text:
Q: Why is the Median Less Sensitive to Extreme Values Compared to the Mean? I am sure we have all heard the following argument stated in some way or the other:

*

*For a given set of measurements (e.g. heights of students), the mean of these measurements is more "prone" to be influenced by outliers compared to the median of these same measurements.
Conceptually, the above argument is straightforward to understand. The median is not directly calculated using the "value" of any of the measurements, but only using the "ranked position" of the measurements. On the other hand, the mean is directly calculated using the "values" of the measurements, and not by using the "ranked position" of the measurements. Therefore, a statistically larger number of outlier points should be required to influence the median of these measurements - compared to influence of fewer outlier points on the mean. For example: the average weight of a blue whale and 100 squirrels will be closer to the blue whale's weight, but the median weight of a blue whale and 100 squirrels will be closer to the squirrels.
Using the R programming language, we can see this argument manifest itself on simulated data:
library(plotly)
    set.seed(123)

d = data.frame(data = rnorm(20, 5,50), col = "non outlier")

dd = data.frame(data = rnorm(5,150, 10), col = "outlier")

my_data = rbind(d,dd)

> mean(d$data)
[1] 10.08877

> median(d$data)
[1] 17.11447

We can also plot this to get a better idea:
d1 = data.frame(data = mean(my_data$data), col = "mean")
# add "1" to the median so that it becomes visible in the plot
d2 = data.frame(data = median(my_data$data) +1 , col = "median")

new_data = rbind(my_data, d1, d2)

plot_ly(type = "scatter", mode = "markers", data = new_data, x = ~data, y = " ", color = ~col ) %>% layout(title = 'Effect of Outliers on Median vs Mean')

My Question:  In the above example, we can see that the median is less influenced by the outliers compared to the mean - but in general, are there any "statistical proofs" that shed light on this inherent "vulnerability" of the mean compared to the median?
Apart from the logical argument of measurement "values" vs. "ranked positions" of measurements - are there any theoretical arguments behind why the median requires larger valued and a larger number of outliers to be influenced towards the extremas of the data compared to the mean?
I am aware of related concepts such as Cooke's Distance (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook%27s_distance) which can be used to estimate the effect of removing an individual data point on a regression model - but are there any formulas which show some relation between the number/values of outliers on the mean vs. the median?
Are there any theoretical statistical arguments that can be made to justify this logical argument regarding the number/values of outliers on the mean vs. the median?

A: Changing an outlier doesn't change the median; as long as you have at least three data points, making an extremum more extreme doesn't change the median, but it does change the mean by the amount the outlier changes divided by n.
Adding an outlier, or moving a "normal" point to an extreme value, can only move the median to an adjacent central point. For instance, if you start with the data [1,2,3,4,5], and change the first observation to 100 to get [100,2,3,4,5], the median goes from 3 to 4. So not only is the a maximum amount a single outlier can affect the median (the mean, on the other hand, can be affected an unlimited amount), the effect is to move to an adjacently ranked point in the middle of the data, and the data points tend to be more closely packed close to the median. So, for instance, if you have nine points evenly spaced in Gaussian percentile, such as [-1.28, -0.84, -0.52, -0.25, 0, 0.25, 0.52, 0.84, 1.28]. The average separation between observations is 0.32, but changing one observation can change the median by at most 0.25. The median of a bimodal distribution, on the other hand, could be very sensitive to change of one observation, if there are no observations between the modes.

A: Extreme values influence the tails of a distribution and the variance of the distribution. This also influences the mean of a sample taken from the distribution.
Extreme values do not influence the center portion of a distribution. This means that the median of a sample taken from a distribution is not influenced so much.

Example
Below is an illustration with a mixture of three normal distributions with different means.
The mixture is 90% a standard normal distribution making the large portion in the middle and two times 5% normal distributions with means at $+ \mu$ and $-\mu$.
The value of $\mu$ is varied giving distributions that mostly change in the tails.

The consequence of the different values of the extremes is that the distribution of the mean (right image) becomes a lot more variable.

For large sample sizes
The sample variance of the mean will relate to the variance of the population:
$$Var[mean(x_n)] \approx \frac{1}{n} Var[x]$$
The sample variance of the median will relate to the slope of the cumulative distribution (and the height of the distribution density near the median)
$$Var[median(x_n)] \approx  \frac{1}{n} \frac{1}{4f(median(x))^2}$$
Example where the mean is less influenced by outliers
In general we have that large outliers influence the variance $Var[x]$ a lot, but not so much the density at the median $f(median(x))$.
But, it is possible to construct an example where this is not the case. If we mix/add some percentage $\phi$ of outliers to a distribution with a variance of the outliers that is relative $v$ larger than the variance of the distribution (and consider that these outliers do not change the mean and median), then the new mean and variance will be approximately
$$Var[mean(x_n)] \approx \frac{1}{n}  (1-\phi + \phi v) Var[x]$$
$$Var[mean(x_n)] \approx \frac{1}{n}  \frac{1}{4((1-\phi)f(median(x))^2}$$
So the relative change (of the sample variance of the statistics) are for the mean $\delta_\mu = (v-1)\phi$ and for the median $\delta_m = \frac{2\phi-\phi^2}{(1-\phi)^2}$. And we have $\delta_m > \delta_\mu$ if $$v < 1+ \frac{2-\phi}{(1-\phi)^2}$$
An example here is a continuous uniform distribution with point masses at the end as 'outliers'. The variance of a continuous uniform distribution is 1/3 of the variance of a Bernoulli distribution with equal spread. So $v=3$ and for any small $\phi>0$ the condition is fulfilled and the median will be relatively more influenced than the mean.
This is a contrived example in which the variance of the outliers is relatively small. This is done by using a continuous uniform distribution with point masses at the ends. So the outliers are very tight and relatively close to the mean of the distribution (relative to the variance of the distribution).

A: if you write the sample mean $\bar x$ as a function of an outlier $O$, then its sensitivity to the value of an outlier is $d\bar x(O)/dO=1/n$, where $n$ is a sample size. the same for a median is zero, because changing value of an outlier doesn't do anything to the median, usually.
example to demonstrate the idea: 1,4,100. the sample mean is $\bar x=35$, if you replace 100 with 1000, you get $\bar x=335$. the median stays the same 4.
this is assuming that the outlier $O$ is not right in the middle of your sample, otherwise, you may get a bigger impact from an outlier on the median compared to the mean.
TL;DR;
adding the outlier
you may be tempted to measure the impact of an outlier by adding it to the sample instead of replacing a valid observation with na outlier. it can be done, but you have to isolate the impact of the sample size change. if you don't do it correctly, then you may end up with pseudo counter factual examples, some of which were proposed in answers here. I'll show you how to do it correctly, then incorrectly.
The mean $x_n$ changes as follows when you add an outlier $O$ to the sample of size $n$:
$$\bar x_{n+O}-\bar x_n=\frac {n \bar x_n +O}{n+1}-\bar x_n$$
Now, let's isolate the part that is adding a new observation $x_{n+1}$ from the outlier value change from $x_{n+1}$ to $O$. We have to do it because, by definition, outlier is an observation that is not from the same distribution as the rest of the sample $x_i$. Remember, the outlier is not a merely large observation, although that is how we often detect them. It is an observation that doesn't belong to the sample, and must be removed from it for this reason.
Here's how we isolate two steps:
$$\bar x_{n+O}-\bar x_n=\frac {n \bar x_n +x_{n+1}}{n+1}-\bar x_n+\frac {O-x_{n+1}}{n+1}\\
=(\bar x_{n+1}-\bar x_n)+\frac {O-x_{n+1}}{n+1}$$
Now, we can see that the second term $\frac {O-x_{n+1}}{n+1}$ in the equation represents the outlier impact on the mean, and that the sensitivity to turning a legit observation $x_{n+1}$ into an outlier $O$ is of the order $1/(n+1)$, just like in case where we were not adding the observation to the sample, of course. Note, that the first term $\bar x_{n+1}-\bar x_n$, which represents additional observation from the same population, is zero on average.
If we apply the same approach to the median $\bar{\bar x}_n$ we get the following equation:
$$\bar{\bar x}_{n+O}-\bar{\bar x}_n=(\bar{\bar x}_{n+1}-\bar{\bar x}_n)+0\times(O-x_{n+1})\\=(\bar{\bar x}_{n+1}-\bar{\bar x}_n)$$
In other words, there is no impact from replacing the legit observation $x_{n+1}$ with an outlier $O$, and the only reason the median $\bar{\bar x}_n$ changes is due to sampling a new observation from the same distribution.
a counter factual, that isn't
The analysis in previous section should give us an idea how to construct the pseudo counter factual example: use a large $n\gg 1$ so that the second term in the mean expression $\frac {O-x_{n+1}}{n+1}$ is smaller that the total change in the median. Here's one such example: "... our data is 5000 ones and 5000 hundreds, and we add an outlier of -100..."
Let's break this example into components as explained above. As an example implies, the values in the distribution are 1s and 100s, and -100 is an outlier. So, we can plug $x_{10001}=1$, and look at the mean:
$$\bar x_{10000+O}-\bar x_{10000}
=\left(50.5-\frac{505001}{10001}\right)+\frac {-100-\frac{505001}{10001}}{10001}\\\approx 0.00495-0.00150\approx 0.00345$$
The term $-0.00150$ in the expression above is the impact of the outlier value. It's is small, as designed, but it is non zero.
The same for the median:
$$\bar{\bar x}_{10000+O}-\bar{\bar x}_{10000}=(\bar{\bar x}_{10001}-\bar{\bar x}_{10000})\\=
(1-50.5)=-49.5$$
Voila! We manufactured a giant change in the median while the mean barely moved. However, if you followed my analysis, you can see the trick: entire change in the median is coming from adding a new observation from the same distribution, not from replacing the valid observation with an outlier, which is, as expected, zero.
a counter factual, that is
Now, what would be a real counter factual? In all previous analysis I assumed that the outlier $O$ stands our from the valid observations with its magnitude outside usual ranges. These are the outliers that we often detect. What if its value was right in the middle?
Let's modify the example above:"... our data is 5000 ones and 5000 hundreds, and we add an outlier of ..." 20!
Let's break this example into components as explained above. As an example implies, the values in the distribution are 1s and 100s, and 20 is an outlier. So, we can plug $x_{10001}=1$, and look at the mean:
$$\bar x_{10000+O}-\bar x_{10000}
=\left(50.5-\frac{505001}{10001}\right)+\frac {20-\frac{505001}{10001}}{10001}\\\approx 0.00495-0.00305\approx 0.00190$$
The term $-0.00305$ in the expression above is the impact of the outlier value. It's is small, as designed, but it is non zero.
The break down for the median is different now!
$$\bar{\bar x}_{10000+O}-\bar{\bar x}_{10000}=(\bar{\bar x}_{10001}-\bar{\bar x}_{10000})\\=
(1-50.5)+(20-1)=-49.5+19=-30.5$$
In this example we have a nonzero, and rather huge change in the median due to the outlier that is 19 compared to the same term's impact to mean of -0.00305! This shows that if you have an outlier that is in the middle of your sample, you can get a bigger impact on the median than the mean.
conclusion
Note, there are myths and misconceptions in statistics that have a strong staying power. For instance, the notion that you need a sample of size 30 for CLT to kick in. Virtually nobody knows who came up with this rule of thumb and based on what kind of analysis. So, it is fun to entertain the idea that maybe this median/mean things is one of these cases. However, it is not. Indeed the median is usually more robust than the mean to the presence of outliers.

