At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus. But it is also a time to celebrate the birth of the Christ within us.
The apostle Paul wrote, "Christ in you, your hope of glory." That Christ in you is your divine nature, that spark of divinity that is your inheritance as a child of God.
On Christmas, give thanks and celebrate the beauty of the gift that you were given at birth. That gift cannot be stolen, it cannot grow old, die or become outdated or outgrown. It is an eternal blessing that lives within you and provides you with an everlasting light--a light that will guide you and direct you through any crisis or challenge you may face. It will strengthen you and give you a calm and peaceful presence even when the storm seems to be raging around you.
That Christ nature is in all people, no matter what their religion. I behold the Christ in you, my friend. Merry Christmas!
On a December night in Chicago in the 1930's, a little girl climbed onto her father's lap and asked a question. It was a simple question, asked in children's curiosity, yet it had a heart rending effect on Robert May.
"Daddy," four-year old Barbara asked, "Why isn't my Mommy like everybody else's mommy?"
Bob May stole a glance across his small two room apartment. On a couch lay his young wife, Evelyn, racked with cancer. For two years she had been bedridden; for two years, all of Bob's income and savings had gone to pay for treatments and medicines.
The terrible ordeal already had shattered two adult lives. Now Bob realized the happiness of his growing daughter was also in jeopardy. As he ran his fingers through Barbara's hair, he prayed for an answer to her question.
Bob May knew only too well what it meant to be "different." As a child he had been weak and delicate. With the innocent cruelty of children, his playmates had continually goaded the stunted, skinny lad to tears. Later at Dartmouth, from which he was graduated in 1926, Bob May was so small that he was always being mistaken for someone's little brother.
Nor was his adult life much happier. Unlike many of his classmates who floated from college into plush jobs, Bob became a copy writer for Montgomery Ward, the big Chicago mail order house. Now at 33 Bob was deep in debt, depressed and sad.
Although Bob did not know it at the time, the answer he gave the tousled haired child on his lap was to bring him to fame and fortune. It was also to bring joy to countless thousands of children like his own Barbara. On that December night in the shabby Chicago apartment, Bob cradled his little girl's head against his shoulder and began to make up and tell a story.
Rudolph, Bob explained, was terribly embarrassed by his unique nose. Other reindeer laughed at him; his mother and father and sister were mortified, too. Even Rudolph wallowed in self pity.
"Well," continued Bob, "one Christmas Eve, Santa Claus got his team of husky reindeer - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and Vixen ready for their yearly trip around the world. The entire reindeer community assembled to cheer these great heroes on their way. But a terrible fog engulfed the earth that evening, and Santa knew that the mist was so thick he wouldn't be able to find any chimneys."
"Suddenly Rudolph appeared, his red nose glowing brighter than ever. Santa sensed at once that here was the answer to his problem. He led Rudolph to the front of the sleigh, fastened the harness and climbed in. They were off! Rudolph guided Santa safely to every chimney that night. Rain and fog, snow and sleet; nothing bothered Rudolph, for his bright nose penetrated the mist like a beacon."
"And so it was that Rudolph became the most famous and beloved of all the reindeer. The huge red nose he once hid in shame was now the envy of every buck and doe in the reindeer world. Santa Claus told everyone that Rudolph had saved the day and from that Christmas, Rudolph has been living serenely and happy."
Little Barbara laughed with glee when her father finished. Every night she begged him to repeat the tale until finally Bob could rattle it off in his sleep.
Then, at Christmas time he decided to make the story into a poem and prepare it in bookish form illustrated with pictures, for Barbara's personal gift. Night after night, Bob worked on the verses after Barbara had gone to bed for he was determined his daughter should have a worthwhile gift, even though he could not afford to buy one.
Then as Bob was about to put the finishing touches on Rudolph, tragedy struck. his wife died. Bob turned to Barbara and her present as his chief comfort. Despite his grief, he sat at his desk in the quiet apartment, and worked on "Rudolph."
Bob was asked to an employee's holiday party at Montgomery Wards. He took with him the poem and was asked to read it to the crowd. First the noisy throng listened in laughter and gaiety. Then they became silent, and at the end, broke into spontaneous applause. The next day Barbara cried with joy over her handmade gift on Christmas morning, That was in 1938.
By Christmas of 1947, some 6,000,000 copies of the booklet had been given away or sold, making Rudolph one of the most widely distributed books in the world.
Through the years of unhappiness, the tragedy of his wife's death and his ultimate success with Rudolph, Bob May was able to capture a sense of serenity. And as each Christmas rolls around he recalls with thankfulness the night when his daughter Barbara's questions, inspired him to write the story.
In this day and age, and especially around the holidays, it can be difficult to find that silent and peaceful space that we all crave and need.
There are times when I meditate when my mind sinks into that space where nothing exists other than the beating of my heart, when I feel a wave of relaxation move through my body and a feeling of total peace settles over me. It is pure bliss! I want to hold onto it forever. But then, my mind kicks in and the feeling is gone, like a bubble bursting.
