire drove our guards, only four of them, inside the building with us.We made quiet plans to jump them when small arms fire indicated our troops were closing in. We accomplished this, took our guards prisoner and go back to our own lines.
"It goes without saying that I was extremely lucky, receiving only scratches from enemy fire several times. My injuries were easily patched up by the company medic.
This story was first published in the Charlotte Sun newspaper, Port Charlotte, Fla. on Thursday, May 27, 2010 and is republished with permission.
Click here to view the collections in alphabetical order in the Library of Congress. This veteran's story may not yet be posted on this site, it could take anywhere from three to six months for the Library of Congress to process. Keep checking.
01.22.2016 – U. S. Army / World War II / 17th Regiment / 76th Infantry Division / Company L
peggy knight
I love reading this story over and over about my father – James R.Knight


Study Finds Bacteria in Unused Paper Towels – Vortex Industries Inc.
Dec. 28, 2011 — Grabbing a paper towel in a public restroom may leave more on your hands than you bargained for.
Researchers say they've found bacteria, including some that are known to make people sick, in unused paper towels. They also found that those bacteria could be transferred to hands after washing.
The study is published in the American Journal of Infection Control. It did not find any illnesses connected to paper towel use.
Experts say the findings are probably most important for people in hospital isolation units and those with weakened immune function who need to be extra cautious about contact with germs.
Researchers at Laval University in Canada tested six brands of commercial paper towels — the kind doled out in many public bathrooms.
They found bacteria in all of them, but the towels made from recycled fibers were the most heavily contaminated.
"In our study, the concentration of bacteria in the recycled paper was between 100- to 1,000-fold higher than the virgin wood pulp brand," the researchers write.
Bacterial slime is known to be a problem at recycled paper mills, where it corrodes machines and may damage finished paper sheets.
Researchers say the new paper towel finding fits with other studies that have noted high bacterial counts in other kinds of recycled paper products.
Bacteria may thrive in recycled paper because it contains binding ingredients like starches and fillers that serve as food.
Most of the bacteria found in paper towels were Bacillus bacteria. Many Bacillus strains can produce toxins that cause food poisoning.
One brand of paper towel contained Bacillus cereus bacteria. In addition to food poisoning, B. cereus has been associated with infections of the eyes, lungs, blood, and central nervous system.
Although the found amounts of B. cereus probably wouldn't harm healthy people, researchers note it may be more dangerous for people who have weakened immune systems, like babies and the elderly, and for people who take medications that suppress their immune function.
Germ experts said the study was an eye-opener.
"These findings are interesting in that we do not think of paper towels as being contaminated," says Elizabeth Scott, PhD, who is co-director of the Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community at Simmons College in Boston.
Scott says the study also made her curious about bacteria in other kinds of paper products.
Scott and other experts note that the study did not find paper towels caused anyone to get sick.
Until more is known, experts agree that this one study shouldn't be a reason for healthy people to avoid paper towels.
"People shouldn't think that it's better not to wash their hands if they only have paper towels available to dry them," says Angela Golden, DNP, who is president-elect of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
She says 20 seconds with soap and water is still the rule, especially after activities that dramatically increase exposure to germs, like handing raw meat.
Golden says air dryers, if they're available, may be the healthiest and most environmentally responsible option of all.


On the West Walk of Salisbury's Cathedral Close is the former home of British Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath.
The house is open to the public, and although its history goes back long before 'Ted' Heath moved here in 1985, there's only really one reason that people come here to visit, and that's to see where Sir Edward Heath KG MBE spent some of the happiest moments of his life.
From a fairly ordinary background, Ted managed to make himself an extraordinary life. He worked his way through university into the corridors of power and eventually to leader of the Conservative party, a post he held from 1965 until 1975.
In 1970 he became Prime Minister and for the next four years struggled to contain the demands of the trade unions, curtail The Troubles in Northern Ireland, and the aspirations of Margaret Thatcher – although he did manage to take Britain into the European Economic Community in 1973.
He probably won't be remembered as one of Britain's greatest Prime Ministers, but he had many attributes, and even though my politics were different to his, I always thought of him as a warm and compassionate human being. Talking to the volunteers around the house I don't think I was alone in thinking that.
Looking back, I think that maybe his political views weren't conservative enough for his fellow party members, and not far enough to the left to embrace the working population.
This entry was posted in City Centre and tagged Modern History, Museum, Political on 22nd July 2018 by Malcolm.


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The economy max studio with six single beds. They can also be transformed to doubles with a "special matress". Is very bright and spacious, decorated with bright colors and according to cycladic architecture.
These studio room with two bedrooms are perfect for small groups or bigger families.


