WHO NEEDS TO COMPLETE THE FORM W-4?
The W–4 form tells the employer the correct amount of tax to withhold from an employee's paycheck based on the employee's marital status, number of exemptions and dependents and other factors. … A change in status can result in the employer withholding more or less tax.
When you hire an employee, you must have the employee complete a Form W-4 (PDF), Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate. Form W-4 tells you, as the employer, the marital status, the number of withholding allowances, and any additional amount to use when you deduct federal income tax from the employee's pay. If an employee fails to give you a properly completed Form W-4, you must withhold federal income taxes from his or her wages as if he or she were single and claiming no withholding allowances.
An employee may want to change the number of withholding allowances or his or her withholding rate (marital status) on Form W-4 for any number of reasons, such as due to marriage, a change in the number of dependents, or a change in the amount of itemized deductions or tax credits anticipated for the tax year. If you receive a revised Form W-4 from an employee, you must put it into effect no later than the start of the first payroll period ending on or after the 30th day from the date you received the revised Form W-4. You must honor the request unless the situations described below in the sections Invalid Form W-4 and Lock-in Letters apply.
You can download and print a Form W-4 from IRS.gov. To order multiple Forms W-4, refer to Online Ordering for Information Returns and Employer Returns. You may also order Forms W-4 by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676) or 800-829-4059 for TTY/TDD users (M-F, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. local time; Alaska & Hawaii follow Pacific time). You may also use a substitute Form W-4 you developed instead of the official Form W-4, if you also provide the tables, instructions, and worksheets contained in the Form W-4 in effect at that time. The substitute Form W-4 must contain language that's identical to the official Form W-4 and must meet current IRS rules for substitute returns. You may not accept a substitute form developed by an employee, and the employee submitting such form will be treated as failing to furnish a Form W-4.
Form W-4 includes detailed worksheets to help the employee figure his or her correct number of withholding allowances. Employees may also want to access the IRS Withholding Calculator for help in completing Form W-4. Nonresident aliens must follow special instructions when completing a Form W-4. Have your nonresident alien employees see Notice 1392, Supplemental Form W-4 Instructions for Nonresident Aliens, and the Form 8233 Instructions, Exemption From Withholding on Compensation for Independent (and Certain Dependent) Personal Services of a Nonresident Alien Individual, before completing a Form W-4.
You may establish an electronic system to receive Forms W-4 from your employees. See Employment Tax Regulations section 31.3402(f)(5)-1(c) for more information.
You can provide the Spanish version of the Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate, Form W-4(SP) (PDF) in place of Form W-4 to your Spanish-speaking employees.
You should inform your employees of the importance of submitting an accurate Form W-4. An employee may be subject to a $500 penalty if he or she submits, with no reasonable basis, a Form W-4 that results in less tax being withheld than is required. Refer to Chapter 4 of Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax For Individuals.
For additional information, refer to Publication 15, (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide, and Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax. For the procedures for withholding income taxes on the wages of nonresident alien employees, refer to Notice 2005-76 and Aliens Employed in the U.S.
If an employee qualifies, he or she can also use Form W-4 (PDF) to tell you not to deduct any federal income tax from his or her wages. To qualify for this exempt status, the employee must have had no tax liability for the previous year and must expect to have no tax liability for the current year. However, if the employee can be claimed as a dependent on a parent's or another person's tax return, additional limitations may apply; refer to the instructions for Form W-4. A Form W-4 claiming exemption from withholding is valid for only the calendar year in which it's filed with the employer. To continue to be exempt from withholding in the next year, an employee must give you a new Form W-4 claiming exempt status by February 15 of that year. If the employee doesn't give you a new Form W-4, withhold tax as if he or she is single, with no withholding allowances. However, if you have an earlier Form W-4 (not claiming exempt status) for this employee that's valid, withhold as you did before.
Any unauthorized change or addition to Form W-4 makes it invalid. This includes taking out any language by which the employee certifies that the form is correct, material defacing of the form, or any writing on the form other than the entries requested. A Form W-4 is also invalid if by the date an employee gives it to you, he or she indicates in any way that it's false. When you get an invalid Form W-4, don't use it to determine federal income tax withholding. Tell the employee that it's invalid and ask for another one. If the employee doesn't give you a valid one, withhold taxes as if the employee is single and claiming no withholding allowances. However, if you have an earlier Form W-4 for this employee that's valid, withhold as you did before.
After the employee completes and signs the Form W-4, you must keep it in your records for at least 4 years (See Publication 15, (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide)). This form serves as verification that you're withholding federal income tax according to the employee's instructions and needs to be available for inspection should the IRS ever request it. Form W-4 is still subject to review. You may be directed (in a written notice or in future published guidance) to send certain Forms W-4 to the IRS. You must be able to supply a hardcopy of an electronic Form W-4.
The IRS uses information reported on Forms W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, to identify employees with withholding compliance problems. In some cases, where a serious underwithholding problem is found to exist for a particular employee, the IRS may issue a notice (commonly referred to as a "lock-in-letter") to you specifying the withholding rate and maximum number of withholding allowances permitted for a specific employee for purposes of calculating the required withholding. The IRS will provide the employee with an opportunity to dispute the determination before you adjust withholding based on the lock-in letter.
The IRS will send a letter to the employee explaining that the IRS will require you to start withholding additional income tax unless the employee contacts the IRS to explain why the employee shouldn't have withholding increased. A toll-free number and address for the unit handling this program will be provided in the letter. As an additional safeguard, you'll also receive a notice to provide to the employee.
After the lock-in letter takes effect, you must disregard any Form W-4 that results in less tax withheld, until the IRS notifies you otherwise. However, you must honor any Form W-4 that results in more income tax withheld than at the withholding rate and withholding allowances specified in the lock-in letter. Employers who use electronic Form W-4 systems must make sure the employee can't override the lock-in letter to decrease withholding via an electronic Form W-4 system. Lock-in letter provisions also apply to employees rehired within 12 months from the date of the notice.
After the lock-in letter takes effect, if the employee wants to claim complete exemption from withholding or claim a withholding rate, withholding allowances, or an additional amount that results in less income tax withheld than the lock-in letter, the employee must contact the IRS. A toll-free number and address for the unit handling this program is provided in the lock-in letter.


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ARIANA GRANDE Lends Her Vocals To Upcoming ZARA LARSSON Song
Ariana Grande confirmed via Twitter that she has added background vocals and harmonies for a song Zara Larsson is currently working on. "It sounds so good / she's so good," she wrote, referencing the Swedish singer's debut album So Good.
gang background vocals for a song @zaralarsson was working on ln ! it sounds so good / she's so good .... i jus be in the corner adding harmonies n making jokes every now n then. https://t.co/1WZ3bg9hMX
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) February 6, 2019
In case you didn't know, Zara is currently in the midst of putting together her third studio album. In October 2018, she released the first single "Ruin My Life" and later hinted on a new release by the beginning of 2019. "We'll release the second single and drop the album hopefully early spring," she told Billboard.
We don't have any clue whether said second single will be the one with Ari's vocals in it, but one can only hope. Nevertheless, we know for sure this one's gonna be another sure-fire hit from both female artists!
A post shared by Zara Larsson (@zaralarsson) on Jul 23, 2018 at 12:11pm PDT
A post shared by Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) on Dec 31, 2018 at 1:41am PST