A: I'm going to say no, there isn't a proof the median is less sensitive than the mean since it's not always true. At least not if you define "less sensitive" as a simple "always changes less under all conditions". I'm told there are various definitions of sensitivity, going along with rules for well-behaved data for which this is true.
Say our data is 5000 ones and 5000 hundreds, and we add an outlier of -100 (or we change one of the hundreds to -100). The median jumps by 50 while the mean barely changes.
That seems like very fake data. So say our data is only multiples of 10, with lots of duplicates. It could even be a proper bell-curve. Then it's possible to choose outliers which consistently change the mean by a small amount (much less than 10), while sometimes changing the median by 10. Or simply changing a value at the median to be an appropriate outlier will do the same.
Or we can abuse the notion of outlier without the need to create artificial peaks. Take the 100 values 1,2 ... 100. Mean and median both 50.5. Then add an "outlier" of -0.1 -- median shifts by exactly 0.5 to 50, mean (5049.9/101) drops by almost 0.5 but not quite. Of course we already have the concepts of "fences" if we want to exclude these barely outlying outliers.
If feels as if we're left claiming the rule is always true for sufficiently "dense" data where the gap between all consecutive values is below some ratio based on the number of data points, and with a sufficiently strong definition of outlier.

A: An outlier is not precisely defined, a point can more or less of an outlier. You might say outlier is a fuzzy set where membership depends on the distance  $d$ to the pre-existing average. Call such a point a $d$-outlier. The key difference in mean vs median is that the effect on the mean of a introducing a $d$-outlier depends on $d$, but the effect on the median does not. Using Big-0 notation, the effect on the mean is $O(d)$, and the effect on the median is $O(1)$.
Btw "the average weight of a blue whale and 100 squirrels will be closer to the blue whale's weight"--this is not true.

A: Mathematical description/proof/viewpoint for special case
There is a short mathematical description/proof in the special case of

*

*Comparing the sensitivity in terms of the variance of the sample statistic. (this can be generalized to the 3rd central moment, and possibly other cost functions)

*Symmetric distributions in which case we can express the distribution of the median and mean in terms of integrals of the quantile functions in a similar way.

Let's assume that the distribution is centered at $0$ and the sample size $n$ is odd (such that the median is easier to express as a beta distribution).
Then in terms of the quantile function $Q_X(p)$ we can express
$$\begin{array}{rcrr}
Var[mean(X_n)] &=& \frac{1}{n}\int_0^1& 1 \cdot Q_X(p)^2 \, dp \\
Var[median(X_n)] &=&  \frac{1}{n}\int_0^1& f_n(p) \cdot Q_X(p)^2 \, dp
\end{array}$$
where $f(p) = \frac{n}{Beta(\frac{n+1}{2}, \frac{n+1}{2})} p^{\frac{n-1}{2}}(1-p)^{\frac{n-1}{2}}$
Below is a plot of $f_n(p)$ when $n = 9$ and it is compared to the constant value of $1$ that is used to compute the variance of the sample mean.

What the plot shows is that the contribution of the squared quantile function to the variance of the sample statistics (mean/median) is for the median larger in the center and lower at the edges.

Adding outliers versus changing outliers.
When we change outliers, then the quantile function $Q_X(p)$ changes only at the edges where the factor $f_n(p) < 1$ and so the mean is more influenced than the median.
When we add outliers, then the quantile function $Q_X(p)$ is changed in the entire range. So the median might in some particular cases be more influenced than the mean.
Example: Say we have a mixture of two normal distributions with different variances and mixture proportions. Then the change of the quantile function is of a different type when we change the variance in comparison to when we change the proportions.
Below is an example of different quantile functions where we mixed two normal distributions.

*

*The black line is the quantile function for the mixture of $90\%$ a distribution with $\sigma = 1$ and $\phi = 10\%$ a distribution with $\sigma_{outlier} = 2$.

*On the left we changed the proportion of outliers $\phi \in \lbrace 20 \%, 30 \%, 40 \% \rbrace$.

*On the right we changed the variance of outliers with $ \sigma_{outlier} \in \lbrace 4, 8, 16 \rbrace$.

The quantile function of a mixture is a sum of two components in the horizontal direction. Whether we add more of one component or whether we change the component will have different effects on the sum.

Generalizations

*

*The conditions that the distribution is symmetric and that the distribution is centered at 0 can be lifted. It will make the integrals more complex. $$\begin{array}{rcrr}
Var[mean(X_n)] &=& \frac{1}{n}\int_0^1& 1 \cdot (Q_X(p)-Q_(p_{mean}))^2 \, dp \\
Var[median(X_n)] &=&  \frac{1}{n}\int_0^1& f_n(p) \cdot (Q_X(p) - Q_X(p_{median}))^2 \, dp
\end{array}$$ now these 2nd terms in the integrals are different. We have $(Q_X(p)-Q_(p_{mean}))^2$ and $(Q_X(p) - Q_X(p_{median}))^2$. But we still have that the factor in front of it is the constant $1$ versus the factor $f_n(p)$ which goes towards zero at the edges.

*The condition that we look at the variance is more difficult to relax. I have made a new question that looks for simple analogous cost functions. But we could imagine with some intuitive handwaving that we could eventually express the cost function as a sum of multiple expressions $$mean: E[S(X_n)] =  \sum_{i}g_i(n) \int_0^1 1 \cdot h_{i,n}(Q_X) \, dp  \\ median: E[S(X_n)] =  \sum_{i}g_i(n) \int_0^1 f_n(p) \cdot h_{i,n}(Q_X) \, dp $$ where we can not solve it with a single term but in each of the terms we still have the $f_n(p)$ factor, which goes towards zero at the edges.

A: A helpful concept when considering the sensitivity/robustness of mean vs. median (or other estimators in general) is the breakdown point. This is the proportion of (arbitrarily wrong) outliers that is required for the estimate to become arbitrarily wrong itself.
Using this definition of "robustness", it is easy to see how the median is less sensitive:
At least HALF your samples have to be outliers for the median to break down (meaning it is maximally robust), while a SINGLE sample is enough for the mean to break down.

A: Actually, there are a large number of illustrated distributions for which the statement can be wrong!
Background for my colleagues, per Wikipedia on Multimodal distributions:

Bimodal distributions have the peculiar property that – unlike the unimodal distributions – the mean may be a more robust sample estimator than the median.[15] This is clearly the case when the distribution is U shaped like the arcsine distribution. It may not be true when the distribution has one or more long tails.

Here is another educational reference (from Douglas College) which is certainly accurate for large data scenarios:

In symmetrical, unimodal datasets, the mean is the most accurate measure of central tendency. For asymmetrical (skewed), unimodal datasets, the median is likely to be more accurate. For bimodal distributions, the only measure that can capture central tendency accurately is the mode.

So, evidently, in the case of said distributions, the statement is incorrect (lacking a specificity to the class of unimodal distributions).

A: A reasonable way to quantify the "sensitivity" of the mean/median to an outlier is to use the absolute rate-of-change of the mean/median as we change that data point.  To that end, consider a subsample $x_1,...,x_{n-1}$ and one more data point $x$ (the one we will vary).  If we denote the sample mean of this data by $\bar{x}_n$ and the sample median of this data by $\tilde{x}_n$ then we have:
$$\begin{align}
\text{Sensitivity of mean}
&\equiv \bigg| \frac{d\bar{x}_n}{dx} \bigg|
= \frac{1}{n}, \\[12pt]
\text{Sensitivity of median (} n \text{ odd)}
&\equiv \bigg| \frac{d\tilde{x}_n}{dx} \bigg|
= \mathbb{I}(x = x_{((n+1)/2)} < x_{((n+3)/2)}), \\[12pt]
\text{Sensitivity of median (} n \text{ even)}
&\equiv \bigg| \frac{d\tilde{x}_n}{dx} \bigg|
= \frac{1}{2} \cdot \mathbb{I}(x_{(n/2)} \leqslant x \leqslant x_{(n/2+1)} < x_{(n/2+2)}). \\[12pt]
\end{align}$$
In the trivial case where $n \leqslant 2$ the mean and median are identical and so they have the same sensitivity.  In the non-trivial case where $n>2$ they are distinct.  In this latter case the median is more sensitive to the internal values that affect it (i.e., values within the intervals shown in the above indicator functions) and less sensitive to the external values that do not affect it (e.g., an "outlier").