Healthmarkets Insurance - Pat Brown can be found at 4129 Boulder Park Dr . The following is offered: Insurance, Life Insurance, Health Insurance . In Euless there are 33 other Insurance. An overview can be found here.


A) Chairman – Lee is standing down as chairman due to personal commitments but will maintain an active member of the committee & as club coach. Thanks everyone very much for their help & support throughout his time. The main thing he feels we need to concentrate on is expanding membership.
B) Secretary – Currently empty position.
C) Treasurer – Julie has a spreadsheet if anyone would like to see in depth numbers, we have been hovering round abouts £5,000 over the last 12 months. There has been slightly more out than in but we should catch some of this up as August & September tends to have little/no outgoings but incomings from DDs.
We don't owe anyone money and no body owes us any money. Very pleased we got a grant for some new kit. Do we need to look at the fee structure for next term to make up for this shortfall? Where can we get more funding from?
D) Child Protection Officer – Barbara not present however no members are aware of any issues.
Confirmation of new & returning committee posts for next 12 months.
Youth Representatives – Kaitlin & Libby.
Promoting the club – ideas and opportunities.
A few ideas such as more sports fests, running birthday parties (older kids with real kit, younger with go!fence kit) and getting schools involved was mentioned however it was concluded this was to be discussed more in depth at a separate meeting TBC (late Sept). Also looking at quoted for banners & tshirts.
Next 12 months are set out as usual. Nothing is scheduled for half terms however this can be arranged if enough interest.
TBC due to absence of Barbara.
Please get your ideas for the XMas party to Gemma asap. Feedback from last year was that Red Hot was too busy/loud. Can we book a room somewhere? Do we want to go for the social aspect or the food?
Lee has had to cancel the club competition due to low numbers.
Next meetingTBC – Early October.


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Q: Returning an empty vector of strings if key is not found I know it is a very bad idea, so other suggestions on how to do it efficiently will be well-received.
Here's the thing. I have map<string,vector<string> > , I want to search for a key and return its corresponding value (vector of strings in this case). Reason I insist on returning (rather than just iterating) is I need to search the values returned in some other vector.
An example will make this clear:
Input:

key1 ---> {2,3,4}
key2 ---> {1}
key3 ---> {2,12,11,9}

For key1 as input, vector with values 2,3,4 should be returned. Now these 2,3,4 values need to be searched in other vector of strings. What is the most efficient way to do this?
I tried something like this:
vector<string> returnEdges(string key)
{
    for (map<string, vector<string> >::iterator it=outgoing.begin();
    it!=outgoing.end();++it)
    {
        if (key.compare((*it).first)==0)
        {
            return (*it).second;
        }
    }

    //return string<;//what should I return here????

}

1) How should I return empty vector in case key is not found?
2) what is the best way to implement this?
I hope the question is clear.
EDIT: As I wrote the question, I thought why not return an iterator? Do the people at SO give their approval for this idea?

A: 1) Returning an iterator is a fine idea. When you do this, the natural way to indicate the "not found" case is to return the .end() iterator. This has the down-side that the abstraction is somewhat leaky: the caller has to be able to get at this .end() value in order to compare to it for error checking, and the returned iterator exposes a richer interface than you'd like (the client code shouldn't really play around with incrementing and decrementing the iterator).
2) Returning an empty vector is as simple as creating an empty vector and returning it. Creating an empty vector = constructing a vector which is empty. This is what you get from - drum roll - the default constructor of the vector class.
3) You don't need to, and shouldn't, implement the search loop yourself. The standard library already implements this for you. (There is a specialized find function for map s because of the key/value distinction. For sequences like list, vector and deque, prefer the free function std::find, which comes from <algorithm>.
4) You should prefer to accept function parameters (when they are instances of classes, like std::string) and return data (especially complex things like a vector of strings) by const reference. Passing and returning by value implies a copy; sometimes the compiler can optimize this away, but it's not as reliable as we'd like. Besides, the reason you're using C++ in the first place is to have that level of control over things, right? If not, then don't torture yourself with it.
However, you can't do that if you're going to return a newly-created value some of the time. Yet another way to design the interface is to return a pointer to the vector of strings (note that pointer arithmetic on these will be invalid) within the map, or a NULL pointer if the value is not found. This avoids copying and distinguishes a "not found" result from an actual empty vector within the data, but it means the client code has to deal with an icky raw pointer.
5) Having 'return' in the name of a function is useless, as returning is what functions do. OTOH, it is a good idea to name things in a way that makes it evident why the parameters are what they are.
6) With iterators for complex types, it is often a good idea to set up typedefs.
Returning an iterator is as simple as:
typedef map<string, vector<string> >::iterator graph_iterator;
graph_iterator edges_named(const string& node_name) {
    return outgoing.find(node_name);
}