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Handling Kashmiri "Madness" through Film
The movie Haider revolves around the unfolding psychological drama of young Haider. He is sent to Aligarh University, the symbolic institution of North Indian Muslims, by his family to keep him from joining the militant movement against the Indian military in Kashmir and to experience a different type of Indian Muslim experience which is supposedly 'free' (Harris 2014). Pakistan appears in this story as ever-present as well, with Pakistani-Marxist poetry sung by Haider's father and the presence of, supposedly, an intelligence agent in the midst of a separatist group. Haider, on returning to Kashmir, finds his father 'missing' and his home bombed. Haider discovers the death of his father at the hands of his brother, who informed on him to the Indian military for secretively operating on a militant leader with appendicitis. Haider thereafter feigns madness and he is shown to use his persona for revolutionary ends as well as to get into the house of his uncle, who also has married Haider's mother, to avenge his father's death. The rest of the film is a blood bath as all the main characters either get killed or commit suicide. Haider survives miraculously and has a second chance to kill his uncle, who begs for this so that he can live without guilt, but Haider lets him live. His grandfather's and mother's parting words convince him to seek true freedom which is "freedom from revenge".
Kashmir under Pakistan's shadow
During the film Haider's father is shown to chant leftist revolutionary songs from a Pakistani poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz. This shows a deep rooted prejudice in the Director's aesthetic choices. Could not Agha Shahid Ali have been chosen instead, one wonders? The right wing Kashmiri is obviously pro-pakistani according to this film's narrative, the left wing as well according to the aesthetic leanings. The rest of the Kashmiris appear as cunning janus-faced, difficult to pin down characters since they will cheat their own for getting ahead in life. Why, you could ask, do we have such an unsubtle exposure to Kashmiri culture? Why shift the narrative of militant Kashmiri to a cultural trait of conniving?
Politics of Madness
Madness is the biggest victim of this movie. There is no sophisticated view on the self-reflexive madness narratives as in Shakespeare's Hamlet like:
"I essentially am not in madness,
But mad in craft."
(III. iv. 187-8.)
But come / Here, as before, never, so help you mercy / How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself- / As I perchance hereafter shall think meet / To put an antic disposition on- / That you, at such times seeing me, never shall, / With arms encumbered thus, or this headshake, / Or by pronouncing some doubtful phrase /…. That you know aught of me – this do swear, / So grace and mercy at your most need help you. (Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 177-189)
Shakespeare's Hamlet takes on the garb of a madman, yet he becomes mad in the process as the taken-up persona takes over his life as the play progresses. That psychological empathy with madness as one of many states of being on the spectrum of human possibilities is lost upon Vishal Bardhwaj, the Director of Haider. Madness is not shown as self-consciously feigned to begin with in Vishal's Haider, it seems rather politically motivated as he appears on the city square amusing a gathering of politically charged admirers. This is a common trope in post-colonial sates where madness and dissidence is confounded (Good et al. 2008).
Haider is then shown as being haunted by the voices of his dead father and mother. Here again, revenge as emotion is given precedence over an exploration of madness. The question: 'is he really mad or is he feigning madness?' is an irrelevant question for Vishal, nothing more than a rhetorical appearance from his mother without any substantive narrative connection.
Madness as political strategy, or madness as feigned behavior to gain the trust of one's family seem to be the only options given to the viewer. What about, one may ask, madness as it appears to Haider, after all is not his view the most important one when it comes to the experience of madness? Why were we viewers not made to connect with the universal human psycho-somatic experience of madness with visual and auditory hallucinations, tout court. That would have made for some great experimental cinematography. One only wishes Haider were depicted as Shakespeare depicted Hamlet. A view of Hamlet as he appeared to himself, psychologically more honest and complex.
Rather, the bleak manipulation of the madman persona is shameful to say the least. Especially, in a highly securitised context like that of Kashmir, madness would have been a fascinating theme to think through. Yet, facile manipulative uses of the 'fool' figure both by the salman's and by Haider's dance performance suggest that madness does not really exist. It's just a ploy, an option. It is a cultural trait. They are too cunning these Kashmiris to be genuinely and naively mad! What are we left with as a nuanced understanding of madness after this film? When all nuance is lost on the Director in the attempt to appeal to different audience prejudiced expectations of Kashmiris. Is not a Director meant to question the audience's assumptions and leave the audience with discomfort about their strongly and wrongly held beliefs?
Love thy brother (and his wife)
Kashmiri elite of all ilk seem to be sleeping with each other with no hint of guilt associated with pre- or extra-marital sex. Another aspect of the slippery nature of Kashmiris depicted here is that they are not really 'muslim', they do not even take Islamic sexual ethics (Hélie and Hoodfar 2012) too seriously either. This appears as an attempt to differentiate Kashmiris then from a wider more sexually conservative South Asian culture (Osella and Osella 2006), since that lot of humanity is hardly ever depicted as incestuous or promiscuous in Bollywood. All this sleeping around suggests to the undiscerning viewer that even pro-state Kashmiris are not purely 'pro-India' since they are probably sleeping with the enemy militants and suicide bombers. A very dangerous conclusion that the viewer is expected to reach based on these culturally relativist ideas deployed in an already overflowing and highly politicised field of representation (Kabir 2009).
Secular Bollywood taming 'Religion'
A second noteworthy observation apropos religiosity in Haider. Personal devotional prayer, shrine shrouds and swearing (or not) on the Quran seem to be the only role religion managed to find its way into the narrative. Every other aspect of religion is blissfully ignored (Tareen 2014), the jihad motivating factor, non-existent. Critical leftist revolutionary religiosity rooted in Kashmiri Muslim traditions of struggle against oppression (Rai 2004), nowhere in sight. The pulpit used as a political platform for all tendencies in Kashmir (Zutshi 2004), invisible.
One wonders why this other extreme was chosen by the director of veiling religion and choosing to unveil veiled 'fair' Kashmiri women on screen? Perhaps, the Director took the advice of the military man to heart who, hinting at Haider's veiled girlfriend, advises him to 'take care of such beautiful inspiration!' (of his revolutionary poems). Desire for the 'fair-skinned' Kashmiri beauty (Gelles 2011) is mixed here with the voyeurism of the omnipresent state, how does the gaze of Bollywood differ from that of the State, if the difference is not made explicitly clear?
'True' Freedom is Revenge-free
The message is pretty clear coming from an old Kashmiri wise man, Haider's grandfather, repeated by Haider's mother and the final voice of the dead mother in Haider's head that stops him from committing revenge murder. The only weapon, however, possible to deal with countering revenge (Gandhi 2014) is shown to be violence in this film as everyone other than the madman dies in a blood bath. What are we to take away from this about the nature of revenge in life. By focusing on revenge, the sophisticated and systematic struggle of Kashmiri activists is of course maligned here, at the same time the Indian State is not understood in its truest most insidious sense of being a State, the sole purpose of such an entity is to tame its subjects. The Indian state does not operate as a parochial, revenge-taking machine either! What century is the director living in? So the subject of revenge free freedom seems rather irrelevant for the context described.
Vishal Bardhwaj's Haider was a disappointment but then again my expectations may have been too high, I was expecting an attempt at great art adequate to its inspiration Hamlet's Shakespeare (yes the inversion is intentional). It was neither a sophisticated view on madness nor on Kashmiri culture. Haider reveals more about Vishal (and his prejudices) than Vishal is able to unveil about a typical Haider, if one exists out there somewhere. Is this film to be credited for shifting the debate about Kashmir to invite us to think about the psychological and psychic experiences of the toll of violence on a people? Or should we instead see this film as another sophisticated North Indian prejudicial representation of the Kashmiri other? I leave that to you, the reader, to make up your own mind after seeing the film.
Chitralekha Zutshi, 2004, Languages of Belonging: Islam and Political Culture in Kashmir, Hurst Publishers, London.
Gandhi Leela, 2014, The Common Cause: Postcolonial Ethics and the Practice of Democracy, 1900-1955, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Gelles Rebecca, 2011, 'Fair and Lovely: Standards of Beauty, Globalization, and the Modern Indian Woman' Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. Paper 1145 http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/1145
Good Mary-Jo DelVecchio, Hyde Sandra Teresa et.al (editors), 2008, Postcolonial Disorders, University of California Press, Los Angeles.
Harris Gardiner 2014, For India's Persecuted Muslim Minority, Caution Follows Hindu Party's Victory, The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/world/asia/india-muslims-modi.html?_r=2
Hélie Anissa and Hoodfar Homa (eds.), Sexuality in Muslim Contexts: Restrictions and Resistance, 2012, Zed books, London.
Kabir Ananya Jahanara, 2009, Territory of Desire: Representing the Valley of Kashmir, University of Minnesota Press, Minessota.
Osella Caroline and Osella Filippo, 2006, Men and Masculinities in South India, Anthem Press, London.
Rai Mridu, 2004, Hindu Rulers, Muslim Subjects: Islam, Rights, and the History of Kashmir, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Shakespeare William, Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, http://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/full.html
Tareen Sherali K., 2014, 'Islam, democracy and the limits of secular conceptuality', Journal of Law and Religion, 29, 1-17.


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Expediting changes to Google+
David Thacker
VP, Product Management, G Suite
In October, we announced that we'd be sunsetting the consumer version of Google+ and its APIs because of the significant challenges involved in maintaining a successful product that meets consumers' expectations, as well as the platform's low usage.
We've recently determined that some users were impacted by a software update introduced in November that contained a bug affecting a Google+ API. We discovered this bug as part of our standard and ongoing testing procedures and fixed it within a week of it being introduced. No third party compromised our systems, and we have no evidence that the app developers that inadvertently had this access for six days were aware of it or misused it in any way.
With the discovery of this new bug, we have decided to expedite the shut-down of all Google+ APIs; this will occur within the next 90 days. In addition, we have also decided to accelerate the sunsetting of consumer Google+ from August 2019 to April 2019. While we recognize there are implications for developers, we want to ensure the protection of our users.
Details about the bug and our investigation
Our testing revealed that a Google+ API was not operating as intended. We fixed the bug promptly and began an investigation into the issue.
Our investigation into the impact of the bug is ongoing, but here is what we have learned so far:
We have confirmed that the bug impacted approximately 52.5 million users in connection with a Google+ API.
With respect to this API, apps that requested permission to view profile information that a user had added to their Google+ profile—like their name, email address, occupation, age (full list here)—were granted permission to view profile information about that user even when set to not-public.
In addition, apps with access to a user's Google+ profile data also had access to the profile data that had been shared with the consenting user by another Google+ user but that was not shared publicly.
The bug did not give developers access to information such as financial data, national identification numbers, passwords, or similar data typically used for fraud or identity theft.
No third party compromised our systems, and we have no evidence that the developers who inadvertently had this access for six days were aware of it or misused it in any way.
We have begun the process of notifying consumer users and enterprise customers that were impacted by this bug. Our investigation is ongoing as to any potential impact to other Google+ APIs.
Next steps for Consumer Google+
We will sunset all Google+ APIs in the next 90 days. Developers can expect to hear more from us on this topic in the coming days, and can stay informed by continuing to check the Google+ developer page.
We have also decided to accelerate sunsetting consumer Google+, bringing it forward from August 2019 to April 2019. We want to give users ample opportunity to transition off of consumer Google+, and over the coming months, we will continue to provide users with additional information, including ways they can safely and securely download and migrate their data.
A note for our enterprise customers
We are in the process of notifying any enterprise customers that were impacted by this bug. A list of impacted users in those domains is being sent to system administrators, and we will reach out again if any additional impacted users or issues are discovered.
G Suite administrators are always in control of their users' apps. This ensures that G Suite users can give access only to apps that have been vetted and are trusted by their organization. In addition, we want to reiterate that we will continue to invest in Google+ for enterprise. More details were announced in October.
We understand that our ability to build reliable products that protect your data drives user trust. We have always taken this seriously, and we continue to invest in our privacy programs to refine internal privacy review processes, create powerful data controls, and engage with users, researchers, and policymakers to get their feedback and improve our programs. We will never stop our work to build privacy protections that work for everyone.
New action to combat cyber crime
Google disrupts Glupteba, a sophisticated botnet which targets Windows machines and protects itself using blockchain technology.
By Royal Hansen Halimah DeLaine Prado
Google submits revised commitments to the CMA for the Privacy Sandbox
By William Malcolm Oliver Bethell
Our work to keep you safe online is never done
By Royal Hansen
Stay safe online ahead of shopping season
Ahead of the end-of-year shopping season, we're sharing findings from a survey about online safety in Asia Pacific.
By Guemmy Kim
Supporting the first #ShareTheMicInCyber Fellowship


