text:
KPN hit by sales and profit drop, announces staff reductions
Written by Dawinderpal Sahota
Dutch operator KPN has recorded a ten per cent year on year drop in revenues for FY2013, as well as a 6.7 per cent drop in net profit. The group added that it is looking to create a leaner operating model by making redundancies over the next two years.
Revenue for the operator stood at €8.47bn for FY2013, down from €9.4bn generated a year earlier. Revenue for the final quarter of the year was also down 7.9 per cent year on year, from €2.38bn in 4Q13 to €2.06bn in 4Q12.
Net profit for the year stood at €293m, down 6.7 per cent year on year from the €314m reported in 2012. While the group recorded a net loss in the final quarter of the year, it was less than half the size of the loss reported in 4Q12, standing at €108m compared with the €263m loss recorded in the same period a year earlier.
KPN said that it had now completed a staff reduction programme started in 2011, which has resulted in 4,650 fewer full-time equivalents (FTEs) in the Netherlands. An FTE is a unit of measurement that indicates the workload of an employee – an FTE of 1.0 is equivalent to one full time employee. The group said it has over 30,000 employees worldwide.
But the firm said that its next step to create a leaner business model is to reduce its workforce by a further 1,500 to 2,000 FTEs by 2016. In addition, KPN plans to simplify its product portfolio, client processes, networks and IT systems.
"In 2013, we continued our clear focus on improving operational performance driven by investments in networks, products and customers," said KPN CEO Eelco Blok. "We have now put in place strong fundamentals at KPN and expect stabilizing financial performance towards the end of the year 2014 and FCF to grow in 2015."
He added that the firm is confident it will obtain regulatory clearance for the sale of German subsidiary E-Plus to Telefónica Deutschland, which will improve the firm's financial profile, and it intends to recommence paying a dividend in 2014.
Tags: Kpn
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KPN tells buyout firms to take a hike
Odds improving on latest $15 billion KPN takeover bid


text:
Q: It seems that the lecturer is making a grammatical mistake The lecturer is saying

you can think of machine learning, deep learning in
  general as modeling a function   that takes an input that can be an
  image, a speech, a natural language or a CSV file, give it to a box and
  get an output that can be classification

in this context, there are 3 steps in which the function do its job
1. takes an input
2. gives it to a box
3. gets an output

so, the "give" and "get" are not grammatical, am I right about this?

A: This lecturer has a very thick French accent and is clearly not a native English speaker, so I think it is understandable that he made some errors. You are correct that give and get should be gives and gets, because the subject is a singular function. "a speech" and "a natural language" and "can be classification" also sound slightly off. ("a fragment of speech/natural language" and "is a classification" are probably what the "correct" versions would be).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Analysis: Balancing Budgets and Cabinet appointments
Opinionista • Judith February & Anthea Gardner • 21 February 2017
Nobody would want to be in Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's shoes on Wednesday, having to deliver a Budget in a highly stressed environment, while all eyes are on President Jacob Zuma and whether he will ship disgraced former Eskom CEO into the finance ministry – and if so, in what role?
It was another "weekend special". Well, almost.
As the week wound down after the post-SONA debates and President Jacob Zuma's unremarkable reply, we heard that Brian Molefe would be sworn in as a Member of Parliament. The news certainly squared with the months of speculation regarding a Cabinet reshuffle and Molefe possibly being parachuted in as the next Finance Minister.
Zuma, never one to show his hand, laughed through recent questions from reporters about a Cabinet reshuffle. Who knows what is to come? When Zuma fired Nhlanhla Nene as Finance Minister in December 2015 and replaced him with the relatively unknown Des/Dave van Rooyen, it was an obvious and capricious act. The outcry was loud and even Zuma realised he had overplayed his hand. We all know what happened next.
Since then Zuma has undermined Pravin Gordhan at every turn, even going as far as saying Van Rooyen was the most capable Finance Minister South Africa ever had, albeit with a historically short tenure.
But this is Zuma's world. In this world of smoke and mirrors, Zuma is surrounded by friends and associates who through rapacious acts seek to capture the state. The State of Capture report tells us some of the story of how Zuma's friends like the Guptas aim to get their hands on lucrative contracts, influence government and Cabinet appointments and wield influence over the president.
All around are acolytes who muddy the debates, distract and disrupt. Mzwanele Manyi and the intervention of the Progressive Professionals Forum on, inter alia, the FICA Amendment Bill is a case in point. The complex debates on transformation have thus been reduced either to 140 characters on Twitter, or to self-interest. In most cases too, the Constitution has become a scapegoat for government's own ineffectiveness or corruption. The toxicity of such "debates" fills the corridors of power and the vacuum left by the president's lack of leadership.
When Cyril Ramaphosa and Pravin Gordhan led the delegation to Davos earlier this year, one could almost hear Zuma seething. He has become entirely unpredictable yet is also constrained by his waning power, divisions within the ANC and an economy straining under the weight of policy paralysis and a contracting global environment.
His strategic room to move might be limited but Zuma will no doubt try to push those limits. This time he might be less obvious than replacing Gordhan with Molefe. Might Molefe find himself heading up Public Enterprises or some such? Whichever way the axe falls in a possible reshuffle, it is clear that Molefe himself is unfit to be an MP having resigned from Eskom after the so-called "Saxonwold shebeen" shenanigans. He admitted then that he was stepping down from Eskom because that would be in the interests of good corporate governance. Should Molefe be headed to Cabinet it would, to say the very least, be inappropriate, and would raise questions about his several communications with the Guptas and how that has ethically compromised him.
So, amid all this destabilising speculation, Gordhan heads to Parliament on Wednesday to deliver his 2017 Budget Speech. While it is clear that he does not enjoy the confidence of his boss, the show must and will go on. Apart from the political skulduggery, the economic situation we find ourselves in leaves little room for manoeuvre.
South Africa managed to stave off recent downgrades but the economy remains weak with low growth predicted. While the South African Reserve Bank is forecasting 2017 GDP growth of 1.1%, the IMF is less optimistic, pencilling in 0.8%. It thus follows logically that if the economy does not grow, neither will tax revenues. With such low growth, expansive plans will be difficult. Gordhan's message will be that we need to keep our heads down, spend less and lose less through corruption and inefficiency. In other words – the usual mantra.
In his February 2016 Budget speech Gordhan announced that the hole in his budget would amount to R30-billion over the following two years. By the time the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) rolled around in October, the size of the hole had increased by 43% to a R43-billion requirement over two years. What appears to be a trend of continually lowering forecast economic growth expectations for the country has left the finance minister with an even bigger problem than in October.
With these figures front of mind, we surely cannot expect to see any meaningful increases in government spending (think social grants, fees must fall, infrastructure maintenance)? While Zuma and the ANC loosely bandy about terms like "radical economic transformation" in an effort to appease the voter base, there has been little thought given to practical implementation of "radical policies" and also what they might mean given economic constraints? The stark reality is that Gordhan's primary focus must be to generate more revenue to fund the shortfall while containing costs.
And so the questions must be: how can he do so and how will he do so?
The temptation for Gordhan must surely be towards the most simplistic and effective way of generating income, by raising VAT, but this is politically unpalatable – and would the ANC risk alienating its constituency in such a way? After all, the poor would be most affected. It is estimated that raising VAT by 1% would generate an additional R20-billion and would go a long way to help fill the hole in the country's balance sheet. There are other methods of generating additional revenue such as a higher fuel levy, more sin taxes (we can take that as a given), higher personal marginal tax rates or increases in estate duties, as well as increasing corporate tax. Raising VAT would be another burden on the poor in an environment of already high inequality. The latter is thus a political calculation the Minister will have to make- and not without risk. Last year's #feesmustfall protests should not be so easily forgotten.
Government has already alluded to a National Health Insurance as justification for a VAT increase, and although we cannot rule it out, Budget 2017 feels less about balancing South Africa's fiscal position than it does about balancing the political playbook.
While pondering the increase in taxes, the finance minister will also need to cut expenditure, in particular wasteful expenditure. Given his boss' and some of his Cabinet colleagues' penchant for waste and corruption, this will be a tough ask. Here Gordhan will be looking towards containing municipal spending by reducing transfers to provinces in addition to tightening the belt at national level. In the MTBPS, Gordhan emphasised the servicing of debt as the fastest growing portion of the government budget, accounting for 3.4% of GDP.
Prying eyes will be watching for an update on state-owned enterprises and in particular SAA after last week's South Gauteng High Court judgment against the airline to the tune of R1.1-billion, an amount the airline can ill afford after posting a R1.4-billion loss in the last financial year. And while Eskom managed a R4.6-billion profit in their last financial year, this number pales in comparison to the R1-trillion Gordhan will have to find if we are to go ahead with the proposed nuclear power build. It is seemingly unobtainable, but will Gordhan have the power to say no to this deal so shrouded in secrecy and seemingly driven by the president himself?
Adding to the finance minister's woes last October was the extraordinary R1.18-billion wasteful expenditure account. How does Gordhan rein in his colleagues, their ministries and specifically Zuma himself? Just a cursory look at legal fees paid on Zuma's watch shows a government that spends far too much money on litigation. Of course, much of this is to defend the indefensible as Zuma and his ministers often seek to avoid transparency and accountability through litigation.
In 2016, national government paid R873-million for legal services, a great deal of which – R300-million – was spent by the SAPS, according to a recent Financial Mail report. There has only been an upward trajectory with an increase to R873-million in 2015/2016. That is an increase of 161% – or about R540-million – since the beginning of President Jacob Zuma's administration. It's these sorts of "details" that will be tough for Gordhan to negotiate given the profligacy that is now so widespread in government.
And while the minister is focused on cutting costs and raising income, all of this is being done under the watchful eye of the ratings agencies. South Africa has until now managed to stave off a credit rating downgrade, but come June, the ratings agencies will be forced to make a call; either to remove South Africa from "negative watch" or take the plunge and downgrade our sovereign debt to sub-investment grade.
So Gordhan will have to keep his eye on the ball and do his proverbial balancing act, though one cannot help but sense it is becoming harder to do. In November last year and more recently deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas called for a "new social and economic consensus" which had at its core inclusive economic growth and for a "critical mass" of society to mobilise the country out of its "low growth, high inequality trajectory". This is indeed so, and sufficient consensus across all sectors of society would provide greater space for true transformation of the economy and help us to eschew the shallow speak which so often accompanies economic debates.
But, ours is a brittle, divided society lurching from crisis to crisis with a president who fuels virtually each one.
No one envies Gordhan tomorrow. DM
Judith February is a governance specialist, columnist and lawyer based at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). She was previously executive director of the HSRC's Democracy and Governance unit and also head of the Idasa's South African Governance programme for nine years.
Anthea Gardner is founder and managing partner of asset management business Cartesian Capital, where she manages listed equity and fixed income portfolios.
Judith February & Anthea Gardner
Judith February is based at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). Prior to that she was executive director of the HSRCs Democracy and Governance unit and also head of the Idasas South African Governance programme for 12 years. Anthea Gardner is founder and managing partner of asset management business Cartesian Capital, where she manages listed equity and fixed income portfolios.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
13033 Views | Like
Exclusive interview with Agatha Ruiz de la Prada: 'Miami is the perfect place for my collection!'
The Spanish designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada closed Miami Fashion Week's 16th Anniversary at the Miami Beach Convention Center, on May 18, 2014.
With a palette of colors including yellow, red, blue, orange and white, along with sailor stripes, Ruiz de la Prada presented her impressive collection highlighting hearts and big ties, as well as some pieces that the designer hand-painted herself. Ruiz de la Prada shined that night, winning the "Victoria Puig de Lange International Style Award."
Our founder and president, Lissette Rondon got an exclusive backstage interview with her , where the designer talked about her experience at Miami Fashion Week 2014, her foundation of fashion, special anecdotes and more.
Lissette Rondon and Agatha Ruiz de la Prada.
LR- How do you feel in Miami?
"I feel like a queen, everybody is treating me so well. I had come to Miami 4 or 5 years ago because I won an award, but this time we have come with a group of Spanish people and we are having a blast," added Ruiz de la Prada. "Miami is the perfect place to present my collection. I'm here in a hotel with beautiful architecture and decor. The Miami style is very fashionable, it has now been imitated everywhere."
LR -What do you think about Miami Fashion Week 2014?
"I'm good friends with one of the organizers, who invited me and I think it's a project that can be very important for the Spanish and Latin American fashion industry, and I wanted to be part of it. The opening party yesterday was exciting, over 1,000 people came," said Ruiz de la Prada.
LR- Could you give us a sneak peek about your collection?
"I can tell you that some fabrics are hand-painted by myself. Before being a fashion designer I wanted to be a painter. I used to buy fabrics and paint myself. I can tell you the colors of my collection go well with the Miami style too," added Ruiz de la Prada.
LR- Tell us about your Foundation.
"Three years ago, I made 30 years of my first fashion show, so I started a foundation of fashion, because I had never celebrated anything before. I said, 'I have to celebrate my 30th anniversary.' It was a huge job, as you have no idea–4,000 boxes with slips, photos, etc."
"We had to put everything in order to make the beginning of the foundation. Then, we did a fashion show to commemorate the occasion. It was sensational for my taste. As sensational as last year, we made an exhibition with my 50 favorite designs for two months at the "Correr" Museum in Venice. The same exhibition has been in Lima, Peru and Santiago de Chile," added Ruiz de la Prada.
LR- Any special story about your experience in the MFW?
"I saw Beth Sobol (Founder & President of MFW) four years ago when I came to Miami, but we did not have time to get together. But this year, talking to her, she surprised me with a photo of herself (25 years ago) in one of my runways called 'Agatha For President' where Beth had been my model," said Ruiz de la Prada. "She was wearing a crazy design of mine (it was a very crazy time in my life) and I remembered her completely at that time, just amazing!"
LR -What called your attention from the expositions here tonight?
"I really liked the old uniforms exhibition by Eastern Air Lines, because they were so elegant," added Ruiz de la Prada.
LR- How do you define your personality?
"True to myself, and a little misunderstood because when everyone was wearing black – I was colorful, but when you're consistent, people respect you," said Ruiz de la Prada.
LR- What is your next destination after Miami Fashion Week?
"I will return to Madrid (these past months have been a little bit frantic) where I am going to receive an award in Valencia," added Ruiz de la Prada.
LR- What message would you send to emerging designers?
"The most important thing is to have patience, many people are obsessed with success and success is nothing, it's just a road," added Ruiz de la Prada. "The important thing is to enjoy your day, because if you have fun working, life is a joy."
Note from the editor: For her charming personality and unique pop-art style, Ruiz de la Prada was Miami Fashion Spotlight's favorite designer during Miami Fashion Week 2014.
#fashion #Fashion Collections #fashion designers #interviews
#fashion #press-releases
La Presentación de 'Petit Pois by Viviana G' durante el Miami Swim Week
#fashion #interviews
Exclusive Preview: The D'Mare Beachwear & Resort Collection by Fabrizio De Castro
Designer Samy Gicherman Lights Up Collections With Flamenco Fashion Fever
The Five Most Iconic Dresses of Miami Fashion Week