Returning a vector of strings is as simple as:
typedef map<string, vector<string> >::iterator graph_iterator;
vector<string> edges_named(const string& node_name) {
    graph_iterator it = outgoing.find(node_name);
    return it == outgoing.end() ? vector<string>() : it->second;
}

Returning a pointer is as simple as:
typedef map<string, vector<string> >::iterator graph_iterator;
vector<string>* edges_named(const string& node_name) {
    graph_iterator it = outgoing.find(node_name);
    return it == outgoing.end() ? NULL : &(it->second);
}

Choose wisely.

A: How about this:
std::vector<std::string> find_by_key_maybe(const std::string & key)
{
  std::map<std::string, std::vector<std::string>>::const_iterator it = themap.find(key);
  return it == themap.end() ? std::vector<std::string>() : it->second;
}

Or even, if themap is non-const, and you also wish to add an empty vector into the map:
std::vector<std::string> find_by_key_and_insert_if_missing(const std::string & key)
{
  return themap[key];
}

It's perfectly OK to return a vector by value, if that's what the situation calls for.

A: Most of the time you don't need a copy of the vector to be returned, a const reference will do just as well. You can always make a copy later if you need to.
Also you don't need to iterate through a map, they're optimized for searching with the find method.
const vector<string> & returnEdges(string key)
{
    map<string, vector<string> >::iterator it = outgoing.find(key);
    if (it == outgoing.end())
    {
        static vector<string> empty_vector;
        return empty_vector;
    }
    return it->second;
}

A: I think the operator [] can help you, it will return a empty value(a empty vector here).
So all you need to do is
vector<string> returnEdges(string key)
{
    return outgoing[key];
}


Antidepressant drugs are often an effective way to treat depression and anxiety in children and teenagers. However, antidepressant use in children and teens must be monitored carefully, as rarely there can be severe side effects.
Antidepressants carry a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) black box warning about a risk of increased suicidal thinking and behavior in some individuals under the age of 25.
Although at first you may find the suicide warnings alarming, it's important to get the facts. Find out what the warnings mean and ask about all treatment options. This will help you make an informed decision about your child's health and weigh the benefits and risks of treatment options with your child's doctor.
Why do antidepressants have warnings about suicidal behavior in children?
The FDA reported that an extensive analysis of clinical trials showed that antidepressants may cause or worsen suicidal thinking or behavior in a small number of children and teens. The analysis showed that children and teens taking antidepressants had a small increase in suicidal thoughts, compared with those taking a sugar pill (placebo).
None of the children in any of the studies actually took his or her own life. Still, the FDA considered the findings concerning enough to issue a public health advisory and require manufacturers to label antidepressants with strong warnings about the link to suicidal thinking and behavior in children, adolescents and young adults ages 18 through 24.
However, not all mental health researchers believe these warnings are necessary. Newer research indicates that the benefits of antidepressants may be greater than the risk of suicide. And some research indicates that suicide rates in children decrease when they take antidepressants.
Which antidepressants must have the warnings about suicide?
Although the FDA analysis examined only nine antidepressants, the FDA extended the warning to all prescription antidepressants. This black box warning is the strongest safety warning that the FDA can issue about a prescription drug. The warning is printed in bold type framed in a black border at the top of the paper inserts that come with antidepressants.
How can medication meant to help treat depression and other illnesses lead to suicidal behavior in children?
Because of the risk of suicide from depression, it's difficult to establish a clear causal relationship between antidepressant use and suicide. Researchers speculate about a variety of potential reasons for an increased risk. In some children, antidepressants may also trigger anxiety, agitation, hostility, restlessness or impulsive behavior. These effects may indicate that the child's depression is getting worse or that the child is starting to develop suicidal thoughts.
Should children be treated with antidepressants at all?
The warnings about a possible link between antidepressants and suicidal thoughts do not mean that antidepressants should not be used in children. Nor are the warnings meant to frighten people away from antidepressants. However, the warnings should be taken as a caution to carefully weigh the pros and cons of using antidepressants in children and teenagers against the real risk of suicide as a result of untreated depression.
For many children and teens, antidepressants are an effective way to treat depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder or other mental health conditions. If these conditions aren't treated effectively, your child may not be able to lead a satisfying, fulfilled life or do normal, everyday activities.
What should you do before your child starts taking an antidepressant?
Which antidepressants can children take?
The FDA has approved certain antidepressants for use in children and teenagers for different types of diagnoses. Antidepressants come with a medication guide that advises parents and caregivers about risks and precautions. Be sure to carefully read the medication guide and package insert, and discuss any questions with the prescribing physician and your pharmacist.
*Many of these drugs are also available in generic form. Recommended initial dose and maximum dose vary by age.
Physicians may use their medical judgment to prescribe other antidepressants for children for what's called off-label use. This is a clinically common practice for many types of medications for both children and adults.
What should you do once your child starts taking an antidepressant?
The FDA advises that doctors prescribe the smallest quantity of pills possible to help reduce the risk of deliberate or accidental overdose. Careful monitoring by parents, caregivers and health care professionals is important for any child or teenager taking an antidepressant for depression or any other condition.
Parents and caregivers should closely observe the child on a daily basis during these transition periods and watch for worrisome changes for the whole time the child takes antidepressants.
The FDA also recommends that your child receive close monitoring by his or her health care professional during the first few months of treatment. Frequency of contact with doctors or mental health professionals depends on your child's needs. Make sure you stick to your child's recommended appointment schedule.
What warning signs should you watch for when your child is taking antidepressants?
Contact your child's health care professional right away if any of these signs occur, if they get worse, or if they worry you, your child, a teacher or other caregiver.
Make sure your child doesn't stop antidepressant treatment without the guidance of the prescribing doctor. Suddenly stopping an antidepressant may cause flu-like symptoms or side effects referred to as discontinuation syndrome.
What other treatment options are available for children with depression?
Most children who take antidepressants for depression will improve with medication. However, combining medication with talk therapy (psychotherapy) is likely to be even more effective. Many types of psychotherapy may be helpful, but cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy have been scientifically studied and shown to be effective for treating depression.
Cognitive behavioral therapy. In cognitive behavioral therapy, a mental health professional can help your child improve coping skills, communication and problem-solving skills. Your child can also learn how to become aware of harmful ideas and behaviors, replace them with positive approaches, and manage emotions.
Interpersonal therapy. With a focus on relationships, this therapy may help your teenager adapt to changes in current relationships and develop new ones.
For some children and teenagers with mild symptoms, talk therapy alone may be beneficial.