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McKinsey & Company Home McKinsey Analytics
McKinsey Analytics
Rebooting analytics leadership: Time to move beyond the math
November 2018 | Article
By Brian McCarthy, Chris McShea, and Marcus Roth
Article (PDF -364KB)
To help their organizations capitalize on artificial intelligence and analytics, CAOs must do more than demonstrate their technical chops. They need to lead like a Catalyst.
Article (PDF-364KB)
The role of the chief analytics officer (CAO) is being thrust into the spotlight as artificial intelligence (AI) technology continues to improve—and prove its value. AI and other advanced analytics will unlock $9.5 trillion to $15.4 trillion annually, with recent AI advances such as deep learning alone making up nearly 40 percent of the total.
Given the enormity of the stakes, it's no surprise that CEOs are asking their CAOs (or those assuming CAO duties under a different title) to deploy and scale AI and advanced analytics—stat. Yet while the opportunity is great, so too is the challenge. In McKinsey research earlier this year, only 8 percent of senior executives reported that their organization engages in practices identified as key enablers for AI and analytics at scale (Exhibit 1).
The reasons for low success rates to date are numerous, as CAOs face a barrage of headwinds—from data silos and rising data risks to leaders and front lines resistant to a new way of data-driven decision making—while experiencing some of the lowest tenures among their peers (about two to three years). 1 1. Based on a McKinsey survey of 94 leaders managing analytics functions, including CAOs, chief data officers (CDOs), and chief information officers (CIOs). One analytics leader told us, for example, that while his organization hired him to create a data and analytics function that could scale to drive growth, progress was constantly derailed, as his team was forced to spend outsized time generating basic reports for narrowly focused business leaders.
How can CAOs cut through the whirlwind of obstacles to help their organization capture a larger piece of the advanced analytics prize than their competitors?
Based on our extensive experience working with analytics leaders and a series of in-depth interviews with some who have been successful, we believe one key to success will be for CAOs to assume the role of Catalyst—a new persona that redefines leadership for deploying analytics and AI at scale.
Successful CAOs of times past
Historically, we've seen that successful CAOs have often been buoyed by an analytically minded CEO or a mission-critical situation. Their organizations fit into one of three types:
Born digital, with data and analytics as their lifeblood, leading them to position their CAOs as core members of the C-suite.
Led by an analytically driven CEO who aggressively made analytics the top priority and rallied all executives and business units behind the effort.
In crisis, facing a significant threat to their business model and, sometimes, to their very existence. These organizations required analytics to compete and put CAOs squarely in charge of their business transformation.
But most companies faced a different reality: an organizational desire to move to an analytics-driven approach but without a forceful push from a visionary CEO or existential crisis.
Among these companies, analytics leaders made progress in line with the times. The 1990s were arguably ground zero for data and analytics, as the Internet had only just opened to the public and begun generating data. The title "CAO" didn't even exist yet. Simply establishing a data-science capability somewhere in the organization amounted to success, putting math-minded mavericks and statistical geniuses in the best position to thrive (Exhibit 2).
The early 2000s saw a massive increase in data generation, thanks in large part to broadband and the rise of Internet-based businesses and social-media platforms. Better data capture and analytics technologies emerged in response, raising the bar for success. CEOs began placing higher expectations on analytics leaders, and the true role of CAO was born. In this environment, data evangelists who could seed data and analytics usage a bit more broadly—even if unevenly—throughout their organizations were heralded for their achievements.
However, the next decade brought a new level of urgency. Digital natives became increasingly successful, upping the intensity of competition. The number of data-generating smartphones surpassed the number of humans on the planet, making data-hungry machine learning techniques even more commercially viable. Organizations needed a more aggressive CAO to embed analytics more consistently across the organization. While good at achieving this goal, the aggressive CAO's strong push, against what was often significant organizational resistance, left many organizations soured, requiring a new CAO persona to facilitate further change.
Would you like to learn more about our McKinsey Analytics Practice?
A demanding environment for today's CAOs
This brings us to today, when organizations are looking to CAOs to capture a share of the huge AI opportunity, which necessitates a degree of scale not previously required—and in a far more demanding environment.
Digital natives are ratcheting up the competition for wallet share to new levels as they push into an increasing number of sectors, from grocery to financial services.
The use of AI and analytics has become table stakes in delivering consumers the personalized attention and experiences they demand as the universe of analytics tools expands and becomes more widely available thanks to the cloud. In fact, nearly a third of the value these technologies are expected to drive in the near term is projected to come from marketing and sales use cases.
At the same time, risks have grown exponentially, as organizations balance concerns around data privacy and information security. "Nearly every analytics project that we're working on right now has run into a delay as we have encountered new data-security requirements," said one analytics leader at a large insurer.
Against this backdrop, CAOs also face plenty of organizational challenges as they strive to stand up a scalable analytics function. They must navigate long-standing processes, stitch together data silos, and challenge legacy power structures that keep analytics in the back seat to business.
The CEO mandate: Fact or fiction?
There's much debate about the likelihood of success without a CEO mandating that business leaders work with the CAO and his or her team to embed analytics into key operations, products, and decision-making processes. Indeed, the tone from the top is critical, emphasized one analytics leader: "If you don't have that message as clear as can be from the top, you will run into some of the challenges that we have faced, such as the relationship between data and, ultimately, IT versus analytics."
However, while a CEO mandate is imperative for paving the way for a CAO's success, it doesn't work like a magic wand, instantly pressing business leaders into action with a wave in the air. In other words, a mandate is not a substitute for CAO leadership.
"It's the CEO support that gets you in the door, but it's up to you to drive the change and build the right relationships," said a financial-services analytics leader.
CAOs often find themselves doing this heavy lifting with a limited sphere of influence. They typically do not have the profit-and-loss or revenue accountability that would grant them due power in the organization. Moreover, like chief marketing officers a decade ago, CAOs need—but typically lack—a true seat at the C-suite table, placing them at a disadvantage when trying to obtain adequate funding or resources to power the analytics agenda. (See the sidebar, "The CEO mandate: Fact or fiction?" for a discussion on the importance of CEO support for the CAO role.)
Enter the Catalyst
Arguably, none of the previous CAO personas could succeed in today's landscape. We've entered an era that requires a new CAO persona—the Catalyst—who embraces a style of leadership geared toward addressing the current demands, roadblocks, and scrutiny most companies face today when it comes to deploying AI and advanced analytics at scale. Catalysts approach their role very differently than did past CAO personas, in ways that those with more scientific and technical career backgrounds might not have ever done before. They both facilitate and lead the charge in five key areas. (To see if you approach the CAO role like a Catalyst, see Exhibit 3.)
1. Convening a coalition of equals
Catalysts build a tri-headed "coalition of equals" made up of the CAO, the business, and IT. Creating this coalition might be the most critical driver for bringing analytics initiatives to scale and success—and is often the most difficult to achieve due to long-standing hierarchies and the CAO's position as the "new C-suiter on the block."
As a group, this coalition of equals understands the company's need to compete with integrated capabilities in this hypercompetitive era and that silos—of data, business functions, or culture—will prevent them from doing so. It recognizes that integrating digital and analytics elements into nearly every existing product and service creates opportunities to offer entirely new products and services. The group knows success in these efforts is predicated on joint efforts, close collaboration, and shared ownership. The coalition shares equally in decision making, and coalition members rally around a common goal: gaining a disproportionate share of value from advanced analytics and AI compared with their competitors.
The former analytics leader at a leading financial-services company told us how developing such a coalition of equals enabled his company to build enterprise-wide capabilities, scaling from about 30 to 200 profitable, revenue-generating use cases in two years.
An analytics leader at an online retailer also found the coalition of equals instrumental in maintaining momentum when the innovation process is in its infancy. "Moving to AI-driven automation is a challenging process, and often it's the second and third iterations that work," he said. "But you have to have faith and momentum to get to those second and third iterations. The partnerships I had with other leaders allowed me to drive organization-wide changes and adoption."
Catalysts actively facilitate and take a leadership position in building the coalition, while bringing along other stakeholders at multiple levels. They do so in the following ways:
Recognizing that while a technical background is critical, there's much more to driving success. "While it's critical to get the math right, just getting the math right doesn't drive the change," said one insurance analytics leader. "You need the technical background to establish credibility, but the job is less about the technical aspect and more about employee development, resource allocation, vision setting, and leadership to manage the pace of change."
Putting business value front and center. The same insurance analytics leader stated: "It's gaining the trust of business-unit leaders by helping them to understand how the models influence business impact and, ultimately, drive profit and loss. That's what they're interested in."
Spending an outsized proportion of time on communicating with the CEO and other C-suite leaders to maintain their support. For example, a financial-services analytics leader set up monthly operational committee meetings with his COO, CIO, CFO, and business-unit heads to set a shared vision and review priorities, progress, new value-creation opportunities, and investment needs. Throughout the month, he met separately with committee members, along with other company leaders, to maintain alignment and buy-in. He estimated that more than one-third of his time was spent on executive alignment and strategy.