text:
namespace blink {

using testing::Return;

namespace {

class ScrollbarThemeAuraButtonOverride final : public ScrollbarThemeAura {
 public:
  ScrollbarThemeAuraButtonOverride() : has_scrollbar_buttons_(true) {}

  void SetHasScrollbarButtons(bool value) { has_scrollbar_buttons_ = value; }

  bool HasScrollbarButtons(ScrollbarOrientation unused) const override {
    return has_scrollbar_buttons_;
  }

  int MinimumThumbLength(const Scrollbar& scrollbar) override {
    return ThumbThickness(scrollbar);
  }

 private:
  bool has_scrollbar_buttons_;
};

}  // namespace

class ScrollbarThemeAuraTest : public testing::Test {};

// Note that this helper only sends mouse events that are already handled on the
// compositor thread, to the scrollbar (i.e they will have the event modifier
// "kScrollbarManipulationHandledOnCompositorThread" set). The point of this
// exercise is to validate that the scrollbar parts invalidate as expected
// (since we still rely on the main thread for invalidation).
void SendEvent(Scrollbar* scrollbar,
               blink::WebInputEvent::Type type,
               gfx::PointF point) {
  const blink::WebMouseEvent web_mouse_event(
      type, point, point, blink::WebPointerProperties::Button::kLeft, 0,
      blink::WebInputEvent::kScrollbarManipulationHandledOnCompositorThread,
      base::TimeTicks::Now());
  switch (type) {
    case blink::WebInputEvent::Type::kMouseDown:
      scrollbar->MouseDown(web_mouse_event);
      break;
    case blink::WebInputEvent::Type::kMouseMove:
      scrollbar->MouseMoved(web_mouse_event);
      break;
    case blink::WebInputEvent::Type::kMouseUp:
      scrollbar->MouseUp(web_mouse_event);
      break;
    default:
      // The rest are unhandled. Let the called know that this helper has not
      // yet implemented them.
      NOTIMPLEMENTED();
  }
}

TEST_F(ScrollbarThemeAuraTest, ButtonSizeHorizontal) {
  ScopedTestingPlatformSupport<TestingPlatformSupportWithMockScheduler>
      platform;

  MockScrollableArea* mock_scrollable_area = MockScrollableArea::Create();
  ScrollbarThemeAuraButtonOverride theme;
  Scrollbar* scrollbar = Scrollbar::CreateForTesting(
      mock_scrollable_area, kHorizontalScrollbar, kRegularScrollbar, &theme);

  IntRect scrollbar_size_normal_dimensions(11, 22, 444, 66);
  scrollbar->SetFrameRect(scrollbar_size_normal_dimensions);
  IntSize size1 = theme.ButtonSize(*scrollbar);
  EXPECT_EQ(66, size1.Width());
  EXPECT_EQ(66, size1.Height());

  IntRect scrollbar_size_squashed_dimensions(11, 22, 444, 666);
  scrollbar->SetFrameRect(scrollbar_size_squashed_dimensions);
  IntSize size2 = theme.ButtonSize(*scrollbar);
  EXPECT_EQ(222, size2.Width());
  EXPECT_EQ(666, size2.Height());

  ThreadState::Current()->CollectAllGarbageForTesting();
}

TEST_F(ScrollbarThemeAuraTest, ButtonSizeVertical) {
  ScopedTestingPlatformSupport<TestingPlatformSupportWithMockScheduler>
      platform;

  MockScrollableArea* mock_scrollable_area = MockScrollableArea::Create();
  ScrollbarThemeAuraButtonOverride theme;
  Scrollbar* scrollbar = Scrollbar::CreateForTesting(
      mock_scrollable_area, kVerticalScrollbar, kRegularScrollbar, &theme);

  IntRect scrollbar_size_normal_dimensions(11, 22, 44, 666);
  scrollbar->SetFrameRect(scrollbar_size_normal_dimensions);
  IntSize size1 = theme.ButtonSize(*scrollbar);
  EXPECT_EQ(44, size1.Width());
  EXPECT_EQ(44, size1.Height());

  IntRect scrollbar_size_squashed_dimensions(11, 22, 444, 666);
  scrollbar->SetFrameRect(scrollbar_size_squashed_dimensions);
  IntSize size2 = theme.ButtonSize(*scrollbar);
  EXPECT_EQ(444, size2.Width());
  EXPECT_EQ(333, size2.Height());