A: Ironically, you are asking about a generalized truth (i.e., normally true but not always) and wonder about a proof for it. If you want a reason for why outliers TYPICALLY affect mean more so than median, just run a few examples. Your light bulb will turn on in your head after that.
Step 1: Take ANY random sample of 10 real numbers for your example.
Step 2: Identify the outlier with a value that has the greatest absolute value.
Step 3: Add a new item (eleventh item) to your sample set and assign it a positive value number that is 1000 times the magnitude of the absolute value you identified in Step 2.
Step 4: Add a new item (twelfth item) to your sample set and assign it a negative value number that is 1000 times the magnitude of the absolute value you identified in Step 2.
Step 5: Calculate the mean and median of the new data set you have. Compare the results to the initial mean and median. Which one changed more, the mean or the median.
Step 6. Repeat the exercise starting with Step 1, but use different values for the initial ten-item set.
Again, did the median or mean change more? No matter what ten values you choose for your initial data set, the median will not change AT ALL in this exercise! You can use a similar approach for item removal or item replacement, for which the mean does not even change one bit. Clearly, changing the outliers is much more likely to change the mean than the median.
Others with more rigorous proofs might be satisfying your urge for rigor, but the question relates to generalities but allows for exceptions. So, you really don't need all that rigor. There are exceptions to the rule, so why depend on rigorous proofs when the end result is, "Well, 'typically' this rule works but not always...". The example I provided is simple and easy for even a novice to process.

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text:
CAN A FOREIGNER DIVORCE IN SINGAPORE?
Date: 1 September 2020
Based on the cases filed in the Singapore Family Courts1 from 2011 to 2015, the number of divorces filed between a Singaporean and a non-resident or between non-residents has grown steadily from about 1,015 to 1,314. International divorces, or divorces involving at least one foreinger now account for around one in five divorces in Singapore (source: International Divorces in Singapore: A Study of Trends by Joyce Low [2019] SAL Prac 31).
As the number of divorces involving at least one foreigner in Singapore has increased substantially, we often get enquiries from expats or foreigners on whether they can divorce in Singapore.
Here are some of the most common questions asked:
Yes, foreigners can divorce in Singapore if they have been married for at least 3 years and one of them have lived in Singapore for at least 3 years before filing for divorce.
Once you have fulfilled the above requirements, you would have to show that the marriage has broken down irretrievably. This can be shown by proving any one of the 5 following facts:
that your spouse has behaved in such an unreasonable way that you cannot reasonably be expected with the defendant.
that your spouse has committed adultery and you find it intolerable to live with the defendant.
that your spouse has deserted you for a continuous period of at least 2 years preceding the divorce proceedings.
When you and your spouse have been separated for at least 3 years and your spouse consents to the divorce.
When the parties have lived apart for at least 4 years preceding the divorce proceedings.
Is my pre-nuptial agreement valid in Singapore?
Your prenuptial agreement is one of the factors that the Singapore Family Courts will look at in arriving at a decision.
Generally, the Singapore courts will uphold a prenuptial agreement if it is fair and if it is concern with division of assets and maintenance.
However, when it comes to children custody issues, the Singapore court will look at the prenuptial closely. It will not rubber stamp the agreement because it wants to ensure that the welfare of the children and the interests of the children are protected.
I am in Singapore on a Dependent Pass. Can I stay in Singapore after my divorce?
It is common for foreigners holding an Employment Pass in Singapore to cancel their spouse's Dependant's Pass once they have decided to file for divorce.
This means that the spouse who has relied on the Dependant's Pass to reside in Singapore, must leave Singapore immediately, usually after the expiration of their Short-Term Visit Pass, which would be issued upon the cancellation of the Dependant's Pass.
This creates a very difficult situation for the spouse who must leave Singapore without the children and while divorce proceedings are on-going.
If you are a trailing spouse and you have had your Dependent Pass cancelled, you only have the following options if you wish to remain in Singapore:
Apply for an interim injunction to prohibit a spouse from terminating your Dependant's Pass.
Apply for a Long-Term Visit Pass if your child is a Singapore Citizen or a Singapore Permanent Resident; or if you are a mother or grandmother of a child or grandchild studying in Singapore with a Student's Pass.
Can I go home and take my children with me?
Unfortunately, your children can only relocate with you if your spouse agrees, or if you have a Singapore court order that allows you to do so
If your ex-spouse has wrongfully taken your children out of Singapore without your permission and without a court order, your ex-spouse may be liable for international child abduction under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.
To get your children back, you would have to apply under The Hague Convention. You can do one of the following:
You may apply to the Singapore Family Court or inquire with the Singapore Central Authority (i.e. the Ministry for Social and Family Development) to assist you to apply to the overseas authority for the return of your children.
You may apply directly to the Central Authority of the country your child was abducted and you may choose to directly commence foreign judicial proceedings against your ex-spouse.
If your children were taken to a country who is not a signatory to The Hague Convention, your options become very limited. In such a situation, you should consult with a lawyer from that country. .
Are overseas assets included in the Singapore courts' decision?
Yes, in coming to a fair and equitable decision on division of assets, all matrimonial assets will be divided up by the Singapore Family Court. If your spouse does not comply with the Singapore court's decision on overseas properties, then you have to consult with the lawyer from that jurisdiction on your enforcement options.
At PKWA Law, our team of Family Lawyers are consistently named as leading Singapore family lawyers by respected independent legal publications such as Benchmark Litigation, Asian Legal Business, Singapore Business Review and Doyle's Guide to Leading Singapore Family Lawyers.
WHY CLIENTS CHOOSE PKWA DIVORCE LAWYERS PKWA FAMILY LAW RECOGNISED AS A LEADING FAMILY LAW FIRM BY ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS...

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text:
Hundreds of 12 week apprenticeships advertised on NAS website are 'under review'
The apprenticeship programmes delivered by the hotelier De Vere are under review and "likely to change" as part of an assessment into provision and standards.
The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) is looking into every short apprenticeship, alongside the Skills Funding Agency (SFA), following the introduction of Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England (SASE).
However, news of the review into De Vere follows an investigation by FE Week into programmes on NAS' vacancy site.
More than 700 De Vere vacancies of either 12 week (customer service) or 16 week (professional cookery) are currently available to view online, taking place at a number of nationwide De Vere Academies.
The De Vere Academy of Hospitality advert says they aim "to inspire and create talented hospitality industry stars of the future through the provision of work-based learning."
It is "open to those aged 16-24 years and no previous experience or academic qualifications are required" and pays £104 per week (the minimum apprenticeship wage) for a 40 hour week over five days.
While acknowledging that programmes delivered by De Vere do not meet the requirements of SASE, the National Apprenticeship Service say they do provide "appropriate and valuable provision for young people" who want to work in the hospitality sector.
A statement from NAS, issued to FE Week this morning (Friday), said: "We have already indicated to De Vere that their programme does not meet the comprehensive standards for apprenticeship programmes.
"However, we believe their programme provides appropriate and valuable provision for young people who want to work in the sector."
It also added: "We intend to work with De Vere and the Sector Skills Council for the hospitality sector, People 1st, to develop a tailored 'Access to Apprenticeship' pathway designed to meet the specific needs of employers in the sector that will offer a high quality opportunity to young people wanting to work in the sector.
"While we work together to identify an alternative source of funding we will continue to support De Vere and the young people and employers involved in the programme.
"All live De Vere vacancies posted on the apprenticeship vacancy site will indicate that the provision is under review and is likely to change."
At the time of going to press, the reference to "under review and likely to change" could not be found.
The SASE was published in January, which is when NAS and SFA began their review.
It was also followed by the publication of the Statement on the Quality of Apprenticeship Delivery Models by NAS in August (click here).
The statement said the review will "closely consider the circumstances of each programme with the college or training provider" which will help them "fully understand the delivery model and make a judgement on whether provision meets the comprehensive standards" which have been established for apprenticeships.
It added: "These standards include SASE, the requirements of the Apprenticeship Framework approved by the relevant Issuing Authority, the Quality of Apprenticeships Delivery Model and the Funding Requirements.
"It is anticipated that through this review we will determine some provision, while not meeting these standards, still provides appropriate and valuable training for young people who would otherwise not be in education, training or employment."
However, NAS has warned that it will remove funding from providers which fail to meet the required standard.
The statement continued: "We will work with the providers and employers of such provision, and where appropriate with the YPLA and SFA, to secure suitable alternative funding where that is appropriate.
"Throughout the review, our priority will be to remove apprenticeship funding from provision which fails to meet the required standard, while maintaining provision that supports young people into employment or training, as well as giving them the opportunity to progress onto an apprenticeship programme."
FE Week approached De Vere on Tuesday and is awaiting a response.
Leave a Reply to Kim Cook Cancel reply
lindsay mccurdy 21 October 2011
What will happen to all the people who the SFA have let these organisations give qualifications to, will they have to redo?
21 October 2011 at 12:58 pm
Carlton Calver 21 October 2011
NAS aren't brave enough to withdraw the framework achievement so the qualifications will stand; whilst the learners have achieved has it become embedded and are they progressing to jobs. If the answers are yes then it has been of benefit to the learners. If the answer is no then De Vere make money and NAS meet their targets but nothing else is achieved.
Daniel 21 October 2011
NAS started this provision in the first place. On DeVere's own website it states;
'It is a unique private/public initiative. Alternative Hotel Group, owner of 65 major hotels and venues across the UK, including De Vere Hotels, De Vere Venues and Village, is working with the National Apprenticeship Service ("NAS") and is supported by local government. The Academy will be opened to students aged 16-24 years old.'
It also states;
'The De Vere Academy's initial goal was to train approximately 300 students a year in its first school at Cheadle House. However, as the programme progressed, it became quickly apparent that the model was scalable to locations throughout the UK. Due to the outstanding results in achievement, completion and ultimate placement, the Academy has become an attractive proposition for many local authorities. Indeed, Stockport has reported a 5.5% reduction in its projected NEET figures since the launch of the first De Vere Academy, and attributes this reduction directly to the opening.
Using this platform, NAS has actively encouraged The Academy to adopt an aggressive roll-out programme with the intention of creating national coverage. Two further locations to take the school up to have also been scheduled for early next year'
Chasing targets has started all this 'worthless' provision
NAS has got to take responsibility for these apprenticeships as they have been involved with De Vere from the start. is this the start of the floodgates opening, Next the apprentices who are given to businesses for free with the providers paying the apprentice wages.
Amy Ealing 22 October 2011
Its clear to see that the usual "College brigade" are on her complaining bitterly about quantity over quality. In the real world (i.e. the private sector) the Government doesn't bail you out if you run out of money because you've delivered a Customer Service apprenticeship over 2 years like I know some colleges still do! This is the 2011 and not 1971. Government funding has been slashed dramatically over the last 2 years and that has caused this problem not greed – in order to continue to deliver these programmes of course they need to be delivered in a more cost effective manner… You should welcome innovation not stifle it.
The de vere group have been working with NAS from the start of the academies and have always been upfront about the length of the apprenticeships, why did'nt NAS from the start work with the de vere group to make them into 10 month min apprenticeships?, I feel it is NAS who should be apologising for endorsing these 12 week apprenticeships from the start.I don't think anyone is asking for a 2 year apprenticeship in customer service, but for it to be a true apprenticeship with real value to apprentices and future employers a min of 10 – 12 months is essential.
Kim Cook 24 October 2011
I am aware of at least 6 accelerated apprenticeship providers in our area, offering 12 week apprenticeships in customer service, painting and decorating, catering, admin to name a few and all have been reported to NAS. Everyone of these providers is sub contracting to a college (we did the paper chase to find out who the prime contractors were) There is no way even the most able student could achieve a quality apprenticeship in professional cookery in 12 weeks or even a painting and decorating one, when all they are doing is refurbishing old factory units. The brand is being damaged but the flood gates were opened after De Vere and NAS only have themselves to blame – they were warned this would happen. This is just the tip of the iceberg
I think you'll find some of these courses are more like 16-20 weeks and not 12 weeks, so a "slight" (33%+) over exaggeration on that front.
Just because a course is 16 weeks as long as it is intense(or "accelerated" – I love how you've used that phrase) and completes the required GLH for the SASE and the AO are accrediting them what's the problem?? All this is hot air.
Dan 29 November 2011
It's not the GLH or the qualification that is the problem, it's the length. An Apprenticeship is two sides, its the qualification element and its a work ready element. Meaning the learner has a true experience of the sector they are studying in. Do you feel that after 16 weeks in a job, you know that job inside out? No you don't, and therefore a learner doesn't either. That leaves the learner (who has no progression into a job with the fast track provider they are with) not job ready and unemployable.
The idea of completing a framework in 16 weeks is a great idea, just don't badge it as an apprenticeship, because it isn't one