Another analytics leader emphasized the need to communicate—and to do so in a way that's in line with the C-suite's level of knowledge and past experience. For example, in presenting new pricing methods to business leaders, he highlighted that the notions of understanding underlying costs wouldn't change; the team would simply bring in more data about consumer behavior to drive a more precise understanding of pricing.
Spending considerable time codeveloping strategies with business leaders to align analytics opportunities and innovation with the business unit's vision and priorities. Joint ownership is essential, one analytics leader emphasized. He worked with business leaders to create a shared scorecard so that both analytics and the business were measured on the same outcomes.
Another leader found that starting from a perspective of joint learning and sharing helped him overcome skepticism and "earn the right" to advise on organizational implications and influence business strategy.
Viewing IT as a strategic partner rather than simply as an execution arm. This can include bringing IT into meetings to develop and formalize new business strategies, soliciting input from engineering teams, and ensuring IT receives recognition for its role in transformation initiatives. Ultimately, this type of partnership approach not only helps build a motivated IT organization but also attracts the best IT talent.
2. Building an enterprise capability
Catalysts also play the leadership role in analytics capability building across the organization, including working closely with the following:
The business on talent strategy—from hiring analytics translators to implementing agile software-development processes. One analytics leader we spoke with used internal hackathons that teamed analytics staff with business units to solve a critical problem. This not only helped analytics staff build translator skills to bridge data science and business but also helped raise the business's analytics IQ and gain a new cadre of "believers."
IT on data and technology strategy, including data governance and analytics methods and tools.
Risk and compliance (including the chief risk officer) as well as leaders across the organization on risk-mitigation strategies.
The executive's AI playbook
Explore the interactive
3. Integrating advanced analytics into the workflow
Catalysts lead and advise on how to integrate advanced analytics insights into workflows and decision making. They help business leaders understand that an analytics-driven organization requires a different approach to managing and how teams work. They know the business and its objectives and can pinpoint opportunities to embed more sophisticated analytics.
For example, the insurance analytics leader we spoke with drew from design-thinking methods to help his business identify how and where new data sources, such as genomic data, might influence traditional underwriting workflows.
Another analytics leader worked closely with his counterparts to educate and prepare the organization to overcome the human biases that could sabotage the move from traditional manual processes to AI-augmented processes.
4. Acting as a change agent
At their core, Catalysts are change agents—able to navigate organizational barriers to analytics adoption. Here, communication and relationship building on both individual and organizational levels are necessary. Leaders we spoke with used town halls, one-on-ones, and monthly and quarterly update meetings with key stakeholders to build support.
One leader we spoke with used a tiered approach—first building support with the top ten influencers, then another 50 key influencers, then 500, and beyond. Change doesn't occur overnight, and this work can take years. He said, "Ultimately, the goal is to get to the point where every employee has an analytics mind-set."
5. Advising their boards and CEOs
Catalysts support and advise their boards and CEOs, providing them with a foundational knowledge on the role of AI, orienting members on the company's journey compared with competitors, and educating them on the governance issues the company will face. They present both the fullness of the opportunity and the difficulty of the journey through one-on-one meetings and other venues. For example, one leader we spoke with identified data scientists and other team members who delivered "outsized contributions" and scheduled informational conversations with the CEO so they could share the work they were doing. "It was a great way for the CEO to gain a deep understanding on some of the key challenges, opportunities, and wins that we'd had and a great way for the data scientists and their managers to receive recognition from the CEO," he said.
How to become a Catalyst
Any CAO not regularly engaging in these activities is likely not yet a full-bore Catalyst. A sure sign that a CAO might be more on the path to "cataclysmic" rather than "catalystic" is that he or she is still "pushing" business units to embed analytics in meaningful ways rather than experiencing a "pull" from business units to partner strategically to transform the business.
"In the beginning, you have to do what the business units are asking for—like producing a report on customer attrition," said one analytics leader. "Over time, we saw the nature of the requests began to change. Instead of asking for a report, business leaders asked us what actions we could take to drive change."
Based on our experience with helping CAOs make the switch to Catalyst, there are three ways to get started.
Take time to take stock
It's important to take the time to conduct a thorough assessment of where the organization stands in terms of analytics IQ and adoption as well as where you stand as a leader.
To assess the current organizational situation, answer questions such as: How much value have prior analytics initiatives delivered? How much credibility does the function currently have? What expectations exist when it comes to both investment in analytics and business impact? Where are the pockets of resistance and openness? What tone did my predecessor set? How did he or she lead?
Understanding both past and present organizational dynamics will help illuminate existing perceptions that might derail your progress.
At the same time, it's important to take an honest look at your own leadership skills. All leaders we interviewed highlighted that their ability to influence every level of the organization was critical to their success. "Most of the day-to-day leadership is happening in small-group settings where you're influencing folks in their thinking," said one leader.
How you're perceived will have a strong influence on your organization's success. Are you balancing expertise with empathy? Do you actively encourage participation and input from others? Do you bring a positive attitude regardless of how things turn out?
With this body of self-knowledge and organizational knowledge, you can better plan your strategy. One CAO we recently worked with realized that while he excelled when it came to the more technical aspects of the job, breaking down silos and getting control of the narrative didn't come naturally to him. To succeed, he not only hired new talent who could complement his leadership but also enlisted the help of an executive coach for six months to help him manage the difficult conversations he had to have as he worked to forward the analytics agenda. Coaching offered the leader proven approaches so that, regardless of the outcome, participants left the room with greater understanding and respect.
Create a stakeholder map
While determining the state of the union offers an organizational perspective on barriers to change (including yourself), the stakeholder map can help identify key decision makers and gauge their individual appetite for analytics.
This is vital reconnaissance for everything from building your communication plan to prioritizing which analytic initiatives to pursue and when. The financial-services leader we spoke with used his stakeholder map (literally drawn as a pyramid on a piece of paper) as a compass to guide his relationship-building journey with nearly 60 general managers and organizational leaders across his company. He began his efforts focused on 15 leaders he deemed most critical and, over his first weeks and months, scheduled regular meetings to learn their priorities, concerns, and expectations directly. "Everyone comes from a different place, and there's a lot of difficult conversations that need to happen," he said. "Making personal time can help."
Increase your communications, regardless of where you are in the analytics transformation
The one regret we heard from successful analytics leaders was that they spent the bulk of their time at the outset on talent development and getting the technical details right. In hindsight, they told us, they wished they had spent more time on communications and alignment with the business in their early days to pave a faster path to success. The analytics leader of an online retailer found that external brand-building activities, such as externally published articles about the company's analytics innovation efforts, not only supported talent acquisition but also drove increased internal support. "Inevitably, people would receive the published article from friends and colleagues at another company," he said. "When someone in operations gets a note about how exciting the work is that the data-science team is doing, you get a lot of credibility."
Ongoing communications also help build the bridges necessary for change. Being a change agent isn't easy—as is commonly said, it can be lonely at the top—and many times it puts leaders at odds with others throughout their organizations. One CEO advised his analytics leader that "things may go your way only 50 percent of the time, and the other half we'll do something that's not fully aligned with where we want to be because the short-term benefit is greater to us."
Those who are successful typically find that a collaborative, problem-solving style fostered through ongoing communication is imperative.
Ultimately, we believe the Catalyst will become the dominant persona for CAOs of the next decade. The Catalyst skill set best positions CAOs to not only overcome today's challenges but also tackle those their organizations could encounter in the future—some as a result of the Catalyst's own success. For example, with their experience to date in capability building and deep knowledge of analytics outputs, Catalysts are well positioned to help in reskilling efforts for those whose jobs become more automated as AI and other advanced analytics become business staples.
CAOs who embrace the Catalyst persona may also be better prepared to accept wider leadership opportunities. Traditionally, CEOs have been hired primarily based on leadership and industry experience. But as data and analytics become more ingrained within businesses, we expect that the next wave of CEOs will also need strong analytics expertise. With analytics acumen and Catalyst leadership skills, today's CAOs could well become tomorrow's CEOs.
Brian McCarthy is a partner in McKinsey's Atlanta office, Chris McShea is a partner in the Chicago office, and Marcus Roth is a partner in the Tokyo office.
Breaking away: The secrets to scaling analytics
Discussion Paper - McKinsey Global Institute
Notes from the AI frontier: Applications and value of deep learning
Ten red flags signaling your analytics program will fail