  ThreadState::Current()->CollectAllGarbageForTesting();
}

TEST_F(ScrollbarThemeAuraTest, NoButtonsReturnsSize0) {
  ScopedTestingPlatformSupport<TestingPlatformSupportWithMockScheduler>
      platform;

  MockScrollableArea* mock_scrollable_area = MockScrollableArea::Create();
  ScrollbarThemeAuraButtonOverride theme;
  Scrollbar* scrollbar = Scrollbar::CreateForTesting(
      mock_scrollable_area, kVerticalScrollbar, kRegularScrollbar, &theme);
  theme.SetHasScrollbarButtons(false);

  scrollbar->SetFrameRect(IntRect(1, 2, 3, 4));
  IntSize size = theme.ButtonSize(*scrollbar);
  EXPECT_EQ(0, size.Width());
  EXPECT_EQ(0, size.Height());

  ThreadState::Current()->CollectAllGarbageForTesting();
}

TEST_F(ScrollbarThemeAuraTest, ScrollbarPartsInvalidationTest) {
  ScopedTestingPlatformSupport<TestingPlatformSupportWithMockScheduler>
      platform;

  MockScrollableArea* mock_scrollable_area =
      MockScrollableArea::Create(ScrollOffset(0, 1000));
  ScrollbarThemeAuraButtonOverride theme;
  Scrollbar* scrollbar = Scrollbar::CreateForTesting(
      mock_scrollable_area, kVerticalScrollbar, kRegularScrollbar, &theme);
  ON_CALL(*mock_scrollable_area, VerticalScrollbar())
      .WillByDefault(Return(scrollbar));

  IntRect vertical_rect(1010, 0, 14, 768);
  scrollbar->SetFrameRect(vertical_rect);
  scrollbar->ClearThumbNeedsRepaint();
  scrollbar->ClearTrackNeedsRepaint();

  // Tests that mousedown on the thumb causes an invalidation.
  SendEvent(scrollbar, blink::WebInputEvent::Type::kMouseMove,
            gfx::PointF(10, 20));
  SendEvent(scrollbar, blink::WebInputEvent::Type::kMouseDown,
            gfx::PointF(10, 20));
  EXPECT_TRUE(scrollbar->ThumbNeedsRepaint());

  // Tests that mouseup on the thumb causes an invalidation.
  scrollbar->ClearThumbNeedsRepaint();
  SendEvent(scrollbar, blink::WebInputEvent::Type::kMouseUp,
            gfx::PointF(10, 20));
  EXPECT_TRUE(scrollbar->ThumbNeedsRepaint());

  // Note that, since these tests run with the assumption that the compositor
  // thread has already handled scrolling, a "scroll" will be simulated by
  // calling SetScrollOffset. To check if the arrow was invalidated,
  // TrackNeedsRepaint needs to be used. TrackNeedsRepaint here means
  // "everything except the thumb needs to be repainted". The following verifies
  // that when the offset changes from 0 to a value > 0, an invalidation gets
  // triggered. At (0, 0) there is no upwards scroll available, so the arrow is
  // disabled. When we change the offset, it must be repainted to show available
  // scroll extent.
  EXPECT_FALSE(scrollbar->TrackNeedsRepaint());
  mock_scrollable_area->SetScrollOffset(ScrollOffset(0, 10),
                                        mojom::blink::ScrollType::kCompositor);
  EXPECT_TRUE(scrollbar->TrackNeedsRepaint());

  // Tests that when the scroll offset changes from a value greater than 0 to a
  // value less than the max scroll offset, a track invalidation is *not*
  // triggered.
  scrollbar->ClearTrackNeedsRepaint();
  mock_scrollable_area->SetScrollOffset(ScrollOffset(0, 20),
                                        mojom::blink::ScrollType::kCompositor);
  EXPECT_FALSE(scrollbar->TrackNeedsRepaint());

  // Tests that when the scroll offset changes to 0, a track invalidation is
  // gets triggered (for the arrow).
  scrollbar->ClearTrackNeedsRepaint();
  mock_scrollable_area->SetScrollOffset(ScrollOffset(0, 0),
                                        mojom::blink::ScrollType::kCompositor);
  EXPECT_TRUE(scrollbar->TrackNeedsRepaint());

  // Tests that mousedown on the arrow causes an invalidation.
  scrollbar->ClearTrackNeedsRepaint();
  SendEvent(scrollbar, blink::WebInputEvent::Type::kMouseMove,
            gfx::PointF(10, 760));
  SendEvent(scrollbar, blink::WebInputEvent::Type::kMouseDown,
            gfx::PointF(10, 760));
  EXPECT_TRUE(scrollbar->TrackNeedsRepaint());

  // Tests that mouseup on the arrow causes an invalidation.
  scrollbar->ClearTrackNeedsRepaint();
  SendEvent(scrollbar, blink::WebInputEvent::Type::kMouseUp,
            gfx::PointF(10, 760));
  EXPECT_TRUE(scrollbar->TrackNeedsRepaint());

  ThreadState::Current()->CollectAllGarbageForTesting();
}

}  // namespace blink

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I attended the Religious Zionist Shabbaton in Chicago this past weekend and there was a lot of this "being mean spirited" is a Jewish virtue attitude in the air although it came more from participants than facilitators.
Thank you for your summation of the situation.
You're pinning a lot of hopes on Obama. You've got my support, reluctantly, because I've a lot of small loyalties to Clinton which I don't want to let go of. But in some ways it's as if you're on the frontier, and it makes me feel like I'm supporting my troops when I believe in your hopes.
"It may not make up for TNR's flaccid circulation, but it sure beats Viagra."
Thanks for the belly laugh, Jerry. Anyone who claims that some of the wittiest writing around isn't being done in the blogosphere hasn't read that jewel.
Anonymous, I don't pin a lot of hopes on Obama re Israel/Palestine. For my take on that, you can see my post, "Why I Still Support Obama"
You wrote: "There will be arguments, obviously, over what is disproportionate, but those arguments should not be held hostage to the sensitivities of the people making them. That is why we need a stronger system of international human rights law and its enforcement, not a weaker one. I am always more sensitive to my pain than to yours."
Thank you! thank you. Let more people say, with you, "arguments should not be held hostage to the sensitivities of the people making them." We in the USA need to overcome the system of censorship, taboo, corruption, fear of broken rice-bowls, etc., which puts various subjects "out of bounds" for "civil discourse" -- topics very much including [a] I/P generally and [b] removal of settlers as a matter of law.
Therefore, thank you also for: "[W]e need a stronger system of international human rights law and its enforcement, not a weaker one." The removal of ALL settlers NOW is one of the most important actions clearly implied by international humanitarian law, and the need for it can be seen by reading the post-1967 history of Israeli settlers in Hebron.
I attended, several years ago, a law-school conference celebrating the progress of human rights in international law. Notably, it failed to mention the Fourth Geneva Convention, which IS a law or convention, while contriving to mention the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which ISN'T.
What will it take to get USA law schools to convene conferences on I/P, occupation law, etc.?
In short, how can academics, many holding tenure (generally, an unbreakable rice-bowl), break the silence and get a conversation going?
How can academics (or anyone else) "give permission" to Americans to discuss these hard issues -- and thereby, quite possibly, to discover that peaceniks and law-niks have long been a silent majority?


text:
Q: Debian name wifi interfaces according to their drivers using udev persistent-net.rules? Hi I am working on Debian. Would like to name my wifi interfaces according to their driver
modifying /etc/udev/rules.d/90-persistent-net.rules
with:

    SUBSYSTEM=="net", ACTION=="add", DRIVERS=="?*", ATTR{address}=="*", ATTR{type}=="1", KERNEL=="wlan*", NAME="test001"

where I can find the ? of DRIVERS=="?*" or better which part of lshw -class network should I use:
.....

.....
*-network
       description: Wireless interface
       physical id: 3
       logical name: wlp5s0b1
       serial: 00:26:82:e7:b8:32
       capabilities: ethernet physical wireless
       configuration: broadcast=yes driver=brcmsmac driverversion=4.4.0-53-generic firmware=610.812 ip=192.168.0.14 link=yes multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11bgn


What Are the Signs That You Might Need Knee Surgery?
Whether you are casually walking down the street or playing a game of softball, your knees are always hard at work. They play a critical role in your overall mobility. Chronic knee problems will ultimately make your life a lot more stressful. Here are some of the key signs that you may need knee surgery.
After initially sustaining a knee injury, it is normal to experience pain for a few days. However, chronic pain is definitely a cause for concern. The constant discomfort will eventually start to wear on you. If you are routinely reaching for a bottle of pain medication just to get through the day, knee surgery could prove to be the next step on your road to recovery.
The ability to walk is something that a lot of people take for granted. When dealing with knee issues, walking can become a big challenge. Simple daily activities, such as walking to the mailbox, will seem like a major task. Over time, you could even begin to walk with an obvious limp.
Before recommending surgery, most physicians will first suggest trying physical therapy. It is the least invasive way to recover from a knee injury. The therapist's main goal is to get you back on your feet as soon as possible. While physical therapy works for some people, others will ultimately need to have surgery.
Knee trouble can definitely cause a person to lose interest in being active. Unfortunately, a lack of exercise can lead to extremely poor health and excessive weight gain. Furthermore, living a sedentary lifestyle is simply not fun for a lot of people. A person who once enjoyed playing in the yard with their children will be forced to just sit and watch.
A bad knee tends to result in major instability. If your knee feels like it may buckle at any given time, you need to take action immediately. The problem will only get worse as you get older.
If you need any assistance, be sure to contact Mid Atlantic Orthopedic Associates. From knee surgery to osteoporosis treatment, our highly trained professionals provide a wide variety of important services.