Don't you hate it when you back a Kickstarter campaign for action figures that fails to attract the requisite number of action-figure lovers? Yeah, that's called caveat emptor, a.k.a., the pole dancer knows you're drunk and will play you for every last dollar bill.
Color us cynical about Kickstarter. We've just seen too many dumb ideas to think it's a safe place to invest. Unless, that is, we're talking about a company with an established track record selling online and then, after the fact, harnessing KS to generate buzz for its coolest, latest widget.
Case in point, Danish brand REC Watches' new P-51. The company already makes timepieces that incorporate elements of vintage cars; its Mini watches are made with dials cut from pieces of old Minis. The P-51 is made from old Ford Mustangs, and it is crushing it on Kickstarter, raising well beyond the makers' stated $200,603 goal.
What's especially cool about each P-51 is the dial plate is cut from vintage Mustangs (no Mustang II's, they swear) destined for the scrap heap. The dials use the same vintage, funhouse-mirror, elongated font for numerals we remember from that era's speedo, and the 44-millimeter case is properly chunky. The "fuel gauge" appearance to the power reserve shows how much life is left before winding (you should get a few days of juice), and even the date window looks like an ODO.
As for specs, REC has gone with reliable Japanese Miyota 9130 movement, a common choice for brands like Citizen, and complements it with stainless steel finishes and an anti-reflective crystal.
Not into the P-51? Choose among a Volkswagen Type 2 bus, Porsche 911 or Dodge Charger ('66-74) for the next vintage car REC should lionize on your wrist.


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Horizon Blockchain Games Inc., a video game studio and blockchain-distributed ledger infrastructure company, today announced a $ 3.75 million funding round led by the venture capital fund of Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. This…
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If you buy shares of a company, it does not necessarily mean that you are buying them from another shareholder who wants to sell their shares. There are two main markets in which securities are traded: the primary market and the…
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Cameron S. Downs	 Jun 10, 2014
No matter how many screens they add to their setup, traders are limited to a finite amount of display space. To solve this problem, Bloomberg LP turned to the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. Don't expect to see a room full of…
Virtual trading for real work
Cameron S. Downs	 Oct 23, 2013
Bombay: Over the past two weeks, Alexandru Dicu, a management student at the National University of Singapore, has analyzed companies, verified fundamental ratios and tracked metrics such as return on equity and earnings per share.…
Ask Matt: Buy Stock Directly to Save Money
Cameron S. Downs	 Oct 2, 2012
Matt Krantz, USA TODAY | USA TODAYUSA TODAY Markets reporter Matt Krantz answers a different reader question each day of the week. To submit a question, email Matt at [email protected]: Is buying shares directly from companies like…