Eight months ago I moved to the far west of Victoria in Australia.
It's one of the best decisions of my life.
This was taken about April when some stubble was being burnt off.
Yes, definitely in the west of the state @johnandrews The temps in Jan/Feb averaged in the 40's Celsius every day.
That looks really hot and dry. It must be pretty amzing to see the burning off during that season with some good photo opportunities too. Great photo capturing that part of the country.
Thanks Suzie, it is pretty impressive and makes for spectacular sunset colour.
anybody else we don't know on here?
A couple, some interesting discussions happening here.


If you're heading to Las Vegas soon and have no real idea of what to expect beyond what you've read online or seen in the movies, you're probably understandably a bit apprehensive. Fortunately, for all its glitz and hype, Las Vegas is a fairly safe city for visitors, and you can maximize your experience by sticking with a few simple guidelines.
Check out these eight tips that will help you make the most out your time in Sin City.
It can be easy to neglect drinking enough water while visiting Las Vegas, because there's so much to see and do. But temperatures on the are routinely over 100° well into the nighttime, and the air is notoriously dry. If you want to enjoy your trip – especially if you're planning on drinking – keep a bottle of water nearby at all times. I can't stress this enough.
To avoid these fees, try staying off the Strip at a hotel like the Cannery or Eastside Cannery. They're consistently rated some of the top hotel/casinos in town for locals, and you'll save a bunch of money that can be used on some of the great local entertainment.
Just like you'd expect from a city with the type of tourist traffic Las Vegas sees year-round, taxis are outrageously expensive and can sometimes be difficult to find. Avoid the stress and hassle by taking the LV Monorail or "The Deuce," a double-decker bus that runs up and down the Strip all night long. You'll wind up with dollars in your pocket to spend on things that matter more than just getting around.
It's often easy to overindulge while on vacation, and it's particularly easy in Las Vegas because the casinos supply customers with free drinks in order to keep them interested in the games. It can also be tempting to spend the afternoon at the hotel pool sipping on fruity cocktails. Accidentally overdoing it during the day means that you'll miss out on the fun that happens after the sun goes down, so put the brakes on when it comes to adult beverage consumption. Remember, all things in moderation.
The bright lights, constant movement, and throngs of people can be overwhelming to many visitors. If you find yourself feeling overloaded and want to see some gorgeous scenery, give yourself a break and slip out to the Valley of Fire. It's less than an hour from the Strip, but it's a world apart. The towering landscape and amazing red rock formations are something you can't see in most of the world, and it will save you serious money over taking a sightseeing flight to the Grand Canyon.
Do. Not. Stay. At. Circus. Circus.
You'll be tempted. The dirt-cheap prices available from your pick of travel websites will draw you into thinking, "You know, I could really save a ton of money if I just stay there." Don't do it. Don't ever, ever do it. The same goes for Excalibur and Luxor, which share nearly identical – though not quite as terrible – Yelp ratings with Circus Circus. Others to be wary of include the Flamingo and Stratosphere, both of which offer cheap prices and hit-or-miss rooms. You'll thank me later.
If you're looking to have an incredible Vegas experience, do it right and go all-out. The majority of visitors – particularly first-timers – try to piece together a budget vacation made up of Groupon deals and Priceline bookings. Do yourself a favor. Go see a Cirque du Soleil show. They're incredible and totally worth the cost. Spend a night at Drai's night club, with its insane outdoor views of the Strip. Go all-out and fly in your own stunt plane at Sky Combat Ace. There's so much more to do in Vegas than spend your nights in a cut-rate hotel and walk from bar to bar sipping discount cocktails.
Believe it or not, the Strip is actually a pretty safe place to be at night (as long as you stay south of Sahara.) But it's always a good idea to stay close to your group, since there are plenty of hustlers, prostitutes, and drunks everywhere you go. Again, I'm not saying you're in imminent danger. But a lost 21-year old female obviously separated from her group could make an attractive target for an unsavory character. Just be smart, and use the buddy system.
Las Vegas is truly a town like any other. Be smart, stay safe, and use plenty of sunscreen, and you're sure to have an unforgettable vacation.


Many of us love how CATIA V5 works in 3D. But eventually we need to create 2D representations of our 3D models. This is when Drafting or drawing mode in V5 comes in. This video is intended for giving CATIA users an extensive overview of how to create views and annotations. I tried to make it simple and easy to follow. It's also great for those who took a CATIA class a while back and forgot a lot of the small details. There are many tricks and tips highlighted here. So download it and watch it at your own convenience. Youtube only allows for 10 min long video uploads. So, I can make available the entire video. Now, due to the size of the file, please send me a private message and I will reply with a private download link.
Your section was quite interesting.
I would like to know more about drafting.Keep blogging.
Really nice, you see when someone is good and have teaching skills!
I have tried a number of different ways to open the zipped file for drafting basics,but video will not play,audio is there.I used Winzip,Winrar,7Zip.It willnot play on windows Media player,or Div X Player;Help!
How do i send you a private msg?
CATIA V5 - where did that icon go?
Is interaction with CAD/CAM software evolving?


text:
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(RNS) When it comes to outrage, the Internet abhors a vacuum.
The latest missives in the continuing culture wars have come from different sides of Christianity over, of all things, the new design of the Starbucks red cup. This year's rollout saw a plain red cup, rather than the decorated cups of Christmas past, and one guy got mad.
Joshua Feuerstein is an "American evangelist, Internet and social media personality." He used to be a pastor, but has had some success now as a maker of YouTube videos, which put his raspy voice and confrontational manner to good use.
A few days ago, Feuerstein went to a local Starbucks wearing his Jesus shirt and carrying a gun (because Starbucks hates the Second Amendment, he claimed). He told some unwitting barista that his name was "Merry Christmas," so that they would have to write that Christian message on his cup, and then uploaded a video to Facebook encouraging his followers to do the same: "I think in the age of political correctness we've become so open-minded our brains have literally fallen out of our head," he said. So THAT'S why he's always wearing that backwards baseball cap.
None of the articles decrying some amorphous group of "Christians" for hating on Starbucks took into account that this whole thing was actually about one guy who makes his living creating outrageous content. But neither have the Christian responses, which have roundly condemned "these people" who want to put the Christ back in Starbucks, because they haven't bothered to see if they actually exist.
There is a very tiny group of people out there who want to have "Merry Christmas" written on their Starbucks cups, and more power to them. It will get literally nothing done, and they are being very silly. But that's it! We don't need to shed more ink or anguish over why those Christians are doing a ridiculous thing, especially not if the whole point is to separate ourselves and our evolved faith from other people and their immature faith. Superiority is not a good look for Christians.
i.e. Christmas is historically a non-event.
Matt 7: 13-23 fails rigorous historic testing as does Luke 13:23-24 . e.g.
You might want to review the contemporary studies of the historic Jesus before your next, repetitive commentary.
Wow, hundreds of thousands of people are distressed because coffee cups are not suitably observant? How strange. When last I looked Starbucks was in the high-priced coffee business and not a religious establishment.
Rather just have a red cup then some generic "Season Greetings" or "Happy Holidays" . Maybe Starbucks could have cups with all the holiday names on it or a customer could order a grande latte labeled with the holiday name most appropriate for the buyer to make ordering that much more complicated.
Starbucks still has its "Christmas" blend so they have not sold out altogether. Everyone else will want a blend just for their holiday too. Can't wait to try them all.
Of course none of this has anything to do with the real Christmas.
Starbucks has stood for equality before the law, freedom for all, and treating people decently. This is the company that offers a free four-year college education to the spouses and children of veterans and active military personnel.
Then there are the people throwing a major hissy and calling for a boycott of that company because a disposable cup is red, not sufficiently Christian, and doesn't greet them personally in the way they wish to be greeted by their disposable cup.
As always, if you want to find people who don't believe in Chrsitianity, just look for the people who claim they are far more Chrstian than thou.
I have no idea why anyone would be upset that, this year, there's no "Jesus" or "Merry Christmas" or religious symbols/words on their cups. Starbucks has never put any of those things on their holiday cups in past years. Never once.
This sounds like a publicity stunt on the part of some religious fanatics. Who cares?
I suggest we all make a call on Starbucks this season, and comment on the nice red and green cups. Tell the barista that you like the festive cups for this season, pay them, tip, and wish them a "blessing of the season." As Russell Moore of the SBC Christian Life Commission states that he won't be fighting the war against Christmas battle this year.
I'll have to go find a Starbucks because i don't usually go there.