Someone sent me a lovely little video with beautiful music. If you're trying to find a place of peace and tranquility within you during this busy time and to connect with the true meaning of Christmas, this short (two minutes) video may help.
Three years ago, a little boy and his grandmother went to see Santa at Mayfair Mall in Wisconsin. The child climbed up on his lap, holding a picture of a little girl.
"Yes, Santa," he replied. "My sister, Sarah, who is very sick," he said.
Santa glanced over at the grandmother who was waiting nearby.
"Well, I know it's really too much to ask you, Santa, but " the old woman began, shooing her grandson over to one of Santa's elves to collect the little gift which Santa gave all his young visitors. "The girl in the photograph, my granddaughter well, you see she has leukemia and isn't expected to make it even through the holidays," she said through tear-filled eyes.
"Is there any way, Santa, any possible way that you could come see Sarah? That's all she's asked for, for Christmas, is to see Santa."
Then Santa finished visiting with all the boys and girls that evening, he retrieved from his helper the name of the hospital where Sarah was staying. He asked the assistant location manager how to get to Children's Hospital.
"Why?" Rick asked, with a puzzled look on his face. Santa relayed to him the conversation with Sarah's grandmother earlier that day.
Santa quietly peeked into the room through the half- closed door and saw little Sarah on the bed. The room was full of what appeared to be her family; there was the Grandmother and the girl's brother he had met earlier that day. A woman whom he guessed was Sarah's mother stood by the bed, gently pushing Sarah's thin hair off her forehead.
"Santa!" shrieked little Sarah weakly, as she tried to escape her bed to run to him, IV tubes in tact. Santa rushed to her side and gave her a warm hug. A child the age of his own son, 9 years old, gazed up at him with wonder and excitement.
Her skin was pale and her short tresses bore telltale bald patches from the effects of chemotherapy. But all he saw when he looked at her was a pair of huge, blue eyes. His heart melted, and he had to force himself to choke back tears. Though his eyes were riveted upon Sarah's face, he could hear the gasps and quiet sobbing of the women in the room.
As he and Sarah began talking, the family crept quietly to the bedside one by one, squeezing Santa's shoulder or his hand gratefully, whispering "thank you" as they gazed sincerely at him with shining eyes. Santa and Sarah talked and talked, and she told him excitedly all the toys she wanted for Christmas, assuring him she'd been a very good girl that year.
As their time together dwindled, Santa felt led in his spirit to pray for Sarah, and asked for permission from the girl's mother. She nodded in agreement and the entire family circled around Sarah's bed, holding hands. Santa looked intensely at Sarah and asked her if she believed in angels.
"Oh, yes, Santa, I do!" she exclaimed.
"Well, I'm going to ask that angels watch over you, "he said. Laying one hand on the child's head, Santa closed his eyes and prayed.
"Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright." The family joined in, still holding hands, smiling at Sarah, and crying tears of hope, tears of joy for this moment, as Sarah beamed at them all. When the song ended, Santa sat on the side of the bed again and held Sarah's small hands in his own.
He knew it was risky proclaiming that, to this little girl who had terminal cancer, but he "had" to. He had to give her the greatest gift he could, not dolls or games or toys, but the gift of HOPE.
"My only child is the same age as Sarah," he explained quietly. "This is the least I could do."
They nodded with understanding and hugged him. One year later, Santa Mark was again back on the set in Milwaukee for his six-week, seasonal job which he so loves to do. Several weeks went by and then one day a child came up to sit on his lap.
"You came to see me in the hospital last year!" Santa's jaw dropped. Tears immediately sprang in his eyes, and he grabbed this little miracle and held her to his chest.
"Sarah!" he exclaimed. He scarcely recognized her, for her hair was long and silky and her cheeks were rosy, much different from the little girl he had visited just a year before. He looked over and saw Sarah's mother and grandmother in the sidelines smiling and waving and wiping their eyes.
That was the best Christmas ever for Santa Claus. He had witnessed, and been blessed to be instrumental in bringing about, this miracle of hope.
A young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. "That depends," replied the foreman. "Let's see you chop down this tree." The young man stepped forward and skillfully chopped down a great tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, "You can start Monday."
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by --and Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your pay check on the way out today."
dropped from first place on Monday to last place today."
In our own lives, prayer is about sharpening our axe. The time we spend in prayer is not wasted. It is a time when we bring our awareness back to God.
spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.
for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.
scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?"
some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
Through your behavior today, what are you teaching your children about life and how to treat others? Children learn by example. We've all heard the saying, "Do as I say and not as I do." But the fact is, when our words and actions are contradictory, the child will emulate our actions. What kind of person do you want your child to become? Courageous? Compassionate? Patient? Then you must work at being that kind of person yourself.