text:
Q: loop for fetching and or manipulating phylogenies in R over multiple values of another variable I have a dataset in which there are multiple species listed for each value of another column (call it the index column) in R. I need to extract or prune a phylogeny (from phylomatic) for each column value, and then calculate the phylogenetic distance for each value of the index column. There are many index values in my dataset, so it is impractical to do this manually.
Example input data ( 2 columns, one for index and one for species):
Index      Species
A ;         Sp. 1
A ;         Sp. 2
A ;         Sp. 3
A ;         Sp. 4
B ;         Sp. 5
B ;         Sp. 1
C ;         Sp. 6
D ;         Sp. 7
D ;         Sp. 2
D ;         Sp. 8
D ;         Sp. 9

What I want for output (values made up; each index appears once and the phylogenetic distance of all its associated species is calculated):
Index;      phylogentic distance
A ;         7
B ;         3
C ;         1
D ;         5

I have downloaded a global tree (for all species in the dataset) from phylomatic using the brranching package. I could either set up a loop or function to prune the phylogeny to the species within each index category and calculate PD, or I could set up a function to extract a new tree from phylomatic for each value of the index, and then calculate PD. I would really appreciate if anyone has done something similar or has ideas about how to implement this in R. Much appreciated in advance!
library(brranching)

phylomatic(data$Species)

A: I worked it out. First I converted the Index column to numeric, and then I ran the following loop. The drop.tip() function is from the ape package.
IDs <- unique(d.test$index.num)

dd <- data.frame(matrix(nrow=length(IDs), ncol=2))

for (i in 1:length(IDs)) {
temp <- subset(d.test, d.test$index.num == i)
species <- as.vector(temp$Species)
species <- tolower(species)
pruned.tree <- drop.tip(tree, setdiff(tree$tip.label, species))
pd <- sum(pruned.tree$edge.length)
dd[i,1] <-i
dd[i,2] <- pd
}


The video game industry loves to cram most of its tentpole releases into a short, three-month-long period just ahead of Christmas. And 2018 is no different — in fact, this is one of the busiest holiday seasons for games in recent memory. Over the next few months, you can expect to see the return of massive franchises like Red Dead Redemption, Assassin's Creed, and Fallout, alongside exciting new titles including a new open-world take on Spider-Man and the gorgeous indie game Gris. Not to be outdone, Nintendo is pumping the Switch full of big games like Mario Party, Pokemon, and the biggest Smash Bros. to date.
It's far too much for any one person to play, so we created this handy guide so you can keep track of the most exciting games and be ready for when they come out. The guide is in chronological order — aside from a few stragglers without specific release dates — to make things as easy as possible. The list also doesn't include games that haven't been confirmed for 2018, so there might actually be more to play this year. One other caveat: there's a solid chance a few of these titles may slip and not hit their intended release dates, but we'll update things accordingly if that happens.
Now here's everything we can't wait to play over the rest of 2018.
Danish studio IO Interactive's episodic Hitman was hit-or-miss, and its strange narrative structure and distribution model meant a lot of players didn't get to enjoy the whole six-episode saga or really dive deep into the franchise's biggest-ever environments. But after publisher Square Enix split ways with IO, which purchased the rights to the Hitman franchise to develop it under Warner Bros., the series is returning to a standard, one-off $60 purchase containing all the game's content in one package.


Disclosure: I received complimentary product from Gorton's to facilitate this review. Regardless, all opinions expressed are still 100% my own!
Speaking of protein, eating fish makes it a lot easier to check that resolution off the list as accomplished. Everyone knows that fish is a great source of protein. At least I hope everyone knows that. If you don't know that, let me make it clear that meat and fish are protein. Fish is also a lean protein high in vitamins and minerals. It's almost like a superfood. Or maybe it is a superfood, not almost a superfood.
Are you interested in adding fish or perhaps more fish to your diet but uncertain of how to prepare it? Don't worry Gorton's is a great source for fish! Their Grilled or Simply Bake products offer great taste without a lot of fat, are gluten free* and less than 100 calories. Do you know the best part? They taste great. The hubby loves them (and the only seafood he likes is shrimp). The child loves them (and the only seafood she likes is nothing). Do you know the second best part? They go in the freezer which allows you to always have a simple ready to make dinner that is healthy and yummy on hand. Now, that right there my friends is a win.
*For more information on gluten free Gorton's, simply click here.
11 gluten-free varieties, including Talapia, wild-caught Salmon, and Alaska Pollock.
No artificial flavors and no MSG!
Grilled Fish is flame-grilled and expertly seasoned.
Contains critical nutrients like vitamins and minerals including iron, zinc, and vitamins A, B, and D.
Interested in more Eat Smart variety? Try Gorton's Simply Bake Talapia or Salmon Fillets which are individually packed in Bake-Perfect Oven Bags. Put the whole bag on a baking sheet and pop it in the oven for perfect fish, every time! No fuss, no mess!
WAIT! Grab a money savings Gorton's coupon!!
To the movement! For additional information, check out the 30-Day Realistic Resolution Challenge on SparkPeople.com or use the SparkPeople app, available on iTunes Store or Google Play.
Right now, Gorton's is running an Eat Smarter Sweepstakes on their page, to enter, simply click here!
Stay tuned for a Gorton's Realistic Resolution Challenge Prize Pack Giveaway that we will be launching this coming week!


Read more about Halo: Reach, Anyone?
A voice actor with a lot of presence, Ryo Horikawa (born Mokoto Horikawa) had a strong presence in the 80s and 90s in Japanese animation. He's probably best known as the wicked prince of all Saiyans, Vegeta, in Dragon Ball Z, but he was acting before and has been doing work since.
Starting with his bishonen roles, we have the feminine Andromeda Shun in Saint Seiya and Reinhard von Lohengramm in Legend of the Galactic Heroes. He has a certain gentleness in these roles, though is fully commanding when necessary. His Reinhard especially is full of a sort of confident calmness, but is capable of great anger, too. This great anger is put to good use in one particular role.
The Trigun Artbook from imgDump has been archived and uploaded.
106, high res, images. Archive is 166 MB in size.
The Trigun collection from imgDump has been archived and uploaded.
290 images. Archive is 209 MB in size.
The Tenjho Tenge collection from imgDump has been archived and uploaded.
383, mostly high res, images. Archive is 360 MB in size.
The Slayers collection from imgDump has been archived and uploaded.
525, mostly high res, images. Archive is 470/278MB in size.
The Fruits Basket collection from imgDump has been archived and uploaded.
579, mostly high res, images. Archive is 500MB in size.