text:
December 5, 1932 (age 86)
Macon, Georgia
Richard Wayne Penniman
Who Is Little Richard?
"God gives us the ability, but rock 'n' roll was created by men."
Little Richard Biography
Singer (1932–)
Known for his flamboyant performances, Little Richard's hit songs from the mid-1950s were defining moments in the development of rock 'n' roll.
Born Richard Wayne Penniman on December 5, 1932, in Macon, Georgia, Little Richard helped define the early rock 'n' roll era of the 1950s with his driving, flamboyant sound. With his croons, wails and screams, he turned songs like "Tutti-Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally" into huge hits and influenced such bands as the Beatles.
Born Richard Wayne Penniman on December 5, 1932, in Macon, Georgia, Little Richard was the third of 12 children. His father, Bud, was a stern man who made his living selling moonshine and didn't do much to hide his disdain for his son's early signs of homosexuality. At the age of 13 Richard was ordered to move out of the family home, and his relationship with his father was never repaired. When Richard was 19, his father was shot dead outside a local bar.
The childhood that Richard did manage to have was largely shaped by the church. Two of his uncles as well as his grandfather were preachers, and Richard was involved with the church as much as anyone in his family, singing gospel and eventually learning to play the piano.
Upon moving out of his family's home, Richard was taken in by a white family who owned a club in Macon, where Richard eventually began performing and honing his talent.
In 1951 Richard caught his first major break when a performance at an Atlanta radio station yielded a record contract with RCA. But with a repertoire of mainly mild blues numbers that masked the searing vocals and piano that would come to define his rock music, Richard's career failed to take off as he'd hoped it would.
In 1955 Richard hooked up with Specialty Records producer Art Rupe, who'd been hunting for a piano-pounding frontman to lead a group of musicians in New Orleans. In September, Richard stepped into the recording studio and pumped out "Tutti-Frutti," an instant Billboard hit that reached No. 17.
Over the next year and a half, the musician churned out several more rock hits, including "Long Tall Sally," "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Send Me Some Lovin'." With his blood-pumping piano playing and suggestive lyrics, Little Richard, along with the likes of Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, established rock as a real musical form and inspired others, most notably the Beatles, to make a go of it. In addition to his records, Little Richard appeared in several early rock films, such as Don't Knock the Rock (1956), The Girl Can't Help It (1957) and Mister Rock 'n' Roll (1957).
But as his success soared, Little Richard, fueled by his earlier connections to the church, saw his doubts about rock deepen. In 1957 he abruptly and publicly quit performing rock and committed himself to the ministry and recording gospel songs. He recorded his debut religious album, God Is Real, in 1959.
In 1964, following the Beatles' recording of "Long Tall Sally," Little Richard plunged back into rock music. Over the ensuing decades Little Richard would continue to perform and record, but the public response failed to match the enthusiasm that greeted his earlier success.
Still, his importance in the development of rock music has never been questioned. In 1986 Little Richard was one of the 10 original inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 1993, and a year later the Rhythm & Blues Foundation honored him with its prestigious Pioneer Award.
In recent years, the once-dynamic performer has taken a break from the concert stage. He fell ill during a show in Washington, D.C., during the summer of 2012. The following September, Little Richard suffered a heart attack. He described the incident to Cee Lo Green during an interview in Atlanta: "The other night, I didn't know I was having a heart attack. I was coughing, and my right arm was aching.'
The singer took a baby aspirin, which his doctor credited with saving his life. The deeply religious music icon attributed his survival to a higher power: "Jesus had something for me. He brought me through."
https://www.biography.com/musician/little-richard
American singer and pianist Fats Domino was a rhythm-and-blues star who became one of the first rock-and-roll stars and who helped define the New Orleans sound.
Richard Pryor was a groundbreaking African-American comedian and one of the top entertainers of the 1970s and '80s.
Richard Speck
In 1966, Richard Speck committed one of the most horrifying mass murders in American history when he brutalized and killed eight student nurses living on Chicago's South Side.
From The Sound of Music to Oklahoma! to South Pacific, Richard Rodgers helped change the face of Broadway musicals, giving them stories and making them both memorable and "hum-able."
Musician and actor Elvis Presley rose to fame in the mid-1950s—on the radio, TV and the silver screen—and continues to be one of the biggest names in rock 'n' roll.
Chuck Berry was one of the most influential rock 'n' roll performers in music history. He's known for songs including "Maybellene" and "Johnny B. Goode."
Richard Nixon was the 37th U.S. president and the only commander-in-chief to resign from his position, after the 1970s Watergate scandal.
Born into slavery in 1760, Richard Allen later bought his freedom and went on to found the first national black church in the United States, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, in 1816.
Richard Wagner is best known for creating several complex operas, including Tristan and Isolde and Ring Cycle, as well as for his anti-semitic writings.


...with an extremely lucky ending for the driver.
This is an awesome 7 seconds of video. Teenagers give everyone around them hell, but they balance the scale by doing stupid things such as this and getting them on tape.
hahaha #1 humans alway want to try anything even if it is dangerous of stupid but they will try it so !!! that was awesome!!!!!!
lolz. The inflamed tires don't submerge in water. That was a crazy attempt without thinking on the physics first.
banzemanga! you idiot! physics of inflated tyres hitting the water! what you on about?
i can't believe there are people in the pool ..
Lol.Thats the part of some people.
You dont have to prove you are good in something so crazy.
if he would jump just bit more far.... maybe he would be died or injured seriously.
I think he was supposed to land in the water, but the bike hit the edge of the pool. With that speed and him on the bike I don't think the bike would have had any problem getting submerged. There isn't that much air in bicycletires.
at start "dont do it!"
His Guardian Angel must have a full time job. Wottan idiot.


Doug Kershaw is yet another testament to the unique vitality of America's regional music scenes, and specifically, the musical fertility of southwest Louisiana. Kershaw crossed over to the world of pop when he signed a deal with Warner Bros. at the end of the 1960s, becoming a star and a hip purveyor of Cajun culture at rock clubs and on festival stages worldwide. Interestingly, he'd already sold millions of records as a country artist, and had been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since the late 1958. He dragged the sound of a whining Cajun fiddle into the mainstream with "Diggy Diggy Lo" and "Louisiana Man" (the latter has been covered countless times). Kershaw remains an active artist and has never abandoned his Cajun roots.


This week's 7 Quick Takes includes a breakfast Star Wars tribute.
These week's 7 Quick takes covers ongoing Easter celebrations, camping, a visit to the cemetery and much more!
This week's 7 Quick Takes includes Easter fun and a trip to the zoo.
Two boys and two bicycles and two bicycle helmets and a new love for bargain shopping. Not bad for a beautiful spring afternoon.
For weeks our first grader has been reminding me that soon it would be our turn to bring the snack to Cub Scouts. I haven't focused much on it, but he has been taking it very seriously.Our turn came the Wednesday before Easter—Spy Wednesday—so I suggested we should bring pretzels.
How did you celebrate April Fools Day?
This Lenten season, as we fast and serve and pray, I hope we can try to find moments just to be with God.


text:
Q: calculate time difference between two hours in timeformat hh:mm:ss java I  am trying  to calculate the difference between two hours. Time format must be hh:mm:ss! I implement this code:
public static String timeDifference(long timeDifference1) {

    long timeDifference = timeDifference1 / 1000;
    int h = (int) (timeDifference / (3600));
    int m = (int) ((timeDifference - (h * 3600)) / 60);
    int s = (int) (timeDifference - (h * 3600) - m * 60);

    return String.format("%02d:%02d:%02d", h, m, s);
}

public static void main(String[] args) throws ParseException {
    Scanner sc = new Scanner(System.in);
    while (sc.hasNext()) {
        String timeStart = sc.next();
        String timeStop = sc.next();
        char lol[]=timeStop.toCharArray();
        if(lol[0]=='0' && lol[1]=='0'){
            lol[0]='2';
            lol[1]='4';
        }
        String tetx=String.valueOf(lol);
        timeStop=tetx;

        char kk[]=timeStart.toCharArray();
        if(kk[0]=='0' && kk[1]=='0'){
            kk[0]='2';
            kk[1]='4';
        }
        String hhh=String.valueOf(kk);
        timeStart=hhh;

        SimpleDateFormat format = new SimpleDateFormat("hh:mm:ss");

        Date d1 = null;
        Date d2 = null;

        d1 = format.parse(timeStart);
        d2 = format.parse(timeStop);

        long diff;

        if (d1.getTime() > d2.getTime()) {
            diff = (int) (d1.getTime() - d2.getTime());

        } else
            diff = (int) (d2.getTime() - d1.getTime());

        System.out.println(timeDifference(diff));

    }
}

Input must be:
10:03:43 15:00:58

13:00:00 14:00:00

00:00:00 12:05:00

12:05:00 00:00:00

And output:
04:57:15

01:00:00

12:05:00

11:55:00

But i get
04:57:15

01:00:00

00:05:00

00:05:00

How can i fix this?

A: Don't reinvent the wheel. You can do all of this with the java.time package.
The logic becomes slightly less elegant once we have the requirement that a second value of 00:00:00 represents tomorrow. We need to use LocalDateTimes and potentially add a day:
private static String getDifference(final String first, final String second)
{
    final LocalTime firstTime = LocalTime.parse(first, DateTimeFormatter.ISO_LOCAL_TIME);
    final LocalTime secondTime = LocalTime.parse(second, DateTimeFormatter.ISO_LOCAL_TIME);

    final LocalDateTime firstDateTime = LocalDateTime.of(LocalDate.now(), firstTime);
    final LocalDateTime secondDateTime = LocalDateTime.of(
        LocalDate.now().plusDays(second.equals("00:00:00") ? 1 : 0),
        secondTime
    );

    final Duration diff = Duration.between(firstDateTime, secondDateTime).abs();

    return String.format(
        "%02d:%02d:%02d",
        diff.toDaysPart() < 1 ? diff.toHoursPart() : 24,
        diff.toMinutesPart(),
        diff.toSecondsPart()
    );
}

Call like so:
System.out.println(getDifference("12:05:00", "00:00:00"));

Sample output:

11:55:00

Please note that toMinutesPart and its sibling methods were added in JDK 9. The logic is fairly similar in JDK 8 but more verbose.

A: The answer by Michael is good (+1). Allow me to add that you don't need to mention any formatter (though I also see the advantage of being explicit about the format) and you don't need to invent an artificial and probably incorrect date to deal with the 24:00 issue.
        LocalTime start = LocalTime.parse(timeStart);
        LocalTime stop = LocalTime.parse(timeStop);
        if (stop.isAfter(start)) { // the normal situation
            System.out.println(formatDuration(Duration.between(start, stop)));
        } else if (stop.equals(LocalTime.MIDNIGHT)) {
            System.out.println(
                    formatDuration(Duration.between(start, stop).plusDays(1)));
        } else {
            System.out.println("End time " + timeStop + " was before start time " + timeStart);
        }

I am assuming that the times are on the same date except that an end time of 00:00:00 would mean midnight at the end of the day (sometimes called 24.00 where I come from). If you need to calculate, say from 13:00 one day to 13:00 to the next day as 24 hours, just delete the second if condition and the last else block.
Feeding your example input gives the output you asked for:
04:57:15
01:00:00
12:05:00
11:55:00

As Michael mentions, the toMinutesPart and toSecondsPart methods were introduced in Java 9. For how to format the duration in earlier Java versions see my answer here.
What went wrong in your code?
To parse times on a 24 hour clock correctly (12:05:00, 13:00:00, 14:00:00, 15:00:58) you need to use uppercase HH for hour of day. Lowercase hh is for hour within AM or PM from 01 to 12 inclusive. When you don't specify AM or PM, AM is used as default. So 10:03:43 is parsed as you expected. Funnily 15:00:58 is too even though there is no 15:00:58 AM. SimpleDateFormat just extrapolates. The trouble comes with 12:05:00 since 12:05:00 AM means 00:05:00. On my computer I got 23:55:00 (not 00:05:00, as you said you got). This is because you had first altered the start time into 24:00:00 and next calculated the time from 00:05:00 to 24:00:00, which is 23:55:00. Since you know which time is the start time and which is the end time, you probably shouldn't swap them in the case where they seem to be in the wrong order. In your last example I got 23:55:00 too. What happens is the same except the times aren't swapped since 00:05:00 is already before 24:00:00.