I few months ago I asked by 5th Avenue Theatre if I wanted to create a 1 minute featurette for them that will play in movie theaters across the country this Xmas and of course I jumped at the chance. Mark and I have photographed for them for several years but this was the first time they wanted to used my video skills. The shoot is essentially a behind the scenes look at what goes into a musical from the rehearsals to the photoshoot, costuming and wigs. It was so much fun to create and I hope you enjoy it.


text:
Q: is there a pandas function to create a df of an dict object inside a df So now I have a .csv file which is a df.to_csv stuff and It looks like this

APPL
US
blahblahblah
{'open':someting....}

I want to ask if there's someway to merge that dict stuff into the df.
You can find the whole csv file here
Here is my code
import requests
import pandas as pd
from requests import api

params = {
    'access_key': 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY'
}

api_result = requests.get(
    'http://api.marketstack.com/v1/tickers/aapl/eod', params)

api_response = api_result.json()
df = pd.DataFrame([api_response['data']][0])
# df = pd.concat([df, pd.DataFrame((df['eod'][:])[0])], axis=1) # df['eod'][:] is the dict
df.to_csv('stock.csv')

A: I think you want to convert dict data to Series of pandas by each key.
There is so strong function in pandas. that is .apply(). You can use this function for each row/column.
In this case, you can use .apply(pd.Series) to convert data.
this is example code.
import pandas as pd

# read your csv file
df = pd.read_csv('stock.csv')

# your csv has two "eod" column that has same data, so I drop last eod column.
# if you want to use all eod columns, then make your on solution using below code.
# drop unexpected columns
df = df.drop(columns=['Unnamed: 0', 'eod.1'])

# apply(eval): To change the data of "eod" column from "str" type to "dict" type
# apply(pd.Series): To make pd.DataFrame from one Series with dict data
df2 = df['eod'].apply(eval).apply(pd.Series)

# merge origin df and new df2
result_df = pd.merge(df, df2, left_index=True, right_index=True)

# drop eod column, because we don't need "eod" column, anymore.
result_df = result_df.drop(columns='eod')

print(result_df)

You need change some line for the data from api server.
maybe,, your stock.csv data is not equal with data from api server.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Google Strategy Anonymous Function Not Being Called I'm trying to use passport so that users can log-on to my website using their google accounts. I'm using yarn with these relevant packages: passport@0.4.0, and passport-google-oauth20@^1.0.0. The general problem appears to be that the callback function specified in the GoogleStrategy isn't being run so the server is trying to load a page that doesn't exist, causing several errors.
What's currently happening is that I start the server with nodemon, passing the Google client ID and secret to process variables who's values are used by the GoogleStrategy (I have console logged them to make sure they are being correctly passed). I then visit the root page in the browser and click the log-in anchor which gets /auth/google. The google log-in screen that displays possible accounts to log-in with appears. I select my account and the server then gets a GET request to /auth/google/callback?code=4/(a long string of characters) which has a 500 error associated with it. After this, all the root page's files referenced in the pug file are GET requested, except that auth/google is added to the front of every request except the stylesheet.
An example output:
GET /auth/google 302 1.893 ms - 0
GET /auth/google/callback?code=4/(long string of text) 500 178.246 ms - 3087
GET /auth/google/node_modules/jquery/dist/jquery.js 404 38.048 ms - 3087
GET /auth/google/node_modules/bootstrap/dist/css/bootstrap.css 404 65.666 ms - 3087
GET /auth/google/node_modules/angular-material/angular-material.css 404 89.565 ms - 3087
GET /auth/google/node_modules/angular/angular.js 404 115.541 ms - 3087
GET /auth/google/node_modules/angular-animate/angular-animate.js 404 141.761 ms - 3087
GET /auth/google/node_modules/angular-messages/angular-messages.js 404 161.489 ms - 3087
GET /auth/google/node_modules/angular-material/angular-material.js 404 23.809 ms - 3087
GET /auth/google/node_modules/angular-aria/angular-aria.js 404 43.268 ms - 3087
GET /auth/google/apps/angular_app.js 404 62.520 ms - 3087
GET /stylesheets/style.css 304 86.279 ms - -