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News » Business news
Jancis Robinson receives freedom of the City of London
By Christian Davis
Published: 14 May, 2013
Master of wine, Jancis Robinson, has been made a 'Freeman of the City of London' and an 'honorary Freeman' of the Worshipful Company of Vintners.
Robinson is one of the most influential wine writers in the world and the award is in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the international wine trade.
The Vintners' Company, one of the City of London's oldest livery companies that received its first Royal Charter in 1363, has only bestowed the coveted Freeman Honoris Causa on 26 people in its history. Robinson is only the fourth women.
"Jancis is one of the most influential and charismatic voices in wine today" said the Master of the Worshipful Company of Vintners, Michael Cox, "and we are proud to make her an Honorary Freeman of this ancient livery company and especially in our 650th year."
Robinson become the first non-trade master of wine in 1984, was named Decanter's Man of the Year in 1999, and was awarded an OBE in 2003. She has written or edited numerous reference books on wine including The Oxford Companion to Wine, The World Atlas of Wine, and more recently Wine Grapes which recently won the James Beard 'Best Wine Book of 2012 in New York.
Robinson is the wine correspondent for the Financial Times and consults for the royal household on the Queen's cellar. Her website jancisrobinson.com is much acclaimed. With her husband, the restaurateur and author Nick Lander, she founded and runs Wine Relief as part of the Comic Relief charity. Robinson is also honorary president of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust.
Eighth edition of The World Atlas of Wine launches
Michael Cox memorial service – April 10
Michael Cox has died
WSET wine educators of the year
KWV launches South African Carménère


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Guest Tours Ekofisk and the North Sea
Building a city in the sea
Helicopter Bell 47J
Developing Ekofisk into a production site proved a new technological challenge.
It essentially involved building a new city in the middle of the North Sea and providing a new infrastructure to get people, materials, and of course oil, to and from it. Oil production began in the summer of 1971 using a floating rig and oil tankers to land the oil.
Regular helicopter service was started to get people out to the site. At the same time, a more permanent structure resting on the sea floor was developed that involved three fixed platforms and a massive storage tank.
The depths, combined with the more extreme waves and weather in the North Sea, led to a number of challenges and delays, and a series of minor accidents also occurred.
Alexander Badenoch, 'Building a city in the sea', Inventing Europe, http://www.inventingeurope.eu/story/building-a-city-in-the-sea
Kvendseth, Stig S. Giant Discovery: A History of Ekofisk Through the First 20 Years. Phillips Petroleum Company Norway, 1988.
High-risk ventures: Ekofisk and the dawn of North Sea oil
Developing the North Sea as a source of oil and gas was a complicated process. Multi-national petroleum firms negotiated with national governments to divide up the ocean floor and develop the necessary technologies. The Ekofisk field, which belonged to Norway, became the first field to be exploited. It soon became clear that while drilling rights could be divided, exploiting North Sea oil was a risk shared by all parties.
Alexander Badenoch
From Network to Nation
The 'Brotherhood Pipeline'
Feast or Famine
Ekofisk and the North Sea
Weather Mapping
Ekofisk


80 tensilized MOPP film coated with a natural rubber adhesive system. Designed for temporary holding of plastic parts, glass shelves and bins during transport of refrigerators and home appliances. Clean removal from many different substrates.


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Two Edgewater Fullscope Customers Receive Microsoft Dynamics 2013 Customer Excellence Awards
Chobani and Integrated DNA Technology (IDT) Named Winners
WAKEFIELD, Mass., Feb. 7, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edgewater Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:EDGW) ("Edgewater"), a leading consulting firm that brings a blend of business advisory and product-based consulting services to its clients, will hold a conference call on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 10:00
Edgewater Fullscope Co-Sponsors Consumer Goods Research Video, Featuring Insight From Gartner
New Video Highlights Major IT Trends Facing Food Manufacturers
Edgewater to Present at the Noble Ninth Annual Equity Conference on January 22, 2013
WAKEFIELD, Mass., Jan. 4, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edgewater Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:EDGW), a leading consulting firm that brings a blend of classic and product-based consulting services to its clients, has been invited to present at the Noble Financial Capital Markets' Ninth Annual Equity
Edgewater to Present at the Sidoti Semi-Annual Micro-Cap Conference on January 7, 2013
WAKEFIELD, Mass., Dec. 19, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edgewater Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:EDGW), a leading consulting firm that brings a blend of business advisory and product-based consulting services to its clients, has been invited to present at the Sidoti Semi-Annual Micro-Cap Conference.
Edgewater Ranks in Top 10 of Massachusetts Women-Led Businesses
WAKEFIELD, Mass., Dec. 10, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edgewater Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:EDGW) ("Edgewater"), a leading consulting firm that brings a blend of business advisory and product-based consulting services to its clients, has been recognized by the Commonwealth Institute and Boston Business
Edgewater Reports Third Quarter 2012 Financial Results
WAKEFIELD, Mass., Oct. 31, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edgewater Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:EDGW), a leading consulting firm that brings a blend of business advisory and product-based consulting services to its clients, reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2012.
Edgewater Sets Third Quarter 2012 Conference Call for Wednesday, October 31, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. ET
WAKEFIELD, Mass., Oct. 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- October 2, 2012 — Edgewater Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:EDGW) ("Edgewater"), a leading consulting firm that brings a blend of business advisory and product-based consulting services to its clients, will hold a conference call on Wednesday, October 31,
WAKEFIELD, Mass., Sept. 28, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edgewater Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:EDGW), a leading consulting firm that brings a blend of business advisory and product-based consulting services to its clients, announced that its Board of Directors has approved an extension of the company's
Edgewater Ranzal to Present With Alberta Health Services at Oracle OpenWorld on Wednesday, October 3, 2012
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Sept. 25, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edgewater Ranzal, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Edgewater Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:EDGW) and global Oracle Platinum enterprise performance management (EPM) partner, and Alberta Health Services (AHS), an Alberta-based organization
Edgewater Fullscope and Sable Systems Strategic Partnership Strengthens Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP Offerings, Expands Market
Partnership Enables Deeper ERP Offering for Food Manufacturers in North America and Asia Pacific
Edgewater Fullscope Ranked 9th in VAR 100 Report by Accounting Today
ATHENS, Ala., Sept. 6, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fullscope, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Edgewater Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:EDGW) ( http://www.edgewater.com ), has been ranked ninth in the VAR 100 annual special report from Accounting Today. Nine of the top 10 VARs (value-added resellers) on
Edgewater to Present at the 2012 Gateway Conference on September 6
WAKEFIELD, Mass., Aug. 20, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edgewater Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:EDGW), a leading consulting firm that brings a blend of business advisory and product-based consulting services to its clients, has been invited to present at the 2012 Gateway Conference being held on September 6
Edgewater Recognized as One of Massachusetts' Largest IT Consulting Firms
Boston Business Journal Ranks Edgewater Among Top 25 IT Consulting Firms in the State
Edgewater Reports Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results
16% Organic Growth in Service Revenues; Microsoft Acquires Fullscope Process Industries 2 Solution for $3.25 Million
Edgewater Engages Liolios Group to Lead Strategic Investor Relations Program
Edgewater Engages Liolios Group to Lead Strategic Investor Relations Program WAKEFIELD, Mass., July 11, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edgewater Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:EDGW) ("Edgewater"), a leading consulting firm that brings a blend of business advisory and product-based consulting services to its
Edgewater Sets Second Quarter 2012 Conference Call for Wednesday, August 1, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. ET
WAKEFIELD, Mass., July 10, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edgewater Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:EDGW) ("Edgewater"), a leading consulting firm that brings a blend of business advisory and product-based consulting services to its clients, will hold a conference call on Wednesday, August 1, 2012, at 10:00
Edgewater Fullscope Process Industries 2 Solution Acquired by Microsoft
WAKEFIELD, Mass., July 5, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edgewater Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:EDGW) ( www.edgewater.com ), a strategic consulting firm that brings a blend of business advisory and product-based consulting services to its clients, today announced that Edgewater Fullscope, a wholly-owned
Edgewater Fullscope Named 2012 Microsoft Dynamics Manufacturing Industry Partner of the Year
ATHENS, Ala., June 26, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edgewater Fullscope, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Edgewater Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:EDGW) ( http://www.edgewater.com ), today announced it has won the 2012 Microsoft Dynamics Manufacturing Industry Partner of the Year Award.
Edgewater 20 Year Celebration Culminates With NASDAQ Ceremony
Participating in NASDAQ Closing Bell Ceremony on June 19th


What are you most proud of? This bird turned out exactly as I had envisioned. The wings were made 3 different times, changing size, color, and order of stripes, and the tail was a real challenge to get right, but it finally ended up as I had hoped. What advice would you give someone starting this project? Patience, and experience in crocheting amigurumi. It will not be a speedy project, and requires assembling the macaw and branch with wire.
Thank you! When I was first learning t it seemed to take me forever to get tension even. Congrats!
He is so sweet! Do you have written the pattern down?
I have not written out the pattern because of health issues, When it's available I'll notify everyone who's left a comment on it. Thanks for asking!
where is the pattern please? its tho much thank you!!!!
As stated above, I have not written out the pattern because of health issues, When it's available I'll notify everyone who's left a comment on it. Thanks for asking!


Jonas Photo, a company where potency and good character are highly valued. We believe that competency can be developed for those who are willing to invest the effort and time. Creativity, critical thinking, and openness are encouraged. A company where people are passionate about their job can contribute. Humility and eagerness to learn are highly valued.