A: Please change hh to HH in SimpleDateFormat. This will give you result in 24 hour format. https://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/java/text/SimpleDateFormat.html
SimpleDateFormat format = new SimpleDateFormat("HH:mm:ss");

A: You can add date to fix it:
import java.time.LocalTime;
import java.time.LocalDate;
import java.time.Duration;
import java.time.LocalDateTime;
import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter;

public class MyClass {
    public static void main(String args[]) {

        DateTimeFormatter formatter =
            DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("yyyy.MM.dd HH:mm:ss");
        LocalTime timeStart  = LocalTime.parse("00:00:00");
        LocalTime timeStop  = LocalTime.parse("12:05:00");
        LocalDateTime dateTime1 = LocalDateTime.of(LocalDate.now(), timeStart);
        LocalDateTime dateTime2 = LocalDateTime.of(LocalDate.now(), timeStop);
        executeDifference(dateTime1, dateTime2);

        LocalTime timeStart2  = LocalTime.parse("12:05:00");
        LocalTime timeStop2  = LocalTime.parse("00:00:00");
        LocalDateTime dateTime3 = LocalDateTime.of(LocalDate.now(), timeStart2);
        LocalDateTime dateTime4 = LocalDateTime.of(LocalDate.now().plusDays(1), timeStop2);
        executeDifference(dateTime3, dateTime4);
    }

     private static void executeDifference(LocalDateTime timeStart, LocalDateTime timeStop) {
        Duration duration = Duration.between(timeStart, timeStop);
        durationOutput(duration);
    }

    private static void durationOutput(Duration duration) {
        long hours = duration.toHours();
        long minutes = duration.toMinutes() - (hours * 60);
        long seconds = duration.getSeconds() - (hours * 3600) - (minutes * 60);
        System.out.println(timeUnitsOutput(hours) + ":" + timeUnitsOutput(minutes) + ":" + timeUnitsOutput(seconds));
    }

    private static String timeUnitsOutput(long units) {
        return (units < 10) ? ("0" + units) : String.valueOf(units);
    }
}

The output will be:

12:05:00
11:55:00

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Selling your property in the Winter. Is Winter the new spring?
While people need to have a home all year round, there are times of the year that have proven to be more popular when it comes to selling homes. The main focus for property sales have fallen on spring and autumn, and you can see why these times of the year have been the busier periods for selling property. Spring is the time when people emerge from the winter months and there is often an impetus for a fresh start and people finally feel energised to take action. The thought of moving home on a spring day is more appealing than doing so on a wintry day, so you can see why people hold this opinion. Summer can be variable due to summer holidays so it makes sense that autumn is a more popular time for people to move home. After this, there was always a lull during winter but in recent times, there have been suggestions that winter is an increasingly popular time to sell your property.
Buying and selling homes is a year-round activity so there have always been property sales and purchases made at this time of year. Nowadays though, the volume is rising and there is no reason why people shouldn't sell their homes at this time of year.
It is easy to say that winter time doesn't suit a lot of people when buying or selling homes but it would be fair to say that it does suit many people. A lot of people are involved with seasonal work which means that the spring and summer may be the busiest periods of the year for them. For these people, getting involved in the property market when they have more time is sensible and the fact that it falls during the winter period shouldn't matter, it is the option that is the most convenient for them.
If you want to get a proper feel for what your home is like and whether it will be able to withstand difficult weather conditions, see it during the period where there is poor weather conditions. There is a lot to be said for viewing properties in winter when the weather is poor, the sky is dark and you can get a feel for how warm or dry the property feels. If you inspect properties in spring or summer, you may not get a true reflection on how the property will stand up to harsh weather conditions. Searching during the colder, wetter and darker months may save you considerable money in the long-term.
You only have to think about New Year Resolutions and the way that this time of year seems to galvanise people into taking action. If you are looking to make a positive change, buying or selling property at New Year may be exactly what you need from life.


text:
Home » Press Release » 3,000 hectare land planted to hybrid rice in La Paz, Tarlac as the LGU hopes to make La Paz export-oriented agricultural trade center
3,000 hectare land planted to hybrid rice in La Paz, Tarlac as the LGU hopes to make La Paz export-oriented agricultural trade center
BD February 24, 2017 Press Release No comments
A 3,000-hectare land had been planted to the high-yielding hybrid rice in La Paz, Tarlac with a government subsidy program that aims to make Tarlac an export-oriented agriculture trading center.
The aim of the local government units (LGU) of Tarlac—the provincial LGU and the La Paz town LGU— to make the province's agricultural products export-bound is not impossible since Tarlac is already a known Philippine okra capital.
It exports some $7 million worth of okra to Japan from planting on some 200 hectares mainly from La Paz.
Consequently, a hybrid rice subsidy program may eventually enable the province to export rice to the United States.
This, though, should be fancy rice which is the rice type that is not banned to be exported from the Philippines
"We received a letter from a New York institution (Buona Vita) requesting us to provide a list of our rice producers since they want to import rice from us. We want to see what their requirements are because their inquiry shows their interest to do business with us," said Dr. Edwina K. Tabamo, Tarlac provincial agriculturist.
Tarlac Gov. Victor A. Yap subsidized planting of SL-8H hybrid rice by P1,000 per bag per hectare for 500 hectares.
At the town level. La Paz Mayor Michael "Bong" M. Manuel provided another P1,000 subsidy per hectare for another 500 hectares for a combined total subsidy of P1 million.
Farmers in La Paz was convinced to shift to hybrid rice which is the answer to much of La Paz' flooding problems.
As many La Paz rice farms are submerged in flood during the rainy season, they are only able to plant once a year. Their usual yearly was between 50 to 70 cavans per hectare. But hybrid rice practically doubles their harvest.
"With SL-8, they are able to harvest in one cropping what they would harvest in two croppings," said Michelle Lim Gankee, SL Agritech Corp. (SLAC) assistant to the president.
Farmers also realized that the cost of inbred and hybrid seeds are about the same.
Inbreds cost only P1,200 per bag. But farmers have to buy three bags per cropping which raises their cost to P3,600 per hectare. With the subsidy from the government, SL-8H's cost had been brought down to P3,800 per bag instead of P4,800.
Alfredo Magdangal, 68, one of Tarlac's newly discovered outstanding farmers, confessed to having realized only now the value of hybrid rice. This is after 45 years that he has been planting rice.
In the dry cropping of 2012, he planted hybrid rice on his entire 21-hectare land. At an average of P100,000 net income per hectare, he netted around P1 million in his first try at hybrid rice farming.
This dry cropping season, though, he spent more money for fertilizer and irrigation since the absence of rain prompted him to pump up water, thereby spending for electricity. His expense increased from P25,000-P26,000 to P35,000-P40,000.
Yet, his net income was still at around P70,000 per hectare.
"The difference in our harvest is big," said Magdangal in Filipino. "We didn't believe in hybrid rice before. We couldn't believe 18 kilos of seeds was enough for one hectare. We're hesitant to put more money in seeds. But when I first tried it, I harvested 160 cavans. With inbred it was only 70 to 80 cavans."
With his additional income, Magdangal is happy that he may now be able to buy another piece of land, while he is also presently building his dream house.
"I will no longer leave hybrid rice until I die," he said.
Tarlac export strategy
The Tarlac provincial government wants to take advantage of Tarlac's strategic proximity to the country's biggest market, Metro Manila, being just one hour away to it through the expressways.
"Tarlac is sufficient in rice. We're even exporting to other provinces," said Tabamo. "We're preparing to raise production more as we're now constructing our first rice processing complex."
The first complex—which will have a miller, dryer, and storage—is now being established in Amucao, Tarlac City. It costs P6 million. Two other rice complexes costing P16 million and P32 million are in the pipeline.
Tabamo said the development of hybrid rice areas in Tarlac can also be included in the $500 million Philippine Rural Development Program (RDP).
PRDP has the following components: farm to market roads, irrigation, and farm-related buildings.
For the first time since government promoted in 2001 hybrid rice as a flagship program to achieve food security, the Tarlac LGUs initiated support for it. SL-8H is now planted on 43 percent of La Paz's 7,000-hectare rice land.
Manuel said La Paz is also asking SLAC for possible assistance on market for SL-8H.
"It's the first time in 2010 that our local government supported hybrid rice. Before farmers weren't yet aware (of the advantages) of hybrid rice," said Manuel. "We just need to be assured that farmers will have a market. Yes (expansion is possible) especially with support for a market."
La Paz further intensified its interest in hybrid rice since the Philippine Rice Research Institute (Philrice) and the Food and Agriculture Organization implemented in 2010 the program "Increasing Rice Yields and Productivity through the Promotion of Small-Scale Irrigation and Integrated Crop Management Systems in Rainfed Areas." Its main interventions were cultural management and irrigation.
The use of high yielding seeds became the gap in this Philrice program which the LGU provided. Hybrid rice seeds are recognized by rice breeders as a major factor in raising yield contributing to at least 25 percent of incremental harvest.
ABOUT HYBRID RICE
Hybrid rice is a product of the breeding, or cross pollination, of two genetically different parents that have superior traits– for instance, one high-yielding and another one with grains that are aromatic (a palatable smell and taste). It is generally superior over inbred varieties that are a result of the mating of two very related parents that cannot offer much trait advantage. Inbreeding also comes naturally in the form of self-pollination that occurs in many plants– orchids, peas, and legumes like peanut. In these plants, male and female reproductive organs are within the same plant, enabling pollination within itself.
Hybrid rice production does not involve genetic modification as in genetically modified organisms, but it is considered a natural way of breeding through selection of plant materials that have the desired trait.
ABOUT SL AGRITECH CORP. (SLAC)
SLAC is the Philippines' biggest producer of hybrid rice seeds and is the country's pioneer in hybrid rice research and development (R&D). At a time when businesses veer away from agriculture owing to its inherent risks brought about by weather, nature-related, and calamity-related uncertainties, SLAC's parent firm Sterling Group of Companies, stuck its neck out, took the risk, and invested capital in hybrid rice R&D. Today, SLAC produces popular hybrid rice seed SL-8H which has helped uplift the lives of many Filipino farmers through higher rice yield. By empowering them through training by SLAC technicians in precision farming skills and the pride to sell good-quality rice, many farmers are now able to educate their children, become farm entrepreneurs, and enjoy a higher standard of living. SLAC also produces the Dona Maria premium rice Miponica and Jasponica, the "best tasting rice in the Philippines, probably the whole world." The company has international partnerships in Asia, the Pacific, and Africa in a humanitarian aim to help solve food security threats and global hunger.
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Representative Pete Sessions, a Republican from Dallas, Texas, called the stimulus wasteful, and then asked Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for $81 million from the stimulus for a project in the Carrollton suburb, suggesting the project would create jobs.
Representative Brad Ellsworth, a Democrat from Indiana, receivedd $6,500 from Duke Energy's political action committe (PAC). He voted against the stimulus and then later wrote for a grant from the Energy Department for Duke Energy.
Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, voted against the stimulus package, and sent a letter to the Department of Transportation for money for the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Senator Scott Brown, a Republican from Massachusetts, spoke against the stimulus package's ability to create jobs. He wrote a letter requesting stimulus money for the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) saying that it would help entrepreneurs and job creators. MBI was awarded $45.4 million.
Representative Walt Minnick, a Democrat from Idaho, voted against the stimulus bill, and wrote letters to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke for money for broadband projects.
To read the entire article, click on Stimulating Hypocrisy: Scores of Recovery Act Opponents Sought Money Out of Public View.