The page at this point appears to only have what's in its main pug file and the css file; none of the ng-repeats or ng-includes work for example. The URL in the browser at this point is http://(my domain)/auth/google/callback?code=4/(a long string of characters)
Here's the relevant code in the express file for the root page:
var passport = require('passport');
var GoogleStrategy = require('passport-google-oauth20').Strategy;

console.log('google client id: ' + process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID);
console.log('google client secret: ' + process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET);
router.use(passport.initialize());

passport.use(new GoogleStrategy({
  clientID: process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID,
  clientSecret: process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET,
  callbackURL: 'http://(my domain)/auth/google/callback'
},
function(accessToken, refreshToken, profile, done) {
  console.log('start of callback');
  return done(null, profile);
}));

app.use(passport.initialize());

router.get('/auth/google', passport.authenticate('google', {scope: ['profile']} ));
router.get('/auth/google/callback', passport.authenticate('google', {
  failureRedirect: '/',
  function(req, res, next) {
    res.redirect('/');
  }
}));

router.get('/logout', function(req, res) {
  console.log('logged out');
  req.logout();
  res.redirect('/');
});

module.exports = router;

The console.log('start of callback'); isn't being executed during any point of the sequence in the second paragraph. The console.log('logged out'); is being executed when the log-out anchor is clicked and the redirect function called afterwords is executed as well.
Here are most of sources I've been looking at for possible reasons the strategy hasn't been running the anonymous callback function:

*

*Passport-Google-OAuth Callback Not working

*Custom Callback never called when Google Auth on passportjs

*Passport Callback isn't called Google API

*how to redirect to original page after successful authentication using passport-google-oauth

*Passport-Google-OAuth Callback Not working when used in Web Service

*Google-oauth2 passport not working

*Passport Authenticate doesn't redirect

*https://www.jokecamp.com/tutorial-passportjs-authentication-in-nodejs/

*https://github.com/mstade/passport-google-oauth2

*http://www.passportjs.org/docs/authenticate/#redirects

*http://www.passportjs.org/docs/configure/

A: I eventually tried adding session functionality to see if the combination of Passport and Google oauth 2.0 required it. That was the case, after adding basic session functionality, the callback function was called and the process completed. I didn't find documentation stating that sessions were required but after rereading the "read me" page in the GitHub repository, which is linked in my question above,

Also both sign-in button + callbackURL has to be share the same url, otherwise two cookies will be created and it will lead to lost your session

it is implied that sessions are required by Google oauth 2.0.