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Home nri New H-1B visa regulations to give priority to US degree holders
New H-1B visa regulations to give priority to US degree holders
Vastavam web: The US government has announced new regulations to give greater preference to workers with advanced degrees from US institutions for H-1B non-immigrant professional visas. The new rules that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Wednesday will go into effect on April 1 and could potentially reduce the visas available to candidates educated elsewhere. The DHS said in a statement that it was estimated that the new regulations will lead to 5,340 – or 16% – more H-1B visas for workers with a Master's or Ph.D degrees from US institutions.
Explaining the new rules, Doug Rand, an independent immigration expert, said now all applicants will first be put into the same pool and 65,000 will be selected for the visas open to all, then all the unselected US advanced degree-holders would be moved into the pool reserved for them and 20,000 of them will be randomly picked.
This would give US-educated professionals who did not get selected in the first round another chance at getting the highly-coveted visas. Congress set the limit of 65,000 H-1B visas every year and the additional quota of 20,000 for professionals with higher education qualifications from the US. Since there are far more applicants than there are H1-B visa slots, the government holds a lottery to pick the candidates for the visas.
Francis Cissna, the Director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) said the new procedure would further President Donald Trump's "goal of improving our immigration system". "As a result, US employers seeking to employ foreign workers with a US Master's or higher degree will have a greater chance of selection in the H-1B lottery," he added.
The DHS linked the changes to Trump's "Buy American and Hire American" executive order. It said the order specifically mentioned the H-1B programme and directed agencies to "suggest reforms to help ensure that H-1B visas are awarded to the most-skilled or highest-paid petition beneficiaries". The new regulations were being implemented rapidly in less than two months of the initial proposal in December. "Trust me, that's warp speed for a government agency," said Rand, who had worked in former President Barack Obama's White House on immigration policy.
"This is the first regulation affecting the legal immigration system that the Trump administration has moved all the way through the regulatory process, from start to finish – and there are many more in the pipeline, such as eliminating work permits for spouses of H-1B workers," said Rand, who is the co-founder of Boundless Immigration, a technology company that helps families navigate the immigration process.
Earlier this month, Trump said he will change the H-1B visa system for professionals to ensure "certainty" and a path to citizenship for them. He tweeted: "H-1B holders in the US can rest assured that changes are soon coming which will bring both simplicity and certainty to your stay, including a potential path to citizenship. We want to encourage talented and highly skilled people to pursue career options in the US."
However, there had been no concrete proposals from him or the government for implementing those assurances. Indians are the biggest beneficiaries of the H-1B visas and 76% of them in 2017, according to government statistics. According to a recent report by the State Department and the Institute of International Education, 95,651 Indians are now studying for advanced degrees in the US and 75,390 are in practical training programmes after graduation.
US degree holders
US-educated
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Each of the top four teams in this week's national college football recruiting rankings comes from a different conference, and all five power conferences have a representative in the top 10.
Ohio State of the Big Ten, Texas of the Big 12, Georgia of the SEC and Miami of the ACC make up the top four — a rebirth of sorts for programs that were dominant in the 1980s and '90s. That throwback feeling continues throughout the top 10, from No. 5 Penn State to No. 10 Washington. Only the SEC has more than two teams in the top 10, with three.


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Brazil moving its embassy to Jerusalem matter of 'when, not if': Netanyahu
By Gabriel Stargardter
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro told him that it was a matter of "when, not if" he moves his country's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.
The far-right Bolsonaro, who takes office on Tuesday and is hosting Netanyahu and the leaders of other countries for his inauguration, has said he would like to follow the lead of U.S. President Donald Trump and move the embassy.
But he has come under intense pressure from Brazil's powerful agriculture sector not to do so, as it could hurt Brazilian exports to Arab nations. Despite Netanyahu's comments, a senior official from Brazil's incoming government told Reuters on Sunday no decision had yet been made on the issue.
Such a move by Bolsonaro would be a sharp shift in Brazilian foreign policy, which has traditionally backed a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Arab League had told Bolsonaro that moving the embassy to Jerusalem would be a setback for relations with Arab countries, according to a letter seen by Reuters earlier in December.
"Bolsonaro told me it was 'when, not if' he moves the embassy to Jerusalem," Netanyahu said on Sunday during a meeting with leaders of Brazil's Jewish community in Rio de Janeiro.
"We attach enormous importance to Brazil, and Brazil in the context of Latin America," he added. "This heralds a historic change."
Netanyahu, who met with Bolsonaro on Friday, said that the Brazilian accepted his invitation to visit Israel, a trip that is likely to take place in March.
Netanyahu is the first Israeli prime minister to visit Brazil.
After he met the Israeli leader, Bolsonaro said that "we need good allies, good friends, good brothers, like Benjamin Netanyahu."
Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter; Additional reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Editing by Brad Brooks and Phil Berlowitz


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COVID-19 | Daily pollution close to its record in the United States
(Washington) Health officials said Monday that daily COVID-19 infections in the United States are on the rise due to the Omicron variable and on track to reach a record high in January.
Posted on Dec 27, 2021 at 10:35am
Anthony Fauci, the White House's top adviser on fighting the pandemic, explained on public radio NPR, commenting on the data it collected. The New York Times.
The country recorded 214,499 new cases on Sunday, 83% more than the 14-day average, and close to the daily record of 251,232 positive cases reached in January 2021.
The daily average number of deaths also increased slightly over 14 days (+3%) with 1,328 deaths.
On December 24, the United States exceeded 197,000 daily cases and recorded 1,345 deaths in the world's most bereaved country (more than 800,000 deaths).
The newspaper adds that several states such as Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York, as well as the US territory of Puerto Rico, experienced an unprecedented increase in a seven-day period.
In New York, health officials have also seen an increase in the number of children hospitalized in connection with COVID-19.
d . addeds Fauci. "Hopefully it will peak and go down like we've seen in other countries like South Africa."
In this country, where the Omicron variant was first discovered, pollution is less after it explodes. This, he said, is "probably due to saturation, that is, the variant has hit all the at-risk targets" such as unvaccinated people, which are still many in the United States.
See also Spain is grappling with a severe heat wave
Anthony Fauci added that the Omicron variant, which is more contagious than Delta, appears to be less risky for people who have received at least two doses of the vaccine.
"We hope this lower severity will prevent an increase in hospitalizations, but we are very concerned about unvaccinated people at risk," he said.
The scientist also said he is not in favor of a new vaccination campaign for 4e A dose, the belief that the boosters are too close together does not allow the immune system to strengthen against the coronavirus.
"For now, get a booster dose, don't worry about a fourth dose and probably don't have to worry about it," he said.
"Extreme twitteraholic. Passionate travel nerd. Hardcore zombie trailblazer. Web fanatic. Evil bacon geek."
Ford Canada | push your limits
Google Maps crashes every 5 minutes


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Basildon Advice Store
Unsure what to do after your exams? The Basildon Advice Store may be able to help.
The Education Act 2011 gives schools a duty to secure access to careers guidance for their pupils in Years 9-11. Careers guidance secured under the new duty must:
be presented in an impartial manner
include information on the full range of post-16 education or training options, including Apprenticeships
promote the best interests of the pupils to whom it is given.
Students are encouraged to consult on-line advice which is available through the following sites
Year 8 - 10
Year 8 - 10 students are able to access careers information and guidance through their Lifeskills lessons.
Students are fully supported through the Lifeskills curriculum in writing their Curriculum Vitae, developing interview skills and learning good working practice.
Students in the Sixth Form have an independent careers advisor, Miss Tinnams, who can give them impartial advice and information on careers, apprenticeships and universities. Miss Tinnams will also be able to support students with their personal statements and CV writing.
For further information please contact Mr Smalley
Recognition of Quality Award
In recognition of the work carried out under the aegis of Careers Education, Information and Guidance (CEIAG), Mayflower High School is delighted to have received the Recognition of Quality Award for supporting excellence in this field.
Useful Careers links
Work Experience during Key Stages 4 and 5
We have in the past supported work experience for students in both Key Stage 4 and 5. However, following the Government's decision to remove the statutory requirement for Key Stage 4 students to complete at least two weeks' work experience, it has been decided that we will no longer automatically send students out for work experience placements, in either Key Stage.
We believe the impact of this measure is that students will benefit from maximising their time in school, which in turn will then help them to achieve their potential in each of their examination subjects. This is especially important in an age of increasing rigour and curriculum reform.
Furthermore, it has become increasingly difficult to secure relevant and meaningful work experience placements for the large numbers of students involved each year.
On the Communication to Parents page you can download a flyer that the school recently received from The Work Experience Team (WEX) within the Essex County Council Youth Service. They provide work experience opportunities for young people across Essex. As there is no budget available, should you want to avail yourself of the service, the costs will not be met by the school. Please be aware that WEX will need at least eight weeks' notice prior to arranging a requested placement. The school does not accept liability for any use of the Essex County Council Youth Service nor make any claim to the exclusive right to use this service provider. Furthermore, the school does not vouch for the efficacy of the service and as a result, we are unable to endorse this and any other work experience provider.
We realise the importance of work experience and would strongly encourage students to organise relevant work experience during the summer break. In an increasingly competitive job and university market, an appropriate work experience placement can strongly enhance a student's application; this is especially important in medical, dental, veterinary, teaching and law courses at university.
Useful Careers Information Websites


Ilona Kickbusch is the Director of the Global Health Programme at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. She is the chair of the Global Health Europe - a platform for European Commitment to Global Health and of the Consortium on Global Health Diplomacy. In Switzerland she serves on the executive board of the Careum Foundation and is the chairperson of the World Demography and Ageing Congress St Gallen.
She advises organisations, government agencies and the private sector on policies and strategies to promote health at the national, European and international level. She has published widely and is a member of a number of advisory boards in both the academic and the health policy arena. She has received many awards. In 2007 she was appointed as the Adelaide Thinking in Residence for the subject area "Healthy Societies" at the invitation of the Premier of South Australia and continues to be involved in a range of projects in South Australia, in particular as regards Health in All Policies.
Her key areas of interest are health in all policies, the health society and health literacy, global health governance and global health diplomacy. She has had a distinguished career with the World Health Organization, at both the regional and global level. She then joined Yale University as the head of the global health division, where she contributed to shaping the field of global health and headed a major Fulbright programme. She is a political scientist with a PhD from the University of Konstanz, Germany. Details can be found on her website: www.ilonakickbusch.com.