Tony de Paolo currently works at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), University of California, San Diego. Tony does research in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering and Electronic Engineering. Their most recent publication is 'X-Band Beacon-Receiver Array Evaporation Duct Height Estimation'.
Remote sensing of the complex interactions between bathymetry, tidal flow, and waves in coastal inlets provides high-resolution data sets that can be exploited to characterize the morphological variability of shallow ebb tidal deltas (ETD). Here we used observations from a mobile X-band radar platform to determine optimal conditions during which radar-derived shoal signatures best represent positions of underlying shoals. Significant increases in the spatial errors of radar shoal signatures were observed when offshore wave energy intensified. Consequently, the lowest spatial errors occurred when the radar shoal signatures were primarily a function of the tidal flow (i.e., low sea state). We used these findings to quantify shoal migration patterns at the New River Inlet, North Carolina. We found that the southwestern portion of the ETD had the largest morphological variability with typical shoreward migration rates of 2–3 m/day driven by incident wave energy. The migration rates and patterns estimated from X-band observations were consistent with numerical modeling results and a previous video-based New River remote sensing study. Our results confirm that X-band radar can be used to quickly map shallow ETDs (e.g., 5 min of observations), allowing for rapid morphological assessments from shore or boat-based platforms. The methods would prove particularly useful for initial assessment as well as continual monitoring of dynamic tidal inlets where large morphological responses can be rapidly assessed and used for geomorphological studies, and as decision aids for maritime or engineering operations.
This study takes on the challenge of resolving upper ocean surface currents with a suite of airborne remote sensing methodologies, simultaneously imaging the ocean surface in visible, infrared, and microwave bands. A series of flights were conducted over an air-sea interaction supersite established 63 km offshore by a large multi-platform CASPER-East experiment. The supersite was equipped with a range of in situ instruments resolving air-sea interface and underwater properties, of which a bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler was used extensively in this paper for the purposes of airborne current retrieval validation and interpretation. A series of water-tracing dye releases took place in coordination with aircraft overpasses, enabling dye plume velocimetry over 100 m to 10 km spatial scales. Similar scales were resolved by a Multichannel Synthetic Aperture Radar, which resolved a swath of instantaneous surface velocities (wave and current) with 10 m resolution and 5 cm/s accuracy. Details of the skin temperature variability imprinted by the upper ocean turbulence were revealed in 1–14,000 m range of spatial scales by a mid-wave infrared camera. Combined, these methodologies provide a unique insight into the complex spatial structure of the upper ocean turbulence on a previously under-resolved range of spatial scales from meters to kilometers. However, much attention in this paper is dedicated to quantifying and understanding uncertainties and ambiguities associated with these remote sensing methodologies, especially regarding the smallest resolvable turbulent scales and to reference depths of retrieved currents.
Recent experimental campaigns provided the opportunity to measure radiowave propagation and atmospheric conditions with the X-Band Beacon-Receiver array system. The system consists of vertical arrays of transmitters and receivers for measuring X-band propagation. Measurements near the sea surface can be used to obtain information regarding the refractivity profile of the lower atmosphere. Since ducted propagation acts as a leaky waveguide, the vertical array elements in various transmit and receive height combinations effectively observe differing combinations of the modal components propagating in the duct, the use of multiple combinations improves estimation of duct properties. The aforementioned measurement campaigns occurred near the coast of southern California; the SoCal 2013 experiment and the Scripps Pier Campaign. During both campaigns, the propagation loss recorded at each of the receivers from each of the transmitters, standardized by the total received power, was compared to Variable Terrain Radio Parabolic Equation model predictions in order to estimate the EDH. Point meteorological data was recorded and used with the Navy Atmospheric Vertical Surface Layer Model to obtain in-situ measurements of the EDH. Comparisons show strong correlation between EDH values inferred from XBBR measurements and meteorological information.
CASPER objective is to improve our capability to characterize the propagation of radio frequency (RF) signals through the marine atmosphere with coordinated efforts in data collection, data analyses, and modeling of the air-sea interaction processes, refractive environment, and RF propagation. The Coupled Air-Sea Processes and Electromagnetic ducting Research (CASPER) project aims to better quantify atmospheric effects on the propagation of radar and communication signals in the marine environment. Such effects are associated with vertical gradients of temperature and water vapor in the marine atmospheric surface layer (MASL) and in the capping inversion of the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL), as well as the horizontal variations of these vertical gradients. CASPER field measurements emphasized simultaneous characterization of electromagnetic wave (EM) propagation, the propagation environment, and the physical processes that gave rise to the measured refractivity conditions. CASPER modeling efforts utilized state-of-the-art Large Eddy Simulations (LES) with a dynamically coupled MASL and phase-resolved ocean surface waves. CASPER-East was the first of two planned field campaigns, conducted in October/November 2015 offshore of Duck, North Carolina. This article highlights the scientific motivations and objectives of CASPER and provides an overview of the CASPER-East field campaign. The CASPER-East sampling strategy enabled us to obtain EM propagation loss as well as concurrent environmental refractive conditions along the propagation path. This article highlights the initial results from this sampling strategy showing the range-dependent propagation loss, the atmospheric and upper oceanic variability along the propagation range, and the MASL thermodynamic profiles measured during CASPER-East.
A new method for estimating current-depth profiles from observations of wavenumber-dependent Doppler shifts of the overlying ocean wave field is presented. Consecutive scans of marine X-band backscatter provide wave field measurements in the time-space domain that transform into the directional wavenumber-frequency domain via a 3D fast Fourier transform (FFT). Subtracting the linear dispersion shell yields Doppler shift observations in the form of (kx, ky, Δω) triplets. A constrained linear regression technique is used to extract the wavenumber-dependent effective velocities, which represent a weighted depth average of the Eulerian currents (Stewart and Joy). This new method estimates these Eulerian currents from the effective velocities via the inversion of the integral relationship, which was first derived by Stewart and Joy. To test the effectiveness of the method, the inverted current profiles are compared to concurrent ADCP measurements. The inversion method is found to successfully predict current behavior, with a depth-average root-mean-square (RMS) error less than 0.1 m s⁻¹ for wind speeds greater than 5 m s⁻¹ and a broad wave spectrum. The ability of the inversion process to capture the vertical structure of the currents is assessed using a time-average RMS error during these favorable conditions. The time-averaged RMS error is found to be less than 0.1 m s⁻¹ for depths shallower than 20 m, approximately twice the depth of existing methods of estimating current shear from wave field measurements.
The influence of wave-current interactions on time series of marine X-band radar backscatter maps at the mouth of the Columbia River (MCR) near Astoria, Oregon, is examined. The energetic wave environment at the MCR, coupled with the strong tidally forced currents, provides a unique test environment to explore the limitations in accurately determining the magnitude and vertical structure of upper-ocean currents from wavefield measurements. Direct observation in time and space of the wave-induced radar backscatter and supporting acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) current measurements provide a rich dataset for investigating how currents shift the observed wave dispersion relationship. First, current extraction techniques that assume a specific current-depth profile are tested against ADCP measurements. These constrained solutions prove to have inaccuracies because the models do not properly account for vertical shear. A forward solution using measured current profiles to predict the wavenumber-Doppler shift relationship for the range of ocean waves sensed by the radar is introduced. This approach confirms the ocean wavefield is affected by underlying vertical current shear. Finally, a new inversion method is developed to extract current profiles from the wavenumber-dependent Doppler shift observations. The success of the inversion model is shown to be sensitive to the range of wavenumbers spanned by observed Doppler shifts, with skill exceeding 0.8 when wavenumbers span more than 0.1 rad m⁻¹. This agreement when observations successfully capture the broadband wavefield suggests the X-band backscatter is a viable means of remotely estimating current shear.
The surface current observations made by HF radar systems are increasingly being relied on to support decision-making by coastal ocean users and managers. Thus, the need for high quality data with defined error characteristics has never been higher. Building on previous efforts, this paper examines the use of 'radial metrics', the ancillary output of the direction finding algorithm used by the SeaSonde radar system, to improve both accuracy and error characterization. The radial metrics provide non-velocity based parameters that can be used to eliminate low-quality data and or weight the contribution of individual returns on the resulting spatially averaged radial velocity. While their effects on the data are different, both thresholding and weighted averaging based on the metrics are shown here to significantly increase the accuracy and reduce the error of the resulting velocity estimates. Thus, we suggest that operators should take advantage of these advancements to improve the accuracy of existing systems.
The collection and processing of X-Band radar backscatter in the frequency-wavenumber domain holds promise for extracting information about ocean surface currents and vertical shear. The ability to sense this information remotely has potentially significant impacts on scientific, navigational, and military operations, especially in areas of energetic currents. We present results from an experiment conducted in a shallow, tidally forced river inlet. First, X-Band observations of wave dynamics in the highly energetic region of the Columbia River Inlet (OR, USA) are presented. Second, a bulk current retrieval technique is discussed. Finally, the presence of vertical current shear is shown to affect X-Band observations in the wavenumber dependence of current-induced Doppler shifts.
Knowledge of the nearshore ocean environment is important for naval operations, including military and humanitarian applications. The models used by the US Navy for predicting waves and circulation in the coastal regions are presented here. The wave model of choice for coastal regions is the Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN) model, which predicts wave energy as a function of frequency and direction. SWAN is forced by winds as well as waves at the offshore boundaries. For coastal circulation, Delft3D, composed of a number of different modules that can be coupled with each other, is presently used. Most applications for daily operational predictions use only the Delft3D-FLOW module, which predicts currents, mean water levels, temperature, and salinity. Inputs to the model include winds, tides, general ocean circulation, waves, daily river discharges, temperature, and salinity. Delft3D-FLOW is coupled with the Delft3D-WAVE module for areas where wave effects are of importance. A four-dimensional variational assimilation (4DVar) system based on SWAN, the SWANFAR system, is under development for nearshore wave predictions. It will improve wave predictions by using regional wave observations. We present several case studies that illustrate the validation and diverse applications of these models. All operational systems are run at the Naval Oceanographic Office.
Radiowave propagation in the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) remains a subject of research interest given the potential utility of the ducting propagation mechanism. Ducting propagation is highly dependent on atmospheric conditions; experiments that combine propagation measurements with detailed atmospheric characterization can offer opportunities for improved modeling of the MABL effects on propagation in the future. Two recent campaigns provided an opportunity to measure propagation in the MABL.
This paper proposes a novel algorithm for retrieving the ocean wind vector from marine radar image sequences in real time. It is presented as an alternative to mitigate anemometer problems, such as blockage, shadowing, and turbulence. Since wind modifies the sea surface, the proposed algorithm is based on the dependence of the sea surface backscatter on wind direction and speed. This algorithm retrieves the wind vector using radar measurements in the range of 200-1500 m. Wind directions are retrieved from radar images integrated over time and smoothed (averaged) in space by searching for the maximum radar cross section in azimuth as the radar cross section is largest for upwind directions. Wind speeds are retrieved by an empirical third-order polynomial geophysical model function (GMF), which depends on the range distance in the upwind direction to a preselected intensity level and the intensity level. This GMF is approximated from a dataset of collocated in situ wind speed and radar measurements (similar to 31 000 measurements, similar to 56 h). The algorithm is validated utilizing wind and radar measurements acquired on the Research Platform (R/P) FLIP (for Floating Instrumentation Platform) during the 13-day Office of Naval Research experiment on High Resolution Air-Sea Interaction (HiRes) in June 2010. Wind speeds ranged from 4 to 22 m s(-1). Once the proposed algorithm is tuned, standard deviations and biases of 148 and 218 for wind directions and of 0.8 and -0.1 m s(-1) for wind speeds are observed, respectively. Additional studies of uncertainty and error of the retrieved wind speed are also reported.
Estimates of surface currents over the continental shelf are now regularly made using high-frequency radar (HFR) systems along much of the U.S. coastline. The recently deployed HFR system at the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO) is a unique addition to these systems, focusing on high spatial resolution over a relatively small coastal ocean domain with high accuracy. However, initial results from the system showed sizable errors and biased estimates of M 2 tidal currents, prompting an examination of new methods to improve the quality of radar-based velocity data. The analysis described here utilizes the radial metric output of CODAR Ocean Systems' version 7 release of the SeaSonde Radial Site Software Suite to examine both the characteristics of the received signal and the output of the direction-finding algorithm to provide data quality controls on the estimated radial currents that are independent of the estimated velocity. Additionally, the effect of weighting spatial averages of radials falling within the same range and azimuthal bin is examined to account for differences in signal quality. Applied to two month-long datasets from the MVCOhigh-resolution system, these new methods are found to improve the rms difference comparisons with in situ current measurements by up to 2 cm s -1, as well as reduce or eliminate observed biases of tidal ellipses estimated using standard methods.
A skill analysis of the Multiple Signal Characterization (MUSIC) algorithm used in compact-antennastyle HF radar ocean current radial velocity/ bearing determination is performed using simulation. The simulation is based upon three collocated antennas (two cross loops and a monopole with ideal gain patterns) in a geometry similar to the 25-MHz SeaSonde HF radar commercially available from Coastal Ocean Dynamics Applications Radar (CODAR) Ocean Sensors, Palo Alto, California. The simulations consider wind wave/current scenarios of varying complexity to provide insight to the accuracy of surface current retrievals and the inherent limitations of the technique, with a focus on the capabilities of the MUSIC algorithm itself. The influence of second- order scatter, interference, and stationary target scatter are not considered. Simple error reduction techniques are explored and their impacts quantified to aid in operational system configuration and encourage areas of further research. Increases in skill between 55% and 100% using spatial averaging, and between 14% and 33% using temporal averaging, are realized, highlighting the utility of these techniques. When these error-flagging and averaging techniques are employed, individual range cell skill metrics are found to be as high as 0.94 for simple currents at a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), while more complex currents achieve a maximum skill metric of 0.72 for the same SNR. These simulations, conducted under ideal conditions, provide insight to understanding the variables, which influence the accuracy of surface currents retrieved using MUSIC.
Detailed analysis of the compact antenna array patterns and the internal signal processing within the MUSIC algorithm leads to a goodness-of-fit quality metric for the output radial current velocities and bearings produced by the HF RADAR system. To achieve this, some theory behind the MUSIC direction finding algorithm, describing its Direction of Arrival (DO A) metric, is first presented. MATLAB simulations are conducted and statistics are collected on the DOA metrics. The magnitudes of these metrics are directly related to the quality of the bearings produced by the MUSIC algorithm. Quality of measured antenna patterns is paramount to the accuracy of the MUSIC algorithm bearing output. Ambiguities, as well as other aspects of the measured antenna patterns that are detrimental to quality, are discussed. This research provides HF RADAR users with a practical quality metric for the radial current velocities and their associated bearings produced by the HF RADAR system.