text:
Epic Odyssey
Our family's journey around the world
RTW Plan
Australia – New Zealand
Central and North America
Regular Posts
January 18, 2003 May 23, 2019 gonyun (工人)
Lake Naivahsa
It took our overland vehicle only 90 minutes to make it outside Nairobi to Lake Naivasha. Everyone was anxious to see wildlife, and spotting a view zebras along the way sent some of us into a photographic frenzy. We stopped and setup camp at a site that was made for tenting. There was a fence to keep wildlife out, open air buildings for gatherings, and restroom facilities. We pitched our tent, and head out to Elsasmere.
Elsamere
Joy and George Adamson came to this area to release a lion cub (Elsa) and reacclimate them to the wild. On the surface, this is the hallmark of a feel good story. People from Denmark (who happened to have a lion cub), moved to Kenya to try to bring a lion cub they raised back to the wild. Hollywood picked up their story, making Born Free (which I remember seeing as a youth). The back story is full of more intrigue. George was a game warden in Kenya after shooting a lioness, found that she was just protecting her cubs. He took the three cubs, that were too young to care for themselves, and "donated" them to a zoo in Denmark, but kept the youngest. They spent time rehabilitating the cub and trying to reintroduce it to the wild. They were successful. Both Joy and George remained in Africa. After separating, George was killed after being involved in an altercation and Joy was murdered in 1981 at the Shaba National Preserve. In the end, they did their best to right their wrong and do right by Elsa. However, the conflicts between animal and humans plays out in many regions in Africa as wild animals face habitat loss and people are faced with a zero-sum game question of us or them. Even through Africa is popular for setting aside large swaths of land as preserves for animals, both humans (knowingly) and animal species (unknowingly) violate the boarders regularly.
At the lodge we watched a brief documentary of the life and legacy of Joy Adamson. We ate breakfast at the lodge. Colobus monkeys frequent this lodge, and wanted to have my breakfast. I decided not to share, which upset this particular monkey.
We were to be in an overland vehicle for the next 10 days with 14 other strangers (6 from Britain, 1 from Denmark, 1 from Japan, 2 from Canada, and our 3 guides/drivers/cook from Kenya) so we took advantage of a walking safari. Nearby to our camp we were driven to small wildlife preserve where walked through the fields next to the lake. A ranger walked with us carrying gun, just in case. We walked amongst the elands, gazelles, giraffes, and zebras. They still kept their distance but it was an unique perspective. We took many film pictures of our trip to Kenya and Tanzania, and upon return our biggest disappointment was that none of the pictures captured the color, vastness, nor the beauty of what we had experienced. Pictures of this walking safari fell into this category.
A canoe ride
In the early morning the grunts of hippos woke everyone up. We headed down to the dock to the lake and took a canoe ride. Our guides were cautious to keep their distance to hippos in the water. The lake was not deep our guide explained:
In the early days, many tourists came here. Now the lake is disappearing. The lake level used to be much higher. (He pointed to point up on the hill next to some houses). The people used to farm and fish. Now there is less fish, and the levels are way down. People used to farm food when I young. Now they farm flowers and send them to Europe. Roses use more water. More people have work now, but we are losing our water.
We canoed by some women washing clothes lakeside with their children playing near by. "Jambo". We waved and and then canoed in silence contemplating the future of this area. I had no idea that Europe imported roses from Kenya. That seemed nonsensical. It obviously made economic sense to someone, but was this land worth that Faustian bargain?
In doing some research on the area I found this piece by Robert Bect (Click Here)> published 5 years after our visit. He outlined the history of the area and collects large amounts of data in regards to the health of the lake. He outlined a rosier picture of the future stating that there is a large association of interested stakeholders in preserving the lake. His data reveals a different picture. Fish populations are down, dissolved oxygen levels are up and the amount of the lake under papyrus (which helps purify and filter the water) is down and continues to drop dramatically.)
Recent events in 2017 and 2018 show that the lake is receding farther as industrial farms poach water prompting the Water Resource Authority to revise the riparian boundary of the lake which will affect local fishmongers more than the horticultural industry.
As climate change moves regions to longer periods of drought this conflict over water will intensify.
People v Nature
Published by gonyun (工人)
I would like to be leader of the pack. Instead, I'm just the gonyun.	View all posts by gonyun (工人)
Previous Waitomo Caves
Next The Monkeys of Lake Nakuru
Australia – New Zealand (18)
Central and North America (43)
John Muir Trail (15)
Adventure Aikido Climate Change Early Civilizations Endangered Species Festivals Food Hidden Gems Hiking Local Environmental Practices Marine Life National Park People People v Nature Rainforest Service Unesco Wildlife

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Чемпионат Южной Америки по футболу среди молодёжных команд 2007 () — 23-й розыгрыш чемпионата Южной Америки среди молодёжных команд, который прошёл в Парагвае с 7 по 28 января 2007 года. Победителем в 9-й раз в истории турнира стала сборная Бразилии, не потерпевшая ни одного поражения.

4 лучшие команды турнира попали на чемпионат мира по футболу среди молодёжных команд 2007 года, который прошёл в Канаде летом того же года (золото там выиграла сборная Аргентины).

Формат
Команды были поделены на 2 группы по 5 команд, каждая команда сыграла по 4 матча. 3 лучшие команды из каждой группы попадают в финальную группу, состоящую из 6 команд. Четыре лучшие команды из финальной группы попадают на чемпионат мира по футболу среди молодёжных команд 2007, а две лучшие получают право на участие в футбольном турнире Олимпийских игр 2008.

Города и стадионы

Участники
  Аргентина
  Боливия
  Бразилия
  Венесуэла
  Колумбия
  Парагвай
  Перу
  Уругвай
  Чили
  Эквадор

Составы

Первый этап
Первые три команды из каждой группы выходят в финальный этап.

В случае, если команды финишируют с равным количеством очков, окончательный порядок определяется по:
 большей разнице мячей во всех матчах
 большему числу мячей, забитых во всех матчах группы
 лучшему результату в личных встречах
 жребию

Группа A

Группа B

Финальный этап

Попали на чемпионат мира по футболу среди молодёжных команд 2007
  Бразилия
  Аргентина
  Уругвай
  Чили

Попали на летние Олимпийские игры 2008
  Бразилия
  Аргентина

Лучшие бомбардиры
7 голов
  Эдинсон Кавани
6 голов
  Артуро Видаль
5 голов
  Алешандре Пато
  Николас Медина
4 гола
  Лукас Лейва
3 гола
  Пабло Моуче
  Исмаэль Соса
  Чо
  Хавьер Акунья
  Кристиан Богадо
  Николас Ларрондо

Примечания

Чемпионат Южной Америки по футболу среди молодёжных команд
Футбол в Южной Америке в 2007 году
Январь 2007 года
2007 год в Парагвае
Международные соревнования по футболу в Парагвае

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Murujuga ("coxal que sobresurt"), coneguda també com la península de Burrup, és una península que es troba a la costa nord-occidental d'Austràlia Occidental, a l'arxipèlag Dampier. És una zona ecològicament i arqueològicament única car conté la col·lecció de petroglifs més gran i important del món. Algunes escultures aborigens podrien datar de l'edat de gel, és a dir, fa deu mil anys. La col·lecció de formes de roques aborígens és la més gran d'Austràlia. Hi ha més d'un milió de petroglifs i moltes imatges de l'actualment extingit llop marsupial.