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Q: wtforms-json: How can I not allow None/empty string values? I'm building a simple JSON API using Flask and wtforms-json. I have a problem where fields are allowed to be None, even when they really should not be, for example something this:
wtforms.BooleanField('state', validators=[validators.Optional(), validators.AnyOf([True, False])])

still lets through explicit None (or null) values somehow instead of failing validation or removing the field from the form's patch_data() alltogether (although None sometimes should be valid). Same with String fields, setting a default value doesn't help either.
I've written a small test script to illustrate the problem. Setting name to '' results in it being None in the patch data instead of being missing like the second accepted variable.
json {}
errors {}
form.data {'name': None, 'potato': None}
form.patch_data {}

json {'name': ''}
errors {}
form.data {'name': None, 'potato': None}
form.patch_data {'name': None}

json {'name': 'a'}
errors {'name': ['Field must be between 2 and 128 characters long.']}
form.data {'name': 'a', 'potato': None}
form.patch_data {'name': 'a'}

json {'name': 'ab'}
errors {}
form.data {'name': 'ab', 'potato': None}
form.patch_data {'name': 'ab'}

json {'potato': None}
errors {}
form.data {'name': None, 'potato': None}
form.patch_data {'potato': None}

json {'potato': ''}
errors {}
form.data {'name': None, 'potato': None}
form.patch_data {'potato': None}

json {'potato': 'minimum'}
errors {'potato': ['Invalid value, must be one of: maximum.']}
form.data {'name': None, 'potato': 'minimum'}
form.patch_data {'potato': 'minimum'}

json {'potato': 'maximum'}
errors {}
form.data {'name': None, 'potato': 'maximum'}
form.patch_data {'potato': 'maximum'}


In 2006, Tracy Belleau designed and launched Salons on Huron, a unique business center. The concept was simple, offering entrepreneurial-minded licensed hair stylists the opportunity to operate their own independent businesses. Today, Salons on Huron is a walkway of private salons, each shop providing an array of specialized hair-care services.
Salons on Huron are nine adjacent suites located directly inside the main Huron street entrance. Every suite displays the individual shop name above each suite's private entry.


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Lille will Kop it at Anfield: Rafa
Carl Markham
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was left to rue missed opportunities in the 1-0 Europa League last 16 defeat in Lille but has backed his side to turn things around in next week's second leg.
Having weathered the early storm from the hosts, both Ryan Babel and Fernando Torres had good chances to put their side ahead before half-time despite them struggling for possession.
Babel shot too close to Mickael Landreau having exchanged passes with Torres, who himself saw a header denied by a brilliant low save from the goalkeeper.
But just when it looked as though Liverpool would become only the second side in 22 matches to keep a clean sheet at the Stade Lille Metropole winger Eden Hazard curled an 85th-minute free-kick over the Liverpool defence, past a static Jose Reina and inside the far post.
And the tie would have had a completely different complexion had substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's late shot rebounded in off the post and not behind for a goal-kick.
"When you play away you have to score when you have chances," said Benitez.
"We had two or three good chances and, particularly in this competition, you have to score away because it is an advantage.
"But there is still 90 minutes to play and we will have to play well at Anfield and do our job. I am confident we can beat anyone at Anfield on our day with the fans behind us."
Benitez apportioned no blame to Reina for the goal as Hazard's inswinging effort could easily have been headed in by a Lille player or taken a deflection off a defender.
"It was a good delivery and very difficult for the keeper," said the Spaniard, who admitted he was pleased to see an improved performance after the disastrous defeat at Wigan on Monday.
Benitez added: "The players' reaction has been very positive.
"I am disappointed with the result but really pleased with the effort of the players. They were fantastic."
Liverpool face a huge seven days next week as they face Premier League bottom side Portsmouth on Monday and Lille on Thursday before travelling to Manchester United the following Sunday.
But Benitez said he would not attach additional importance to any one fixture as, effectively, his side had to win every match between now and the end of the campaign if they are to salvage something from a disappointing year.
"For every top side, especially when you are not having a good season, every game is important," he added.
"We have to be ready for Monday's Premier League match against Portsmouth and to win and then be ready for 90 minutes in the Europa League."
Lille coach Rudi Garcia felt his side were worthy winners but wants them to finish the job at Anfield.
"I think we deserved to win. I am satisfied with what we showed and we will do everything we can to qualify," he said.
"But we will need to score in the second leg, we can't go there and play for a 0-0."


The German vegan start-up Lizza, known for its appearance on the TV programme "Die Hohle des Löwen" (Dragons' Den in the UK), has successfully completed its crowdfunding campaign after just a few months, raising a total of EUR 1.7 million. The successful start-up plans to use its new capital to expand its business model and drive product development.
The crowdfunding campaign was only launched at the end of June this year, and has now been successfully completed after just four months. Supporters and investors were able to contribute a minimum of 250 euros, and received an interest rate of 6.5 percent per year for a term of five years.
In addition to improving its existing products, Lizza is currently working on the development of new vegan alternatives such as frozen pizza. In addition, new machines are to be purchased to optimize production. Part of the sum will also be used to pre-finance goods and repay a high-interest loan.


The Latitude 7424 Rugged Extreme is an absolute tank. The Latitude 7424 wraps a competent computer in a dust-tight and water-resistant shell that can take a beating without much fuss. However, this durability comes at a high cost - weight and size.
Most people use their laptops in the confines of an office or classroom, but those who brave the elements at work need something more durable. True to its name, the Dell Latitude 7242 Rugged Extreme can survive even the harshest physical stress. This monstrous machine is rated to military-grade durability, which means it can survive a drop, high altitudes, and exposure to sand and dust. The Dell Latitude 7424 Rugged Extreme is a heavy-duty laptop with a bright display and all-day battery life.
The Dell Latitude 5420 Rugged offers an extremely bright display and long battery life in a chassis that can withstand the harshest elements.
8650U: Kaby-Lake-Refresh based low power quad-core processor. The four cores are clocked between 1.9 and 4.2 GHz (Turbo Boost) and support HyperThreading. The integrated GPU is clocked between 300 and 1,150 MHz. The SoC is manufactured in a 14nm+ FinFET process.
80.86%: This rating should be considered to be average. This is because the proportion of notebooks which have a higher rating is approximately equal to the proportion which have a lower rating.» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.


text:
package com.google.android.exoplayer.demo.ext;

import android.Manifest.permission;
import android.annotation.TargetApi;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.content.pm.PackageManager;
import android.net.Uri;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.os.Handler;
import android.view.MotionEvent;
import android.view.Surface;
import android.view.SurfaceView;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.View.OnTouchListener;
import android.widget.MediaController;
import android.widget.TextView;
import android.widget.Toast;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.AspectRatioFrameLayout;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.ExoPlaybackException;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.ExoPlayer;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.MediaCodecAudioMultiTrackRenderer;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.MediaCodecSelector;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.TrackRenderer;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.ext.flac.FlacExtractor;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.ext.flac.LibflacAudioTrackRenderer;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.ext.opus.LibopusAudioTrackRenderer;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.ext.vp9.LibvpxVideoTrackRenderer;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.ext.vp9.VpxDecoderException;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.ext.vp9.VpxVideoSurfaceView;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.extractor.ExtractorSampleSource;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.extractor.ogg.OggExtractor;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.extractor.webm.WebmExtractor;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.upstream.DefaultAllocator;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.upstream.DefaultUriDataSource;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.util.PlayerControl;
import com.google.android.exoplayer.util.Util;

/**
 * Sample player that shows how to use ExoPlayer Extensions to playback VP9 Video and Opus Audio.
 */
public class PlayerActivity extends Activity implements
    LibvpxVideoTrackRenderer.EventListener, ExoPlayer.Listener {

  /*package*/ static final String CONTENT_TYPE_EXTRA = "content_type";
  /*package*/ static final String USE_OPENGL_ID_EXTRA = "use_opengl";

  private static final int BUFFER_SEGMENT_SIZE = 64 * 1024;
  private static final int BUFFER_SEGMENT_COUNT = 160;

  private Uri contentUri;
  private int contentType;
  private boolean useOpenGL;

  private ExoPlayer player;
  private Handler handler;
  private MediaController mediaController;
  private AspectRatioFrameLayout videoFrame;
  private SurfaceView surfaceView;
  private VpxVideoSurfaceView vpxVideoSurfaceView;
  private TextView debugInfoView;
  private String debugInfo;
  private String playerState;

  @Override
  public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);

    Intent intent = getIntent();
    contentUri = intent.getData();
    contentType = intent.getIntExtra(CONTENT_TYPE_EXTRA,
        Util.inferContentType(contentUri.toString()));
    useOpenGL = intent.getBooleanExtra(USE_OPENGL_ID_EXTRA, true);

    handler = new Handler();

    setContentView(R.layout.activity_video_player);
    View root = findViewById(R.id.root);
    root.setOnTouchListener(new OnTouchListener() {
      @Override
      public boolean onTouch(View view, MotionEvent motionEvent) {
        if (motionEvent.getAction() == MotionEvent.ACTION_DOWN) {
          toggleControlsVisibility();
        } else if (motionEvent.getAction() == MotionEvent.ACTION_UP) {
          view.performClick();
        }
        return true;
      }
    });

    mediaController = new MediaController(this);
    mediaController.setAnchorView(root);
    videoFrame = (AspectRatioFrameLayout) findViewById(R.id.video_frame);
    surfaceView = (SurfaceView) findViewById(R.id.surface_view);
    vpxVideoSurfaceView = (VpxVideoSurfaceView) findViewById(R.id.vpx_surface_view);
    debugInfoView = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.debug_info);
    debugInfo = "";
    playerState = "";
    updateDebugInfoTextView();

    if (!maybeRequestPermission()) {
      startPlayback();
    }
  }

  private void startPlayback() {
    if (contentType != Util.TYPE_DASH) {
      startBasicPlayback();
    } else {
      startDashPlayback();
    }
  }