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Synth Talk
Erik Sigth Talks Humbletune
Published on Feb 16, 2020 by Synth Talk
Interview with the developer of Tardigrain, Strng, Shapesynth, Frekvens, And Elsa.
Erik Sigth, who goes by the name Humbletune, is an independent developer of very unique synthesizers, samplers, and effects on multiple platforms. The minimalism of the user interface and color palette of his designs are striking. I spoke with Erik to learn more about his approach to creating these instruments and find out about recent app updates.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background?
I grew up in Lindö part of Norrköping, Sweden. I didn't really play any instrument as a kid but when my family got a pc in the middle of the 90's I got totally hooked on recording sounds and making tunes. I don't know how good the music was but I used the things I had, I remember playing the Casio keyboard my dad had bought years earlier, playing my mum's old acoustic guitar and I had a program that could do delay effects by feeding it the delay time in seconds. So, based on the tempo I wanted I sat with a calculator to compute the times I needed. Looking back on it now that was maybe the first little step to doing DSP in some tiny way.
Before iOS apps, what type of music apps or hardware were you creating?
My first two apps I did on the app store were games, a space shooter type game, and a Mario like platformer. Before that, I had mostly done Flash games. Those two games I don't think did very well and I soon moved on to music-related applications. iOS was a completely different thing then, no Audiobus and no MIDI. Just a few developers making quirky apps and experimenting with that new type of interface.
Is there a vibrant audio community in Sweden?
I think so, there are definitely many great Swedish audio developers making apps for iOS, plugins for desktop, DAWs and hardware synths. But it is still a very niche thing to do though I think, the internet is the best place to meet like-minded people I find.
Can you talk about what you do at Softube?
Yeah, so I have been at Softube now for 2 years in the spring. I work as a framework developer and I have done a few projects with them. I was the lead developer on the OSD for Console 1 Fader, which is a motorized 10 fader mixing console that integrates with most major DAWs. That was a fun project working with both hardware and software. I was also heavily involved in developing Softube's downloading client, Softube Central and in a few software synths like Parallels and Monument Bass. It's a great place to be at, very talented and friendly people and I get to do quite varied work using C++, Objective-C, and a bit of Javascript and CSS.
Your color schemes are stunning, how do you create them?
Thanks, colors are difficult. My number one complaint is probably to do with color, often not enough contrast. I definitely think about colors and shapes a lot. Sometimes I arrive at the color scheme straight away and sometimes it takes a few iterations. I don't know if I have a formula for how to get it right but when you find it I think you know.
All of your apps have a very unique and minimalist user interface. How did you arrive at this approach?
When I started making apps in 2010 everything was skeuomorphism, and I never really liked that. Instead, I have gone with a flat design that I hope is also fun. I try to make things simple and use few colors. Not sure if I always succeed though, in the end, in most projects, there are places where you have to try to squeeze in some feature that wasn't there in the original design.
Did you study design?
Perhaps growing up in IKEA Sweden shapes you in some way. :)
No, but I appreciate looking at great design. Perhaps growing up in IKEA Sweden shapes you in some way. :) I have always appreciated drawing, art, form, and colors.
Have you designed for touch screens before you created your iOS music apps?
I think my first app was in 2010. At that point, I didn't even have an iPhone, only an iPod Touch 2. This was the first touch screen I had seen as far as I remember. It truly felt like something different, which is so appealing compared to using a traditional computer with a mouse.
Humbletune Apps
Elsa - retro style sampling keyboard
What was your inspiration for the retro sampler Elsa?
The idea for Elsa came from 2 things. I used to have a very simple VST sample player that simply just loaded a sample and it created different pitches by playing the sample at different speeds. Very simple idea and nothing really clever. I loved that sample player and used it probably in every track I recorded. There is an issue with playing the sample at different speeds though, looping two or more of them at the same time means they will finish and start at different times. So the second thing Elsa does is making sure that loops stay in sync with each other by altering the lengths of the loops.
Elsa is a sophisticated sampler with per-key sample settings yet the interface is deceptively simple. Were all of those features there from the start?
Yeah, most of it was there from the start. At some point though I added a way to remove the loop length compensation stuff by request from users. It makes sense if you want to run shorter samples that are maybe only an oscillator cycle or two long.
In Elsa, the Playback length dividers (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) add a nice creative aspect to playback. Was that a feature from retro samplers?
No, I don't think so, that is my own weird invention. I thought it could be nice to have some variation in the loops when playing and I thought it made sense to divide the lengths evenly to keep some kind of tempo.
Strng - String Synthesizer
In Strng, I noticed the noise, noise filter, and string tension controls have changed. What motivated those changes?
The big motivator there was wanting to add new features but not having enough space to do it in. Making the first version of an app is, well I shouldn't say easy, but definitely easier than making a second version. Second version you have to live with your own bad decisions and really tread lightly to avoid breaking things. For Strng though I thought it made sense to split the controls up a bit more making it possible to add extra things. Now I kind of like the flatter design also compared to the old isometric 3d design.
Shapesynth - polyphonic synthesiser
It looks like Shapesynth has received a major update. What features are you excited about?
Adding AUv3 support, I think there probably wasn't a line of code I didn't somehow change or at least consider changing.