text:
Fantasia announces Christmas After Midnight holiday concert tour
October 4th, 2017 by KRNB
Derek BlanksFantasia's hitting the road to support the release of her first-ever holiday album, Christmas After Midnight.
The Grammy-winner's tour kicks off November 19 in Dallas, TX and will continue on until December 14 in Philadelphia, PA.
Artist presale tickets are available to purchase now via Fantasia's official website, while and Ticketmaster presale tickets will go on sale Thursday, October 5 at 10 a.m. local time.
General public tickets go on sale Friday, October 6 at 10 a.m local time on Ticketmaster as well.
Christmas After Midnight — arriving everywhere October 6 — features renditions of Fantasia's favorite holiday songs, like "This Christmas," "Silent Night" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."
You can pre-order the disc, along with exclusive merch from the American Idol winner, on the Pledge Music website.
Here's the itinerary for Fantasia's "Christmas After Midnight — A Holiday Concert" tour:
11/19 — Dallas, TX, Music Hall
11/24 — Houston, TX, Arena Theatre
11/25 — Nashville, TN, Shermerhorn Symphony
11/26 — Atlanta, GA, Cobb Energy
11/28 — Chicago, IL, Symphony Hall
12/1 — St. Louis, MO, Peabody Opera House
12/2 — Detroit, MI, Music Hall
12/6 — Durham, NC, DPAC
12/9 — Washington, D.C., The Anthem
12/10 — Baltimore, MD, Lyric Theater
12/13 — New York, NY, Apollo Theater
12/14 — Philadelphia, PA, The Fillmore
Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
East Coast! Your presale starts at 10am local time. Use code CHRISTMAS for early tix! https://t.co/9hJLfeG0C7 🎁 pic.twitter.com/irUKnquPm9
— Fantasia (@TasiasWord) October 4, 2017
after announces christmas concert Fantasia holiday midnight
MLK Day Events in Dallas Ft. Worth Read More
K. Michelle announces her sixth and final R&B album Read More


text: Q: Can other websites change my user agent? I was monitoring link clicks on my url-shortner and I saw weird user-agents when the 'referer' was a particular website. My users might be using that website to post the links shortened by my url shortening service. But, is it possible for that website to change the user-agent strings of those users? Or, I should consider them as bot clicks?


EXETER – Saturday morning more than a dozen residents, including Conservation Commission and Planning Board members, joined Economic Development Director Darren Winham aboard a school bus, and then took a walk in the woods for a tour of John Shafmaster and Kevin King's properties on Epping Road.
Located within the taxpayer-approved Tax Increment Finance District, the properties have languished for some time and are seen as key in the development of the Epping Road corridor. However, Exeter's wetland buffers, zoning and the sites' topographies are making development a challenge, according to Winham and King.
Stonewall Kitchen had been eying King's property, the 60 acres of which sit near the Route 101 on-ramp, but recently pulled out in favor of a site in Dover. According to King, it would have been a campus-type corporate facility.
According to Winham and King, portions of both properties would be most suited to residential development – condos or apartment buildings – because of their topography. On King's property in particular, a state-protected forest shielding the land from view on the highway renders the property less attractive to developers looking to place retail or commercial businesses, according to King.
Winham added that there already exists "a glut" of empty office space on the Seacoast, minimizing chances for office development on the property. A $50 million residential project planned for King's property was denied a variance by the Zoning Board of Adjustment in May.
Resident Bill Campbell, who participated in the walk, stressed the need for commercial development in the corridor, as it was the driving force behind the creation of the TIF. "That was the mantra when we put in the TIF – we need commercial development. I feel strongly that we need to do some commercial or light industrial here," he said.
King praised the work done by Winham to bring awareness to the need for development in the corridor. "If it wasn't for you we wouldn't be here. We need someone aggressive who gets things done," he said.
Former Chamber of Commerce President Mike Schidlovsky, along with Hannaford Supermarket, provided food and beverages for walkers on Saturday.
Winham said Monday morning that a community summit of sorts may be organized to talk out differences of opinion on commercial versus residential development and some of the TIF's needs.


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};

$action = $_REQUEST["action"];
$student_no = str_replace('/', '_', strtolower( $_REQUEST["student_no"]));
//$student_no = str_replace('\\', '_', strtolower($student_no));
$lab_no = $_REQUEST["lab_no"];
if($action == "get"){
	$path = FortranCompiler::CODE_DIR. '/' . $student_no . '_' . $lab_no . ".f90";
	$save="";
	if(file_exists($path)){
	   $save = file_get_contents($path);
	}
	die($save);
}else if($action == "save"){
	$code = $_REQUEST["code"];
	parse_str($code);
	$path = FortranCompiler::CODE_DIR. '/' . $student_no . '_' . $lab_no . ".f90";
	$get_file = file_put_contents($path, $code);
	die($code);
};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Every year, the United Nations World Tourism Organization compiles a list of the most visited countries around the world using data from international tourists arrivals.
UNWTO's 2017 data revealed that more than half of the most visited countries in the world were in Europe. France topped the list with 87 million international arrivals, followed by Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Turkey. Despite the European countries on UNWTO's top 10 list, there is one country that is witnessing an uptick in tourism: San Marino.
Located in the middle of Italy, this sovereign microstate welcomed approximately 78,000 foreign visitors in 2017. The number of visitors doesn't compare to France, however, that's a nearly 31 percent increase compared to 60,000 visitors in 2016.
The Republic of San Marino is deemed as the world's oldest sovereign state that dates to the fourth century AD. San Marino sits on a cliff surrounded by breathtaking views of Italy.
As the only surviving city-state in Italy, the medieval city center still has its fortification towers and walls, convents from the 14th and 16th centuries, and an 18th-century theater that are still in use today, as reported in MSN.
As one of Europe's least visited destinations and with a population of 33,500, San Marino is a great place to unwind if you're looking to avoid crowds and interruption.