  @Override
  public void onPause() {
    super.onPause();
    stopPlayback();
  }

  private void startBasicPlayback() {
    player = ExoPlayer.Factory.newInstance(4);
    player.addListener(this);
    mediaController.setMediaPlayer(new PlayerControl(player));
    mediaController.setEnabled(true);
    ExtractorSampleSource sampleSource = new ExtractorSampleSource(
        contentUri,
        new DefaultUriDataSource(this, Util.getUserAgent(this, "ExoPlayerExtWebMDemo")),
        new DefaultAllocator(BUFFER_SEGMENT_SIZE), BUFFER_SEGMENT_SIZE * BUFFER_SEGMENT_COUNT,
        new WebmExtractor(), new FlacExtractor(), new OggExtractor());
    TrackRenderer videoRenderer =
        new LibvpxVideoTrackRenderer(sampleSource, true, handler, this, 50);
    if (useOpenGL) {
      player.sendMessage(videoRenderer, LibvpxVideoTrackRenderer.MSG_SET_OUTPUT_BUFFER_RENDERER,
          vpxVideoSurfaceView);
      surfaceView.setVisibility(View.GONE);
    } else {
      player.sendMessage(
          videoRenderer, LibvpxVideoTrackRenderer.MSG_SET_SURFACE,
          surfaceView.getHolder().getSurface());
      vpxVideoSurfaceView.setVisibility(View.GONE);
    }
    TrackRenderer opusAudioTrackRenderer = new LibopusAudioTrackRenderer(sampleSource);
    TrackRenderer flacAudioTrackRenderer = new LibflacAudioTrackRenderer(sampleSource);
    TrackRenderer mediaCodecAudioTrackRenderer = new MediaCodecAudioMultiTrackRenderer(sampleSource,
        MediaCodecSelector.DEFAULT);

    player.prepare(videoRenderer, opusAudioTrackRenderer, flacAudioTrackRenderer,
        mediaCodecAudioTrackRenderer);
    player.setPlayWhenReady(true);
  }

  private void startDashPlayback() {
    playerState = "Initializing";
    updateDebugInfoTextView();
    final String userAgent = "Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like"
        + " Gecko) Chrome/38.0.2125.104 Safari/537.36";
    DashRendererBuilder rendererBuilder = new DashRendererBuilder(contentUri.toString(),
        userAgent, this);
    rendererBuilder.build();
  }

  public void onRenderersBuilt(TrackRenderer[] renderers) {
    surfaceView.setVisibility(View.GONE);
    player = ExoPlayer.Factory.newInstance(renderers.length);
    player.addListener(this);
    mediaController.setMediaPlayer(new PlayerControl(player));
    mediaController.setEnabled(true);
    player.sendMessage(renderers[0], LibvpxVideoTrackRenderer.MSG_SET_OUTPUT_BUFFER_RENDERER,
        vpxVideoSurfaceView);
    player.prepare(renderers);
    player.setPlayWhenReady(true);
  }

  @Override
  public void onDroppedFrames(int count, long elapsed) {
    // do nothing.
  }

  @Override
  public void onVideoSizeChanged(int width, int height) {
    videoFrame.setAspectRatio(height == 0 ? 1 : (width * 1.0f) / height);
    debugInfo = "Video: " + width + " x " + height;
    updateDebugInfoTextView();
  }

  @Override
  public void onDrawnToSurface(Surface surface) {
    // do nothing.
  }

  @Override
  public void onDecoderError(VpxDecoderException e) {
    debugInfo = "Libvpx decode failure. Giving up.";
    updateDebugInfoTextView();
  }

  @Override
  public void onDecoderInitialized(String decoderName, long elapsedRealtimeMs,
      long initializationDurationMs) {
    // do nothing.
  }

  @Override
  public void onPlayerStateChanged(boolean playWhenReady, int state) {
    switch (player.getPlaybackState()) {
      case ExoPlayer.STATE_BUFFERING:
        playerState = "buffering";
        break;
      case ExoPlayer.STATE_ENDED:
        playerState = "ended";
        break;
      case ExoPlayer.STATE_IDLE:
        playerState = "idle";
        break;
      case ExoPlayer.STATE_PREPARING:
        playerState = "preparing";
        break;
      case ExoPlayer.STATE_READY:
        playerState = "ready";
        break;
    }
    updateDebugInfoTextView();
  }

  @Override
  public void onPlayerError(ExoPlaybackException exception) {
    debugInfo = "Exoplayer Playback error. Giving up.";
    updateDebugInfoTextView();
    // TODO: show a retry button here.
  }

  @Override
  public void onPlayWhenReadyCommitted() {
    // Do nothing.
  }

  public Handler getMainHandler() {
    return handler;
  }

  // Permission management methods

  @Override
  public void onRequestPermissionsResult(int requestCode, String[] permissions,
      int[] grantResults) {
    if (grantResults.length > 0 && grantResults[0] == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
      startPlayback();
    } else {
      Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(), R.string.storage_permission_denied,
          Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
      finish();
    }
  }

  /**
   * Checks whether it is necessary to ask for permission to read storage. If necessary, it also
   * requests permission.
   *
   * @return true if a permission request is made. False if it is not necessary.
   */
  @TargetApi(23)
  private boolean maybeRequestPermission() {
    if (requiresPermission(contentUri)) {
      requestPermissions(new String[] {permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE}, 0);
      return true;
    } else {
      return false;
    }
  }

  @TargetApi(23)
  private boolean requiresPermission(Uri uri) {
    return Util.SDK_INT >= 23 && Util.isLocalFileUri(uri)
        && checkSelfPermission(permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE)
        != PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED;
  }

  // Internal methods

  private void stopPlayback() {
    if (player != null) {
      player.stop();
      player.release();
      player = null;
    }
  }

  private void toggleControlsVisibility() {
    if (mediaController != null && player != null) {
      if (mediaController.isShowing()) {
        mediaController.hide();
      } else {
        mediaController.show(0);
      }
    }
  }

  private void updateDebugInfoTextView() {
    StringBuilder debugInfoText = new StringBuilder();
    debugInfoText.append(
        getString(R.string.libvpx_version, LibvpxVideoTrackRenderer.getLibvpxVersion()));
    debugInfoText.append(" ");
    debugInfoText.append(
        getString(R.string.libopus_version, LibopusAudioTrackRenderer.getLibopusVersion()));
    debugInfoText.append("\n");
    debugInfoText.append(getString(R.string.current_path, contentUri.toString()));
    debugInfoText.append(" ");
    debugInfoText.append(debugInfo);
    debugInfoText.append(" ");
    debugInfoText.append(playerState);
    debugInfoView.setText(debugInfoText.toString());
  }