One thing I wanted to add for the longest time is cents detune, which is such a simple thing but I never got around to doing it. The pages are quite nice also giving it the possibility of being more dynamic and less static. Otherwise, AUv3 is a big thing, I don't know if I am as much excited about it as I am relieved. I was kind of dreading taking on that task because I knew there were so many moving parts that I needed to think about. In the end, I think there probably wasn't a line of code I didn't somehow change or at least consider changing. But I think it turned out well, I am very happy with it and the video that PerplexOn made for it is so amazingly gorgeous. I love the things he makes with mobile devices.
Tardigrain - granular synthesizer
It seems like Tardigrain is a play on the word tardigrade. Is that true?
Yeah, pretty bad isn't it, I apologize. No, they are one of my favorite animals, super cool. I mean they can survive in space, that says it all I think. At some point, I need to come up with an app based on Pangolins too, another one of my favorite animals.
Can you talk about the development of Tardigrain?
I spent quite a long time experimenting with the sound engine trying out different things and eventually landed on what Tardigrain is now. I knew I wanted something that could make slow-moving landscapes and stretch things out in a way Elsa can not. The UI was a new approach for me here also, this was the first synth I made to run both stand-alone and as AUv3, which is challenging because of the so very different aspect ratios and real estate.
In Tardigrain, the modulation settings are easy to use. How did you approach that design?
The thing that made me start thinking of how to approach the modulation section was the Roli Seaboard Block, I wanted to support it and give access to all parameters. Previously I had done some sort of keyboard modulation things with Strng but that has a fixed parameter set and is less configurable in many ways. I took the good things from that though, like the settings for range and applied it to the whole set of parameters. Porting for AUv3 made it easier in a way because the format forces you to have what they call a parameter tree, which is basically just a defined structure for all visible parameters so I could kind of highjack the work I did there and send the modulation data through the same set of functions.
One thing I was unsure about at the start was how well would it work making several fingers control only one parameter. In the end, I think it worked quite well just finding the middle of them all and it feels quite natural and intuitive.
Frekvens - Frequency Shifter And Delay Effect
Can you explain how your frequency shifter and delay Frekvens works?
Oooh, can I. Yes it is similar to pitch shifting in a way but subtly different. Both shift frequencies up or down, but in a different way. Say we wanted to pitch shift a signal that has two frequencies 50 Hz and 100 Hz, shifting it an octave up we get a signal of 100 Hz and 200 Hz. Every component of the signal is doubled. What people call frequency shifting is a linear shift, if we take the same signal and want to shift the lower signal by an octave we get 100 Hz and 150 Hz. By doing that we get different harmonics which can create very interesting results, not all very musical sounding but still interesting. Pairing that with feedback can create really cool barber pole , Shepard tone like sounds.
The way it does the frequency shifting is similar to ring modulation but you end up with only one side of the spectrum, known as single-sideband modulation.
How did you learn audio programming?
I did do some digital signal processing at University but I think most things are from doing it, and then doing some more. I've made many weird, some better than others, apps over the years and gradually got better. I occasionally get emails from people that want to start doing audio programming and want advice. I usually say don't do it for the money, because you probably won't get rich. Learn by doing and start small. Better to do something small that you can actually finish, then trying to build something that can do everything, but end up never finishing.
What language do you currently prefer for app development?
I mainly use Objective-C and C++ for everything that needs performance. The audio engine uses C++ and the rest is Objective-C.
Do you use a framework for audio programming?
I use Sparrow for drawing graphics, slightly modified to make it run better in extensions like AUv3. It was written for making games, taking many of its abstract structures and ideas from Adobe Flash. The most similar Apple framework you could use is probably Sprite Kit. Then for stand-alone apps, I use The Amazing Audio Engine just to simplify the audio setup, it gives me a buffer to fill and then it is up to me to put some good numbers in that buffer. For AUv3 the protocol itself provides a callback for audio buffers. But for the audio processing itself, there is no framework.
How do you evaluate audio quality when you are developing your apps?
Mostly by ear, if it sounds good it sounds good right?! In some cases I will write extra output views to make sure graphically I am doing what I think I am doing. Printing stuff in the code can be quite effective sometimes and might be the fastest approach. It is not uncommon either that user feedback helps me rethink stuff and make improvements, like for instance adding the fade in and out on the tape in the latest version of Shapesynth.
What kind of challenges are you having with AUv3 support?
The most time-consuming part of porting one of my old apps for AUv3 has been the change of structure that is needed. Because parameter changes can come from so many different things, going from how I used to do things to how I do things now is not hard per se, but most code needs revising. The sound engine stays the same though for me between stand-alone and plugin which is good. The real estate for the UI is a challenge given the different aspect ratios. Where the iPad standalone has much more height compared to iPhones and AUv3. Basically my thinking there has been that I remove the keyboard in AUv3 if it gets too thin, which works quite well in most cases.
Did you enjoy developing Phase for Pocket Chip hardware?
Pocket Chip was a fun device. I think most understand that I like handheld devices you can easily take with you everywhere. That probably stems from my first "computer", the original Gameboy, but I digress. It was interesting to explore what is possible in Linux and on Arm processors like the Pocket Chip and Raspberry Pi. Then it is nice of course to go back to a mature platform like iOS also. I have been thinking I should port phase to iOS at some point but I have not found the time to do it yet.
What are your current favorite hardware platforms? (raspberry pi, teensy, etc.)
I think Teensy is a compelling platform. It would be fun to build a little pocket synth, but I feel I lack the hardware skills to make it into something good. Raspberry PI, Pocket Chip, Gameboy, and Android have all been fun to play around with but I have to be boring and say that iOS is my favorite. It's a very portable platform. I always have my phone on me and it's easy to chuck an iPad in the bag, and with AudioBus, IAA and AUv3 there is so much cool stuff you can do. It is not just a toy anymore.