Essential (ethereal) oils are specific liquid products of plant tissue. They include aromatic compounds of volatile, liphophilic constituents (fat-soluble) that synthesize and metabolize in the secretory structures of plants. Typically, essential oils are extracted from higher plant species such as: Asteraceae, Laminaceae, Rutaceae, Myrtaceae and Lauraceae.
Essential oils are mainly extracted from the root, tree, leaves, flower and fruit of the plant. Different types of essential oils are produced from one plant depending on the plant part they are extracted from.
Essential oil is very difficult to standardize to always ensure the same colour, flavour and aroma because these are variable features of oil that depend on the climate control factors (temperature, humidity, time of gathering of raw material , etc.), method of processing and oil hemotype (a species includes several types of plants).
If oil does not always have the same appearance it proves that it is a real natural product without artificial aromas, colours or preservatives. Most of the food we buy in stores has standard flavour, aroma, appearance and colour due to large quantities of chemical additives that enable product standardization.
We forget that nature is infinitely diverse and the only real source of life energy for our organism!
It is estimated that synthetic oils make 95% of the current world market of essential oils, while 5% is the market share of real natural essential oils produced only by steam distillation of plant material. It is very difficult to assess if an oil is natural or artificial on the basis of its aroma; therefore, the quality should be guaranteed by the oil producer and supplier. Plant name, Latin plant name, constituents, LOT number, shelf life, growing type and country of origin are the elements indicated for quality natural oil. Real therapeutic grade oils must have good chemical composition, which is proved by special analysis – gas chromatography.
Therapeutic effects of the essential oils have been known in Egypt, Rome, Greece and India for ages. Nowadays, these oils are mostly used in medicine and pharmacology, cosmetics, perfume and food processing industries and agriculture.
Essential oils are obtained by steam distillation. Large quantities of the plant material are needed to produce a small quantity of the plant essence – ethereal oil. A litre of the oregano oil is extracted from about 100kg of dried oregano leaves! That is why the essential oils are highly concentrated substances that have to be diluted before use. The oil used for dilution of the essential oil is called carrier oil or base oil (olive oil, grape seed oil, sunflower oil, etc.). For safe use of the oil, always first read the instructions for use and consult the appropriate expert. These oils are mainly used for inhalation, massage, aroma lamps, diffusers, bath, face skincare treatment and internal use.
Before using an essential oil perform a test (particularly sensitive persons) by applying the oil on the inner forearm. Apply a small quantity (a drop) of oil diluted in carrier oil and in case of absence of any allergic reactions (redness, rash, itch) during 24 hours, the oil can be safely used.
For internal use, a small doze of oil can be used in the morning – a drop diluted in a tea spoon of edible oil. In absence of any allergic reaction during 24 hours, oil can be consumed by drinking, and number of drops is to be gradually increased in accordance with the instructions for use. Drink the oil in the morning so that you can easily seek medical help in the course of the day if some allergy reactions occur. If you are allergic to a plant than you will positively be allergic to the essential oil extracted from that plant.
Essential oils are not for use during pregnancy, breast-feeding, in children younger than three (some oils are not for use before the age of 7-12), by epilepsy, schizophrenia, serious liver and kidney disease patients, or by patients having a swallowing act problem (in case of internal use). Oils containing menthol, camphor, 1,8 cineole must not get in contact with skin of babies and small children because they can cause Kratschmer reflex – apnea (cessation of respiration) and total collapse!!! Never take more than three different ethereal oils for internal use at the same time and always wait at least an hour before taking a new oil doze in the course of a day. After regular internal taking of oil for one month always wait 15 days to a month before starting new taking of the oil.
Ethereal oils are kept in small, dark glass bottles at low temperatures, away from sunlight. These oils cannot be spoiled but can oxidize and become pitch, especially if they are not properly stored.
Essential oils require careful use, almost with awe, because these mighty substances can help us recover our balance and health, but if we abuse them they can be harmful more than healthful. Always have in mind that "Natural means – not much ".


The global Industrial TFT-LCD Displays market research report provides the survey for the Industrial TFT-LCD Displays market taking into consideration various factors such as size, production, import data, forecast trends, sales, export data, supply, demand, CAGR, manufacture analysis, share, and current industry chain across the global Industrial TFT-LCD Displays market. The report also evaluates the recent developments and supply of Industrial TFT-LCD Displays market.In addition, it also highlights the dominating players in the market joined with their market share. The well-established players in the market are Panasonic, LG Display, Sharp, Mitsubishi Electric, AMOLED Corporation, AMPIRE Co. Ltd, AU Optronics Corp., Data Display Group, Innolux (formerly Chimei Innolux CMI), Kyocera Display (formerly Optrex), ORTUSTECH, Samsung TFT, Solomon Goldentek Display Corp. (SGD), Tianma.
A detailed study of the Industrial TFT-LCD Displays market based on past, present as well as future trend, which might have been incorporated in the Industrial TFT-LCD Displays market, is comprised in the global Industrial TFT-LCD Displays market research report. The research report includes present performance of the Industrial TFT-LCD Displays market, current trends in the global market and a detailed analysis of the market.
• The market research report consists of every attribute of the global Industrial TFT-LCD Displays market, which starts from the description of the global market and finishes with separations of global Industrial TFT-LCD Displays market.
• Also, every segment Standard, Customized is evaluated for the market report and segmented as per their end-use, applications Industry, Medical, Marine, Military, Aviation, Automation, Transportation, and kinds of goods for the global Industrial TFT-LCD Displays market.
• The main aspect of the report lies in the evaluation of the Industrial TFT-LCD Displays market players Panasonic, LG Display, Sharp, Mitsubishi Electric, AMOLED Corporation, AMPIRE Co. Ltd, AU Optronics Corp., Data Display Group, Innolux (formerly Chimei Innolux CMI), Kyocera Display (formerly Optrex), ORTUSTECH, Samsung TFT, Solomon Goldentek Display Corp. (SGD), Tianma, productions, capacity, income generated by the firm and chain of production globally.
• The global Industrial TFT-LCD Displays market is evaluated on the basis of the price trends, production, demand, and supply, and the revenue generated.
The global Industrial TFT-LCD Displays market research report consists of every attribute of the global market for Industrial TFT-LCD Displays, initially from the fundamental market data and going forward to important criteria, based on which the global Industrial TFT-LCD Displays market is segmented. The application of the global Industrial TFT-LCD Displays market is also elaborated in the report after the performance evaluations.


text:
US: Helpful Guidance From Judge Bryson Regarding Stays Pending IPR
Litigation, Patents
Tagged with IP Litigation, IPR, Judge Bryson, PTAB, Samsung, stay motion, Texas, US patents, USPTO, USPTO Guidance
Judge Bryson of the Federal Circuit, sitting by designation in the Eastern District of Texas, issued one of the clearest articulations to date in favor of granting a stay pending inter partes review.[1] Notably, in this case, claim construction had ended, discovery was nearly complete, and trial was set to begin in three months. The defendant, Samsung, had recently joined an instituted IPR covering six of the eleven asserted claims and moved to stay the district court proceeding.
Judge Bryson clearly articulated the three factors that district courts consider when analyzing whether or not to grant a stay:
1) whether the stay will unduly prejudice the non-moving party;
2) whether the proceedings had reached an advance stage, including the stage of discovery and whether a trial date is set; and
3) whether the stay will likely result in simplifying the case before the court.
After noting that the congressional intent of post-grant review before the patent office was to be a "quick and cost effective alternative[] to litigation" to provide a "faster, less costly alternative to civil litigation to challenge patents" and to be "an inexpensive substitute for district court litigation that allows key issues to be addressed by experts in the field" he proceeded to walk through the three factors.
Judge Bryson noted that the interest in "prompt enforcement of patents is entitled to weight" but that it is a factor that is present in every case where a patentee opposes a stay and "it is therefore not sufficient, standing alone, to defeat a stay motion." As a non-practicing entity, a damages award post-stay would still fully compensate the plaintiff for any injury it suffered. Judge Bryson further noted that while Samsung had waited until after institution to request a stay, this could not factor against the stay as "it would have been virtually pointless for Samsung to have sought a stay before the IPR was instituted, as this Court would have almost certainly denied it."
Further, while the parties had continued trial preparation in the absence of a stay, such efforts had inevitably moved the parties "preparation for the court case closer to completion for the time when the IPR is concluded and th[e] litigation resumes." Notably, the plaintiff had consented to stays in other co-pending cases, which undercut the plaintiff's argument that it would be prejudiced by a delay. While there may have been some prejudice to the plaintiff, a delay of disposition, it was only a minor factor cutting against the stay.
State of the Proceedings
While trial was only three months away and discovery was nearly complete, Judge Bryson noted that "the most burdensome parts of the case—filing and responding to pretrial motions, preparing for trial, going through the trial process, and engaging in post-trial motions practice—all [lay] in the future." Indeed, stays had been granted much closer to trial, as Judge Bryson pointed to a number of cases that were stayed three weeks before trial, ten weeks before trial, eight weeks before trial, and seven weeks before trial. While much work had already been done, Judge Bryson noted that "[d]enying a stay because of the progress of the case to this point would impose significant expenses on the parties that might be avoided if the stay results in the simplification of further court proceedings." This factor also ultimately weighed slightly against a stay.
Simplification of the Issues
Judge Bryson was most clear however, that the "most important factor bearing on whether to grant a stay is whether the stay is likely to simplify issues at trial." Regardless of how the IPR was resolved, a large portion of the litigation would fall away: either the PTAB confirms validity of certain claims and the estoppel provisions of 35 U.S.C. 315(e)(2) prevent certain validity challenges, or some or all of the claims are cancelled. Despite not all asserted claims being in IPR, Judge Bryson was comfortable saying that resolution one way or the other on what asserted claims were instituted would indeed simplify the case for trial. He noted that the case involved complex technology and the potential for the removal of one of the asserted patents heavily favored simplification.
Further, "the expertise of the PTAB judges in th[e] field of art is likely to be of considerable assistance to the Court in this complex case." Indeed, any guidance from the USPTO "regarding validity of the patents would be of invaluable assistance to this court." Judge Bryson, a Federal Circuit judge, recognizes that a duplication of efforts between a jury and the expertise of the patent office is a waste of efforts.
The weighing of the factors resulted in two factors slightly favoring against a stay (as would normally be the case late in the life of the case) and one factor heavily favoring for a stay (as is also normally the case where any asserted claims are instituted). In view of the totality of the circumstances, Judge Bryson concluded that a stay was warranted. His guidance is particularly useful for Petitioners at all stages of litigation who are seeking to stay their ongoing district court litigation while their IPR challenges navigate the patent office.
By Jason Engel, Ben Weed and Erik Halverson
Cywee Group LTD. v. Samsung Elec. Co. Ltd. et al., No. 2:17-cv-00140 D.I. 331 (E.D. Tx. Feb. 14, 2019) (Order granting stay)
Court confirms additional tools for trade mark owners to protect their brand where they operate a selective distribution system in the EU
U.S. Supreme Court Decides Two Copyright Cases and Impacts Registration Strategy for Copyright Owners