Patrimoni de la Humanitat a Austràlia
Geografia d'Austràlia Occidental
Penínsules


text:
Articles tagged Athletics Nation (1)
Joseph LichtermanJanuary 6, 2016
Built on passion: How Vox Media grew from its roots as an Oakland A's blog into one of the Internet's biggest publishers
In a Q&A, Vox Media co-founder Tyler Bleszinski reflects on his time at the company.
Lichterman, Joseph. "Built on passion: How Vox Media grew from its roots as an Oakland A's blog into one of the Internet's biggest publishers." Nieman Journalism Lab. Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, 6 Jan. 2016. Web. 20 Jan. 2020.
Lichterman, J. (2016, Jan. 6). Built on passion: How Vox Media grew from its roots as an Oakland A's blog into one of the Internet's biggest publishers. Nieman Journalism Lab. Retrieved January 20, 2020, from https://www.niemanlab.org/2016/01/built-on-passion-how-vox-media-grew-from-its-roots-as-an-oakland-as-blog-into-one-of-the-internets-biggest-publishers/
Lichterman, Joseph. "Built on passion: How Vox Media grew from its roots as an Oakland A's blog into one of the Internet's biggest publishers." Nieman Journalism Lab. Last modified January 6, 2016. Accessed January 20, 2020. https://www.niemanlab.org/2016/01/built-on-passion-how-vox-media-grew-from-its-roots-as-an-oakland-as-blog-into-one-of-the-internets-biggest-publishers/.
| url = https://www.niemanlab.org/2016/01/built-on-passion-how-vox-media-grew-from-its-roots-as-an-oakland-as-blog-into-one-of-the-internets-biggest-publishers/
| title = Built on passion: How Vox Media grew from its roots as an Oakland A's blog into one of the Internet's biggest publishers
| last = Lichterman
| first = Joseph
| date = 6 January 2016
| ref = {{harvid|Lichterman|2016}}


text:
Q: Why does setting a method in a python class does not pass self when called? If I write this:
class A:
    def a(self):
        return 2
    def b(self):
        print(self.a())

e = A()

def xa(self):
    return 3

e.a = xa
e.b()

will explode saying that:
TypeError: xa() missing 1 required positional argument: 'self'

why does this happen? (if xa has no arguments then it works, printing 3, but then I can't access self).
This is for testing purposes, not actual production code

A: e.a = xa doesn't make xa a bound instance method (which would implicitly pass self), it's just some random function stored as an instance attribute.
If you want it to act like a bound method, you have two options:

*

*Attach it to the class, e.g. A.a = xa (but that modifies the class itself, including all instances). This doesn't bind it on its own, but it will invoke the descriptor protocol when e.a is looked up, which triggers implicit binding.

*Manually bind it to the instance with types.MethodType, by adding import types to the top of your file, and changing the assignment to:
e.a = types.MethodType(xa, e)  # First argument is function to bind, second is instance to bind to


The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court clarified the statutory definition of an independent contractor under the Massachusetts Workers' Compensation Act last week. As many employers are aware, MA law defines who is an employee and who is an independent contract differently for purposes of workers' compensation, minimum wage, and tax withholding.
The case decided by the SJC last week (Ives Carmago's Case) upheld the Department of Industrial Accidents' ("DIA") finding that Carmago was an independent contractor and therefore not eligible for workers' compensation benefits. In making its determination, the DIA used its long followed ten factor test to determine whether an individual is an employee or independent contractor. In agreeing with the DIA's determination, the SJC specifically discredited an argument by Carmago's attorney that the DIA should have used the factors set forth in the Massachusetts Wage Act to determine whether she was an independent contractor or employee.
While this ruling clarifies the definition of "employee" that will be used at the DIA, employers still need to be aware that simply labeling someone an "independent contractor" does not necessarily mean that makes it so. In the event the "independent contractor" ever argued that they were, in fact, an employee and not an independent contractor, the employer's classification will not necessarily rule the day. The DIA, the Courts, and other administrative agencies will look at the facts of what the person actually does in their daily responsibilities to determine whether they are, in fact, an employee or independent contractor.