The future of dance lies where there are persons who do not dance. These belong to two categories: those who simply did not learn, and those who think that they are not able to dance. They represent the greatest challenge for the dance teacher's profession.
In line with UNESCO's struggle against prejudice and discrimination, we are trying to expand the boundaries of dance and to change the current perception of what a dancer is. Dance performances are not necessarily exhibitions of extreme physicality, accurate precision, or bursting emotion - they can be celebrations of interaction between performers. We can enrich dance concerts with dancers, singers, actors, narrators, mimes, acrobats etc., of all ages and all degrees of ability.
We are at The Exchange Gallery, Penzance with the WHITE BOX BLACK BOX an interactive installation by Biljana Lipic Would be great to see you there! See our Art Events & Gallery page for more information.
On Saturday 28 March 2009 at 8.30pm, during our introductory Shamanic Tango workshop, we will make our contribution to the WWF's global project Earth Hour by switching our lights off for at least an hour. At the same time we shall enjoy the often forgotten sensuality of being in darkness, de-lighted by the stars, the moon over the sea and the candlelight! Join us or do it your way... in any case do sign up for the WWF's Earth Hour!
Like our friend Ray Shaw would say: Whoosh!!!
And may the bees, which seem to have decided to vanish without a trace in such huge numbers, come back to share the same air with us!
Challenging months for some of us! Question then naturally poses - did we enjoy everything that was there to be enjoyed?
Also, soon to come, more of our Workshop Encounters throughout 2008. Please visit us again to read further details...Or let us know if you wish to join our e-mailing list to be regularly updated.


What Was the Best 100 Mile Debut of 2009?
With the iRunFar faithful having named the top 100 mile performances of the year (that would be Krissy Moehl's Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc and Geoff Roes's Wasatch 100), we thought we'd follow up on something we did last year. Namely, have you choose the best 100 mile debut of 2009. We'll help you out by providing some nominees to start with. However, we've learned our lesson and will hold off on opening our poll until Monday, January 11. That way, we can add to the nominees those notable 100 mile debuts that we may have missed. Let us know who those folks may be… or if one of our nominees has previously run a 100 miler!
[1/11/10 Update] The poll is up with no additions, so go vote. The poll will remain open until 5 p.m. EST on Friday, January 15. Interested in who the winner is? Well, get family and friends to vote for your pick!
Lynette, who? Don't feel embarrassed if you don't know who Lynette is even after her surprise win at the Leadville 100. Everyone expected the women's win to come down to a battle between Jamie Donaldson and Darcy Africa. While those ladies battled all day, Lynette finished nearly an hour ahead of both of them. Her 20:58:01 was a great time on a surprisingly hot day.
Zachariah Miller's been running fast ultras for a long while now. Way back in 2003, he was second at the JFK 50 mile with a time of 6:10:02. Still, he'd never run a 100 miles until the Western States 100. It was there that he ran 17:34:12. His sixth place is quite impressive, when you consider how deep the field was, how hot it was, and the fact that he was coming from Bozeman, Montana. It wasn't pretty, but it was one hell of a performance!
Sometimes it's hard to believe that Anita Ortiz's Western States 100 was her first 100 miler. First off, she's been such a great trail runner for so long that it's hard to think of her as a "rookie" at whatever the distance. More important, she beat some of the best and most experienced women's 100 milers in the US to win Western States. We're talking the likes of Krissy Moehl, Beverly Anderson-Abbs, and Nikki Kimball, just to name a few. Her 18:24:17 was also good enough to put her in 9th place overall.
In October, Amy Palmiero-Winters pulled off a remarkable feat in winning the Heartland 100 by running 18:54:13. What makes Amy accomplishment all the more noteworthy is that she's an amputee. Yup, she's missing her left leg below her knee and still won the race.
Prior to this year's Leaville 100 there was lots of talk about how talented Timmy Parr is. However, there was an equal amount of chatter about Leadville being his first 100. Well, Timmy went on to run 17:27:23 while beating the two previous Leadville champions. He had to battle the heat and some rough sections en route to outlasting his good friend Duncan Callahan.
Thanks for the points, because they al are incredibly impressive! The girls (Lynnette and Anita) are especially as they did battle some freakish field.
Lynnette is a Leadville local. She is a high school music teacher who loves to run. Very nice and generous person.
Maybe not the "best" 100 mile debut, but I was a pacer for Jason Robillard in the Hallucination 100, which he ran barefoot and in VFF's.I think running a 100 anywhere with 3mm of protection is pretty impressive!Great list by the way.
Anita Ortiz and Timmy Parr all the way. Lynette's run was awesome too, but not quite as fast in terms of where the records are. Both Trason records I believe.
A possible addition – Rachel Furman won for the females at OT100 in her first 100 mile attempt. Tough race with a 44% finishers rate.
my man Nick Lewis at Leadville, 2nd overall in his inaugural 100.
I know Anita's Western win was by far the top women's debut performance last year, but check out Sawtooth Superior 100 winner Eva Pastalkova's performance. She was 7th overall on a very difficult course in her first-ever 100.
I would have liked to see Stephanie Chase's VT100 run on this list.


With Yung6ix celebrating his birthday a few days ago, the talented rapper blessed us with a fresh "One Take" freestyle yesterday. As a token, here's something previously unreleased from the KKTBM vaults titled "Shabba" featuring Dancehall star gyal, Cynthia Morgan.
From all indications, this joint won't be on 6ix's album; a huge surprise, considering how dope it sounds.


It's Friday the 13th and something spooky this way comes, folks. Death looms high above the family as they appreciate Sega CD's Night Trap, determine how many years Scottie Pippen's got left in the tank, and of course enjoy Buffa's story time as he tucks us into bed with the reading of a classic game box.
Buckle up for The Cartridge Family's weirdest outing yet. On today's show we acknowledge the rule of 3s as it pertains to Scottie Pippen's participation in a '90s FMV game before we try and pinpoint the exact moment SE (Space Era) began along the course of human history. The family is clearly breathing those Friday the 13th fumes because today is just no ordinary day. It's a wild ride, but a fun one and we do hope you'll join us for it.
Also on today's show are some gaming headlines from the week, a quick explanation of why Stardew Valley is so fun, a controversial take on Star Fox's first flight and Edge Magazine's recent review of Super Mario Odyssey. Find The Cartridge Family on iTunes (http://bit.ly/cartridgefam-itunes), Google Play (http://bit.ly/cartridgefam-googleplay), Stitcher (http://bit.ly/cartridgefam-stitcher) or wherever you listen to podcasts!