}


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text:
Stories tagged: iDE
10 Ways Precision Agriculture is Transforming Farming
As demand for food grows, we need to ensure the way we produce it remains as environmentally sound as possible. Farmers can now be guided by technology, to use earth's resources like land and water in the most efficient way. It can also help them apply vital inputs like crop protection and fertilizer in the right amounts. This is called precision agriculture, and here 10 ways Farming First supporters are putting it to good use. Continue reading →
See also: chemonics, Digital Globe, fintrac, iDE, IPNI, Malabo Montpellier Panel, One Acre Fund, precision agriculture, saillog, TechnoServe
#FillTheGap! Joining up women for a common goal in Bangladesh
This is the first post of Farming First's #FillTheGap campaign to highlight the gender gap facing rural women working in agriculture.
With only 60 per cent of Bangladeshi women economically active, it can be difficult for those who want to grow a business to engage others. One of the major challenges that rural women often face is a lack of access to social networks, which hinders entrepreneurialism.
When Jahanara Begum, 45, started out as a Farm Business Advisor (FBA), she faced negative comments and scepticism from her family and community in Hizla Upazila, in the Barisal district.
But as her networks began to grow and bring together local market systems, she proved her doubters wrong.
See also: Bangladesh, iDE, PROOFS, rural women, supply chains
10 Ways Agriculture is Improving Lives in Asia
In this latest instalment of our "Supporter Spotlight" series, we take a trip to Asia to learn about the innovative projects Farming First supporters are working on all over the continent to improve food security and farmers' lives.
1. Fintrac: Beating Drought with Smart Water Management in Cambodia
When the rains did not come in 2015, one group of farmers in the northeastern province of Pursat not only survived, but thrived. They had banded together to form a Water User Group, that managed farmer access to the Polyum Canal. By maximising efficiency and eliminating conflict around water use, and using good agricultural practices taught by the Cambodia HARVEST program, group members have increased their productivity from an average of 2,500 kilograms per hectare to more than 4,000. As a result, their household incomes have increased by 536 percent! Read more >>
2. GAIN: Meet the Wheatamix Women in India
Through funding from the Bestseller Foundation, GAIN is working in the states of Karnataka and Bihar in India to improve the nutrition and lives of groups of semi-literate women. These women are trained to run their own factories producing a quality blended complementary food product called "Wheatamix" in Bihar and "Shakhti Vita" in Karnataka. This complementary food product, fortified with vitamins and minerals, has the potential to reach thousands of women, adolescents and children in the region. Read more >>
3. CropLife: An Indian Farmer Perspective on Biotechnology
In this interview with CropLife International, Balwinder Singh shares his experience of planting an insect-resistant strain of cotton. "I was lucky to be part of the trial when Bt cotton came to India, and when I saw the benefits of this technology; I was the first person to say, this is what is going to save us," he said. "I took a gamble, and took an additional 50 hectares of land on lease to sow Bt cotton. It has paid off and my family is enjoying a decent living." Read more >>
4. IPNI: Healthier Soils Make Indian Farmers More Maize
Access to water has created a challenge for many Indian farmers, increasing interest in alternative crops to flooded rice. Working in West Bengal, research staff at the International Plant Nutrition Institute have focused on developing a rice-maize rotation as an alternative to rice to address the water challenge. Research showed that adding potassium, phosphorus, sulphur and zinc in order to grow maize effectively added US$80 – $290/ha to the farmer's income. Not only was the maize yield increased, but similar responses were recorded in the rice in these on-farm trials. Read more >>
5. CNFA: Building a Network for Agro-Input Services in Bangladesh
CNFA implements the USAID-funded Agro-Inputs Project (AIP) to improve the knowledge of and access to quality agricultural inputs for farmers in Bangladesh. CNFA provides trainings and technical assistance on business management and ethics, basic agronomics, safe use and handling of pesticides and other related topics to 3,000 agro-input retailers. Of this, 300 women-retailers are specifically targeted. These agro-input retailers are expected to serve 1 million smallholder farmers, impacting more than 5 million individuals across 20 southern districts of Bangladesh, generating more than $100 million in sales. Read more >>
6. Livelihoods: Mangroves Restore Agricultural Land in Indonesia
In 1987, Northern Sumatra had 200,000 hectares of mangroves. Today, less than half of that amount remains, with only 83,000 hectares standing. This Livelihoods project has restored mangrove forests, and as a result, increases the safety of the local population. Replanting coastal mangroves significantly buffers coastal communities from future tsunamis akin to that of the 2004 tsunami. Mangrove forests also help to restore vital agricultural land. Additionally, this project generates new sources of economic income. Local villagers are able to increase their revenues by selling the by-products of the mangroves such as fish, mollusks, batik dye and honey. Read more >>
7. HarvestPlus: Iron Pearl Millet Enriches Diets in India
Iron deficiency is rampant in India, affecting 7 out of 10 children. It impairs mental development and learning capacity, increases weakness and fatigue, and may increase the risk of women dying during childbirth. HarvestPlus is working with partners to promote varieties of pearl millet rich in iron, to help combat malnutrition. Read more >>
8. iDE: Saving Time and Earning Money Through Water Access in Nepal
Rural villages in Nepal lack several basic services, but the primary issue for many is access to water. Multiple-Use Water Systems (MUS) are an improved approach to water resource management, which taps and stores water and distributes it to households in small communities to meet both domestic and household agricultural needs. In addition to dramatically decreasing the workload of women and girls, MUSs provide benefits in health and sanitation, as well as enabling communities to improve their decisions on the allocation of water resources. "After we got the water it was easy to grow vegetables," says Kamala Pariyar, a rural farmer in Dikurpokhari. "I used to ask my husband for money to buy basic things. Now, by selling the vegetables, I can earn 600 rupees a day. I have enough money." Read more >>
9. World Vision: Mangrove Planting Revitalizes Philippine Fishing Community
When a fishing village in the western part of Leyte in the Philippines was struggling to catch enough to feed their families, World Vision helped to implement a mangrove planting initiative. Each family was provided with an average of 1,000 mangrove stalks to plant in the area near their house, to provide a safe habitat of various species of fish, where they can lay their eggs without being disturbed by double net fishing. There is now abundant fish for catching once more, and the community is protected from the risk of typhoons. Read more >>
10. IFA: Combatting Iodine Deficiencies Through Fertigation
Globally it is estimated that 2.2 billion people in the world are at a risk of iodine deficiency, which causes a wide range of physiological abnormalities, mainly related to defective mental development and brain damage. The content of iodine in food depends on the iodine content of the soils in which crops are grown. In Xinjiang Province, in the North West of China, the soil is particularly poor in iodine with an associated high infant-mortality rate. A project was put in place to supply the water irrigation system with iodine using an iodine fertilizer dripping technique, called fertigation. With this technique, the iodine from the treated water is absorbed by the soil and progresses through plants, animals and humans that eat the iodine-rich plants. Thanks to this project, rates of infant mortality halved and local livestock production increased by 40% in the first year! Read more >>
Do you have an inspiring story about Asian agriculture? Tweet @FarmingFirst and tell us about it!
See also: asian agriculture, camobodia, CNFA, CropLife International, farming, fintrac, GAIN alliance, HarvestPlus, iDE, IFA, India, nepal, Philippines, world vision
The Secret to Growing More Food with Less Water
This week in the #SDG2countdown to the High Level Political Forum in New York, we'll be exploring SDG2.3, which is all about doubling agricultural productivity and incomes for smallholder farmers. Is productivity just about yield, or actually producing more with greater efficiency? Emily Karol from iDE explains how farmers they work with are producing more using less water and boosting incomes at the same time.
With the help of micro-irrigation technology, small-scale farmers are growing more food with less water—and making a profit doing it. In Vietnam, small-scale farmers who bought micro-irrigation technology use 30% less water and can double the productivity of their farm, leading to a median increase in annual income of $350.
Large agriculture companies often overlook small-scale farmers because they don't see the market potential in selling to them. iDE, a social innovation organization, works to bridge the last mile between manufacturers and rural farmers. We use a market-based approach to build supply and demand for micro-irrigation technology at the local level—making the technology affordable and accessible to farmers who make less than $2 a day.
iDE has spread this approach across 11 countries, designing each model to the context of the country—employing a Farm Business Advisor model in some countries and in others a social enterprise strategy. However, the goal remains consistent: improve farmer livelihoods.
This farm in Vietnam's Ninh Thuan province has installed sprinkler and drip irrigation systems. The soil in this area of the country is sandy, which doesn't retain water well. Micro-irrigation is a more efficient and effective method of irrigating crops in this region. (Photo courtesy of iDE/2015)
In Vietnam retailers carry many of the components to build an affordable micro-irrigation system. Instead of promoting a branded irrigation product, we developed a market around the idea of a micro-irrigation system, which allowed for flexibility and ongoing innovation in the way farmers use irrigation in different settings. To establish the market, we engaged local retailers to stock the components and educate their customers; we trained technicians to install the systems; and we coached farmers on how to use the technology with a variety of crops throughout the year. Our primary implementing partner was the local Farmers' Unions.
Hua Van San, a farmer who lives in the Ninh Thuan province, learned about micro-irrigation through his Farmers' Union.
Mr. Hua Van San and his wife, prepare asparagus for market. (Photo courtesy of iDE/2013)
"The soil is so sandy here, if you want to irrigate the whole garden you have to water it all day," said Mr. San's wife. "My son had to spend half his day helping me irrigate the garden on top of other farm tasks. He was too exhausted to do his homework and had to quit school."
In 2010, Mr. San put his family's most valued possession, a motorbike, up as collateral for a loan to purchase an electric water pump and sprinkler system. Moving away from the traditional furrow and ditch irrigation method to the tube and sprinkler system, Mr. San was able to use the space on his land more efficiently—allowing him to plant more crops closer together and increasing his yields. His family also spent 50% less time irrigating the crops.
"It reduced the burden of irrigation for my wife," said Mr. San. "But, best of all, my son is free from watering and now he is back in school. He has more time for studying and fun."
In 2012, Mr. San began cultivating asparagus, a high-value crop that he sells in the markets of Ho Chi Minh City.
"Last year was a very successful year for us," said Mr. San. "We made $6,700 more profit than before—an amount we never dreamed of."
With his additional income, he expanded his micro-irrigation system to cover an even greater portion of his 3,000 square meter farm. In just three years, his family earned enough income to no longer be identified as poor according to the government's classification. Today, Mr. San is sharing his knowledge by teaching neighbouring farmers to grow asparagus.
Take the NEW quiz on SDG2.3 at www.farmingfirst.org/SDGs
See also: iDE, irrigation, micro-irrigation, productivity, sustainable development goals, Vietnam
Julian Wolfson: The iDEal Way to Expand Drip Irrigation
In this guest post, the Chief Executive of iDE Europe details how technical assistance through a social enterprise is ensuring that drip irrigation is successful.
Without the right knowledge or necessary tools, poor farmers in Nicaragua have been unable to undertake a second growing season during the dry season. However, with micro-irrigation equipment and techniques, these farmers have the potential of doubling their annual production and incomes. Until 2010, their needs were ignored by the commercial sector, who failed to see these farmers as a large enough market for their products. This is the market gap that can be filled by a social enterprise, which exists not simply to make a profit, but to ensure that community and societal objectives can be met. In Nicaragua, that gap is being met by iDEal Tecnologías. Continue reading →
See also: agriculture, drop irrigation, iDE, Nicaragua, water scarcity
How to Bring Drip Irrigation to Smallholders when Conventional Approaches Fail
23rd August 2015 11.00 – 12.30 pm CET
This World Water Week, iDE will convene a side event on bringing drip irrigation to smallholder farmers, bringing together key stakeholders from the drip industry, NGOs, donor agencies, finance, and scientific institutions to discuss how they can bring –in a concerted effort – suitable and affordable drip irrigation technologies to smallholders. The conveners of the seminar will present on the current landscape of the drip irrigation industry, their perspective on the challenges and solutions mentioned above, and discuss the potential for collaboration across sectors and organizations. Continue reading →
See also: drip irrigation, iDE, Stockholm, World Water Week