text:
Sniper 3D Assassin v4.2.1 MOD APK (Unlimited Money, Menu, Premium) Download
November 3, 2022 trendyAPK
Snipers have become widely known for their astonishing ability to complete tasks, including using powerful weapons or modern equipment to operate in many different terrains. Thus, this article will introduce Sniper 3D Assassin, a perfect choice to explore the work and process of becoming a professional sniper. It also comes with many surprises to make the gameplay more exciting and engaging, even using a high-quality 3D graphics engine to have a realistic and thrilling experience when assassinating essential targets.
INTRIGUING STATIONARY SNIPER GAMEPLAY
When players come to Sniper 3D Assassin, they will have access to a massive mission system, including mini-games or extra activities to explore when they become a sniper. However, every process is applied with a stationary gameplay style, and players will be placed in ideal locations to complete missions perfectly. Despite that, the game has a perfect control mechanism, and players will be given a few special skills to destroy targets and even meet a few particular challenges. While assassinating important targets, players also have to take advantage of environmental factors to hide corpses, assassinate targets silently, even create stylish death patterns to earn more points.
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Besides realistic and straightforward gameplay, the game's graphics use a perfect engine and absolute optimization to make every device operate smoothly. Also, its environments developed with detailed physics effects, allowing players to become creative to eliminate targets with environmental elements and more. Many weather factors can also affect the player's assassination performance, so each mission has detailed instructions and recommended equipment. The influence of graphics is huge on gameplay, including stimulating the player's experience and feeling to new heights for the stationary gameplay genre.
ASSASSINATE VARIOUS HIGH-VALUE TARGETS
The objective in each mission is simple; that is, the player needs to assassinate high-value targets or complete all objectives in some special mission. Sniper 3D Assassin will also introduce many new types of maps or situations to test the player's processing and analysis ability before pulling the trigger. Besides, the player's score also determines the quality of the reward, so they can optimize each shot, thereby achieving the absolute score before destroying the targets. However, some targets can become invisible from the screen, so some special skills or equipment can help them make impossible shots. The variety of goals in the game's system is the most outstanding feature, as it constantly creates a lot of motivation or gives them many discoveries in the gameplay.
UNLOCK AND UPGRADE YOUR PRECIOUS RIFLES
Since the player's mission is to assassinate from a great distance, their main weapon will be sniper rifles with impressive design and performance. They are all based on real-world weapons, and the game will make them more impressive when continuously leveled up or used in many missions. Above all, they all have unique abilities, suitable for use in many special situations or allowing players to take advantage of all skills to create artistic deaths for enemies. In addition, the weapon's upgrade system is simple. Still, it has depth, and at the same time, allows players to customize the appearance so that they have the most relaxing and comfortable feeling when using their favorite weapon.
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Sniper 3D Assassin is an online game, so it will have many events or special challenges along with generous rewards to help players progress further in the gameplay. Moreover, the sub-modes will make the gameplay more vibrant, as players will have many other things to do instead of waiting or researching artistic ways to kill people. Of course, their rewards are generous, including pieces of equipment or weapons to craft or upgrade all the resources they own.
COMPETE WITH FRIENDS AND WORLDWIDE
The game will integrate a score and leaderboard system, where players find themselves among other professional snipers. Also, they can invite friends and challenge them to get the highest score or register themselves on the international scoreboard for many impressive rewards that only the winners have. Not stopping there, but every achievement will unlock and give players more content to enjoy the game to the fullest.
The realism and thrilling of Sniper 3D Assassin have always been a favorite for a long time, as it always gives players impressive equipment or weapons, along with complex and attractive missions. Moreover, it also creates the opportunity for everyone to compete against each other and stimulates their gameplay experience thanks to the realistic and vivid 3D graphics quality.
Over 150 Sniper Rifles and other weapons may be collected and upgraded.
Create the most effective weaponry; gain new weapons and exciting upgrades for ammunition and grip, as well as unique powers.
Graphics in 3D that are really realistic
Controls for the game are simple and intuitive.
Play with other players as sniper assassins compete against one other from all around the globe.
Tactics are encouraged with exciting objectives in solo mode, or go online for all-out multiplayer combat.
Save hostages while while rising through the ranks to become the army's most lethal sniper killer.
It is possible to play both pvp online and offline.
December 7, 2022 trendyAPK
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The Authority has just announced it's funding for the 2012/13 year with a maximum of $4,985,009 allocated to 30 projects. The Authority will now work with the successful projects to determine the detailed final costs.
A five year-long project led by NIWA to restore whitebait habitat in the lower Waikato River has been allocated up to $1.5 million. The project is a partnership with other organisations, including the Waikato Raupatu River Trust. Additional co-funding of approximately $1.5 million will give the project a total budget $3 million over the five years.
The project is a comprehensive approach to whitebait restoration including work with local river communities to identify critical habitat issues and migration barriers. Best practice restoration solutions will integrate both traditional maatauranga Maaori and contemporary scientific approaches. The project will incorporate other existing whitebait projects already underway.
The Authority has also ear marked up to $250,000 for growing and planting of native trees and grasses to be undertaken by schools in the catchment. One of the projects is being overseen by the Waikato District Council and builds on the involvement of Waipa School, Glen Massey School, Bernard Fergusson School and the Newcastle and Galbraith Street Kindergartens. Another funded initiative by Trees for Survival Trust and Waikato Regional Council will involve up to 20 schools over a two year period which will involve the raising and planting of native vegetation on catchment waterways.
River Authority co-chairs Tukoroirangi Morgan and Hon John Luxton say they have been impressed with the quality of applications aiming to improve the river catchment.
"We are seeing an increase in the level of co-funding incorporated in projects. This year we have achieved 75 cents of co-funding for every River Authority funding dollar. This is an important element which enables the River Authority's funds to go further and ultimately to have a greater positive impact on the river," says Mr Luxton.
Tukoroirangi Morgan says the Authority is also keen to see more community groups come forward with river clean-up projects.
"Having our grass-roots community involved in restoring the river is vitally important. The more pride and belonging that can be generated towards the river the more likely we can achieve the vision of the river's long term health and well being," he says.
The River Authority has also funded a number of projects in the Waipa River Catchment following the passing of settlement legislation earlier in the year enabling the whole of that catchment to be part of the Authority's vision and strategy.
The Waikato River Authority is a co-governance body established between the Crown and Waikato River iwi to restore and protect the health and well being of the 11,000 square kilometre Waikato River catchment. The government has committed $220 million over a 30-year period.