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The Glean
U of M's Lynch found responsible in another sexual misconduct case; expulsion recommended
By Brian Lambert | 01/10/2018
John Shipley and Chad Graff of the PiPress write, "Gophers basketball player Reggie Lynch has been found responsible for violating the university student conduct code for sexual misconduct for a second time in six days, according to findings of a school investigation obtained by the Pioneer Press on Tuesday. Lynch practiced with Gophers teammates on Monday while he appeals the first suspension, handed down last Thursday following an investigation by the school's Office for Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action. … The recommendation on that report was a school suspension and a ban from campus until at least Aug. 1, 2020. In this case, the recommendation is expulsion 'effective immediately.'"
Target has a good Christmas. The Strib's Target watcher, Kavita Kumar reports, "Add Target Corp. to the growing list of retailers who had a more robust holiday season as shoppers were in a spending mood and items like the Nintendo Switch and L.O.L. Surprise dolls helped boost sales. The Minneapolis-based retailer reported that comparable sales in November and December rose 3.4 percent, much higher than its forecast, which called for sales to be flat to up to 2 percent. If those numbers hold up in the final weeks of the quarter as executives expect, that would be Target's best performance since 2014, when it was lapping the declines following the 2013 data breach."
Names. Says Kelly Smith in the Strib, "For the first time, Mohamed cracked the most popular boys' names in 2017 at the St. Cloud Hospital, which delivers nearly 3,000 babies a year. Sixteen newborn boys went home from the hospital last year with the name Mohamed, which tied with Liam for second place. Eighteen baby boys delivered at the hospital were named Henry. And for the first time, Salma, an Arabic name, cracked the top 10 list of popular names for newborn girls, hitting No. 9."
About that blizzard: Eh, maybe next time. MPR's Paul Huttner is saying, "We have one more mild day to get our cars washed and driveways scraped off before temperature take the plunge on Thursday and into the upcoming weekend. … It still looks like snow on Thursday. But if a trend is emerging, it leans toward lower snowfall totals for the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota, with heavier snows favoring northeast Minnesota and Wisconsin."
It's almost like they plan for this sort of thing. Says Don Davis for the Forum News Service, "A replacement crude oil pipeline across northern Minnesota could be completed by the end of 2019, even with a delay approved by the state Public Utilities Commission. The PUC on Tuesday bumped back the date it wants to receive a report from March 30 until April 23. While some pipeline supporters said that would mean pipeline construction could not start next year, Shannon Gustafson of pipeline owner Enbridge said even with the delay the pipeline could be done by its deadline."
A bona fide sign of the apocalypse. Andrea Swensson at The Current says, "Less than two years after a major remodel and reopening, the historic Viking Bar in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood has closed and its building has been put up for sale. Built in 1905 and opened as the Viking in 1959, the bar became a hotspot for West Bank blues and folk musicians during the scene's explosion in the 1960s-'70s, hosting popular acts like Bill Hinckley and Judy Larson, 'Spider' John Koerner and Willie Murphy, who ultimately played what would be the bar's first closing night on July 31, 2006. By that time the bar had been owned by the same family for 47 years. … When reached for comment about the status of the bar today, the bar's current management simply said, 'It will play out in court.'"
So maybe that "video stuff" won't turn your kids into pear-shaped couch goobers. At ESPN, Courtney Cronin says: "We all know Case Keenum is a workhorse. First guy in, last guy out, film-room junkie, a work ethic that's second to none, etc., etc. … The quarterback's meticulous attention to detail and tireless preparation isn't something he takes lightly. … In total since he took over starting duties in Week 2, Keenum has viewed 2,647 plays through virtual reality, which translated to him getting to review every play the Vikings have run this season two to three times from a mental standpoint over the course of the year, according to STRIVR's tracking data. All of that has added up to hours of cumulative mental practice on top of what he's doing physically."
Brian Lambert
Longtime Twin Cities journalist Brian Lambert covers media issues for MinnPost. He also blogs with Joe Loveland at "Wry Wing Politics."
Submitted by Pat Terry on 01/10/2018 - 10:21 am.
Didn't the Gophers just hire a new athletic director? Looks like we are getting another one. Probably a new basketball coach too. Maybe just shut down the men's football and basketball programs. Or hire a woman AD.
Submitted by Jeffrey Rapp on 01/10/2018 - 01:21 pm.
Gopher Athletic Director
Women as AD? The acting AD was a Woman at the time of these incidents and it didn't prevent this from happening.
Submitted by Howard Salute on 01/10/2018 - 12:07 pm.
Define Sexual Misconduct
I do not know the facts in Lynch's case, but it appears that it would help readers if a few terms were defined. For example, what exactly is sexual misconduct? I understand it to be more broad than sexual assault. If an athlete made a sexual comment to a woman that made her feel uncomfortable, is that sexual misconduct? Is that also sexual assault? If Al Franken placed his cupped hand on a woman's butt, would he have been guilty of both sexual misconduct and sexual assault?


text:
View procurement information on:
Contracts register
Conditions of contracting with the council
Larger contracts
Community Care and Support Services
Tender return and evaluation
Contract award
Supplier development
Joint procurement strategy
Procurement annual report
Aberdeenshire Council in accordance with Section 35 of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 have a legal obligation to publish a Contracts Register as a statement of current and future opportunities.
Aberdeenshire Council's Contracts Register is based on information and supporting documentation provided by Budget Holders and will continually undergo a verification process by Commercial and Procurement Services.
Aberdeenshire Council contracts register (pdf 422KB)
Aberdeenshire Council contracts register (csv 86KB)
Information - Below are additional providers of procurement opportunities, please be advised that this list is not exhaustive.
Public Contracts Scotland gives free access to contract opportunities in Scotland Public Contracts Scotland Advertisement Portal - to find details of contracts with Scottish Local Authorities, NHS Scotland, the Scottish Government, Agencies and NDPBs, Higher and Further Education and Emergency Services by browsing the available contracts. Suppliers can also register to receive free e-mail alerts for any opportunities specific to their business. Future Planning from PCS can be downloaded.
The Scottish Government provide a range of commercial, property and programme and project management services within the Scottish Government and wider public sector in Scotland. Framework Opportunities from the Scottish Government.
Scotland Excel is the Centre of Procurement Expertise for Scotland's local government sector Scotland Excel.
The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) brings together policy, advice and direct buying; providing commercial services to the public sector and saving money for the taxpayer. The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) brings together policy, advice and direct buying; providing commercial services to the public sector and saving money for the taxpayer. Procurement Opportunities provided by Crown Commercial Services.
The Council have terms and conditions that suppliers are required to adhere to when they deal with the Council. Where there are larger value contracts that deal with particular goods, works or services specific bespoke terms and conditions may be issued with tender documents for these. However, attached are the Councils general Conditions of Contract for the provision of Goods and Services where no bespoke Council terms and conditions apply.
Terms and conditions for goods (pdf 47KB)
Terms and conditions for services (pdf 47KB)
Going forward, in order to improve accessibility to our current tender opportunities wherever possible the Council will publish details of current tenders from both Aberdeenshire Council and Aberdeen City Council on the Scottish Government's National tender advertising website Public Contracts Scotland.
As well as advertising our schemes on our Tender Portal, we also sometimes advertise in the press or appropriate trade journals and publications. You should look for our adverts in the following publications:
Press and Journal
Local papers
All purchasing by the public sector in the UK and the rest of Europe must follow the rules of the EU Treaty. This is designed to ensure the free movement of goods and services in the European Union market. There are special European rules for public contracts above certain values, see below, which aim to make sure that the contracts are awarded in an open, transparent and non-discriminatory way. The European Directives are implemented in this country by a number of regulations, which set down the procedures that local authorities must follow when selecting tenderers and awarding contracts.
The EU procurement thresholds for local authorities are:
Service and supply contracts over 172,514
Works contracts over 4,322,012
Any firm can apply for these schemes, and they are advertised in the Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).
The Commissioning of Community Care and Support Services is managed by the Council's Commissioning Team, which is part of the Housing and Social Work Service. Tender opportunities for community care and support services are also published on the Public Contracts Scotland website (see Tender Opportunities section above). Bespoke terms and conditions exist for community care and support services, and information about these or any other matters relating to the commissioning of community care and support services can be obtained by contacting the Commissioning Team.
Some schools have their own individual budgets, though they are directed to use corporate arrangements.
Schools are required to adhere to the same principles of fairness, openness and transparency.
At present, not all tender documents are available on the Tender Portal, and in these circumstances you will be sent a paper copy. More and more Council business is being conducted electronically. If you cannot currently do business this way you should give it some serious consideration. When documents are available on the Tender Portal, you can download them and either print them off or save them to your own computer.
Although the tender documents are quite detailed, they are intended to encourage you to tender for our business. If you have any queries regarding the documents do not be afraid to get in touch with the named contact for assistance.
You will be asked to complete and return your tender documents by a given time and date, using a specific tender return label.
The tender documents are all opened at the same time after the tender return date. Once the tender documents have been opened, they are forwarded to the appropriate council officers for evaluation.
If you fail to return your tender documents by the specified deadline, your tender will be excluded from the evaluation process. If it's late, it's too late. The tender evaluation criteria are established before tenders are invited and are stated in the documentation.
If your tender submission meets all the evaluation criteria then you could be awarded the contract. Any such contract will based on the Council's Conditions of Contract (Terms and Conditions) that you have agreed to in responding to the tender.
If you are unsuccessful and wish to seek feedback, you should contact the named council officer detailed in the tender documentation. This officer will be able to explain why your tender was unsuccessful and possibly provide some indicators as to how you might improve on future bids.
The Council has prompt payment targets. This means that we are committed to paying all invoices within 30 days of receipt, irrespective of invoice value or payee.
The purpose of supplier development is to support the local business community to develop capacity and capability to bid successfully for public contracts.
The following resources are designed to increase understanding of public sector procurement policy and legislation and to reduce barriers to business:
The Supplier Procurement Journey is a comprehensive Scottish Government resource providing end-to end support
The Positive Procurement Programme (PPP) aims to increase understanding of public sector procurement policy and legislation
View Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and The Highland Council joint procurement strategy 2017 - 2022.
View Aberdeenshire Council procurement annual report 2017/18 (pdf 1.23MB).
Commercial and Procurement Service
Email: CPSCityShire@aberdeencity.gov.uk