Rewarding
What aspects of this experience have been most rewarding?
I get to make things, start with nothing and at the end have something.
That's a difficult question because there are so many good things about being a developer. I get to make things, start with nothing and at the end have something. That's pretty cool. I like the creative side of making app, drawing and designing user interfaces. I like the problem solving aspect of coding, figuring something out that you have been thinking about for days is very rewarding. User response is very rewarding too, people seem to appreciate what I make. I mean the main person to satisfy will always be myself but it is very rewarding making something someone would pay to use.
So much thought and design goes into making apps, I want to highlight that here so it can be appreciated. (Any comments here?)
Yes, I agree. This is what I think about pretty much always. If I am not at work coding, I am probably working on one of my apps.
Is there a particular forum where you stay in touch with your customers?
I used to be more active on forums than I am nowadays. Even though the absolute majority of comments are super nice I find I am happier if I don't read them. I think the most important things like bugs reach me anyway through my support on the website. I can easily obsess over what people think, works best for me to not seek it out. The forums I used to visit most were Sparrow, for developing help, Audiobus for meeting users, Chipmusic for Gameboy stuff and probably a few more that I have forgotten.
How can your customers help you?
Sending a support email is always good if you find a bug. I am not always fast but I will always try to solve it. This last autumn has been pretty bad with first iOS 12.4 breaking IAA and then iOS 13 introducing many new interesting quirks. It all takes time to look into and find workarounds.
My motivation for Synth Talk is to highlight the thought, effort, and philosophy that goes into designing a product. Erik brings his own visual style to the world of music apps and has at least 10 active apps on several platforms, including a phase distortion synth on Pocket Chip hardware. He also gave us insights on the work involved in creating an AUv3 version of an existing app, a feature iOS musicians are always enthusiastic to see added.
There will be more articles to come highlighting the person and the process behind the app. Check back here or subscribe to the newsletter if you would like to hear more Synth Talk.
Humbletune
Tardigrain
Strng
Shapesynth
If you have suggestions or topics you want covered please contact me. 🙂
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The silver lining of working remotely
Meg Dalling
Head of Accessibility, ANZ
"I know, as somebody with a disability, we've been crying out for flexible working forever." – Dylan Alcott
For many of us, COVID-19 has disrupted the way we work. But it also presents an opportunity for some positive change.
While the shift to working remotely has been accelerated in recent months, we've had people working flexibly and from other locations for many years at ANZ. It has benefits for so many people, including colleagues with disability and health conditions.
And we know it opens up a much greater talent pool – which is great for our business.
Speaking as part of ANZ's new 'Wellbeing Conversation' series, Paralympic Gold Medallist Dylan Alcott says while the pandemic is extremely tough on people's mental health, it is shining a light on some things we may not have thought enough about.
"I know as somebody with a disability, we've been crying out for flexible working forever," he says.
Dylan believes this flexibility opens up more opportunities for people who previously may have found it difficult to work in an office full time.
"So many people in my community have said, look, I can get in the office for three days, but for one or two days I need to work from home because of my extra care needs, because I can't get in there because I don't have a carer and employers previously (said) that means you might not get the job because we can't see you doing work," he says.
Physically distant but socially connected
Dylan holds firm that we need to remain connected with one another and that the term 'social distancing' suggests otherwise. "We were told to be separated from each other in terms of one point five metres apart but what that actually means in definition is socially, people were removed from connecting with each other as well."
He would prefer the term 'physical distancing', arguing it is less damaging. "We don't want to be physically connected in terms of how close we are. But socially, we 100 per cent have to stay connected," he says.
He believes this is important for the most vulnerable in our communities, including people who are immunocompromised who may have been in isolation since February and will continue to be in isolation for potentially a long period to come. "Without social connection, it makes (isolation) so tough for so many people," Dylan says.
Andrew who is a Data Analyst Programmer and member of ANZ's Spectrum Program believes working from home has enabled him to be more productive but would ideally prefer a mix of both.
"I have found it has had significant benefits in terms of productivity due to working flexibility and reduced commute times. Ultimately though I would prefer to have a balance between in-office work and working from home in order to maximise the positives of both experiences," he says.
Some things though can never be replaced: Dylan says what he misses most is not being able to hug his mum.
"It makes you realise how much you love them when you can't go around to their place and sit on the couch and give them a cuddle and watch a TV show like you used to. I think that'll take time to get used to."
Meg is the Head of Accessibility at ANZ.
Please remember you are not alone.
If you, or someone you know needs help or support, please go to BeyondBlue.org.au or call 1300 22 46 36. Beyond Blue has a range of resources to help support people's mental wellbeing during COVID.
You can also contact Lifeline at LifeLine.org.au or call 13 11 14.
Flexible working and the new normal
While some enjoy the regularity of the daily grind and commute to and from work, COVID-19 has showed us there is another way - a way to celebrate our differences in needs, experiences, strengths and weaknesses – if we start by changing our mindset.
More than ever, digital accessibility is essential for people with disability and it brings benefits for everyone.
Pandemic exposes digital divide
Dr Lisa O'Brien, Chief Executive Officer of The Smith Family shares her views on the long-lasting effects COVID-19 will have on vulnerable children in Australia.


A Hucknall teen who has never had a driving lesson led police on a dangerous chase through a residential area in Mansfield Woodhouse, a court heard.
Levi Robinson accelerated away from officers on Welbeck Road, at 4.45pm, on February 4, in a green Peugeot 307 he had bought a few weeks earlier for £300.
Prosecutor Robert Carr said Robinson drove through three red lights, crossed the white line into oncoming traffic on several occasions, and reached 50mph in a 30mph zone.
The 18-year-old's route saw him drive erratically through a residential area, on to Portland Crescent, Titchfield Avenue, New Mill Lane, Church Hill, Priory Road and Chesterfield Road where he reached speeds of 65mph.
At the junction with the A617, he got out and tried to run off, but was detained by officers, ten minutes after the pursuit started.
"The speed was not particularly dangerous but that was because the roads were busy," said Mr Carr.
"He showed very little consideration for other road users.
"He appeared to have no regard for other road users.
"In police interview, he said that he panicked when he saw the officers.
The court heard he bought the car three weeks earlier and he had no licence, nor had he ever taken a driving lesson.
Robinson, 18, of Chatsworth Drive, admitted dangerous driving, and driving without insurance or a licence, when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Friday.
Magistrates ruled their sentencing powers were insufficient, and sent him to Nottingham Crown Crown to be sentenced, on March 29.


Marc Spector: Moon Knight issue #19 shown in NM/M condition. Classic cover art by the legendary Rob Liefeld, this book is flawless! All of our comics come sealed in a high quality mylar bag supported by a full back board.