text:
Top Rated Rehab Centers
/Addict Mother Sentenced for 'Breast Milk Murder'
Addict Mother Sentenced for 'Breast Milk Murder'
Written by: McCarton Ackerman
Last updated on December 5, 2022
A mother addicted to painkillers has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after unintentionally killing her baby through morphine found in her breast milk.
Stephanie Greene, 39, was convicted in South Carolina on Friday of homicide by child abuse, involuntary manslaughter and unlawful conduct toward a child. She must serve 16 years of her sentence before being eligible for parole.
The toxicology report for her six-week old daughter, Alexis, who died in November 2010, confirmed that the baby died from a level of morphine in her body that would have been fatal for an adult. Prosecutor Barry Barnette said Greene concealed her pregnancy in order to obtain painkiller prescriptions from doctors. The former nurse was also fired in 2004 for trying to obtain drugs illegally. Investigators also found dozens of pill bottles and painkiller patches in her bedroom that could have been easily accessed by her then 4-year-old son.
Greene's lawyer, Rauch Wise, said she was simply trying to manage chronic pain from a car crash that took place over a decade ago. She has two children from a previous marriage and a seven-year-old with her current husband, who said he would continue to stand by her.
Although infant deaths from drugs in the mother's system aren't commonplace, they have occurred before. Sarah Stephens, 32, is facing second-degree murder charges after her eight-month-old son, Ryder Salmen, died in September 2012 from drug-laced breast milk. Toxicology results found methadone, Xanax and a painkiller in his system. Last July, Stephanie Louk faced similar charges after her 10-day-old daughter died from meth and other drugs. The mother overdosed when she was nine months pregnant and had a heart attack, requiring doctors to deliver the baby via c-section.
It can be difficult for pregnant substance abusers to enter treatment programs, and many fear admitting drug use out of concern for losing custody of their children. Although there are medications that could help with treating addiction, doctors are often reluctant to prescribe them to pregnant women. They are also typically excluded from clinical trials due to potential legal issues if there is a birth defect.
But for those who move forward with addiction treatment, long-term and women-only residential treatment programs have been found to have high rates of success when also addressing the provision of child care, prenatal care, mental health services and a focus on women's issues. Home-based interventions with female staffers and computer-based motivational interventions have also been used with success.
McCarton AckermanAUTHOR
Eat Up: 7 Super Foods to Support Recovery
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Why Did the War on Drugs Become a War on Sobriety?
Busted: More Online Pharmacies Shut Down By the FDA
Is There a Place for Medical Marijuana in Schools?
Alcohol's Complicated Link to Gender Equality


text:
Slippers in Hawai'i - Illustrated by Jamie Meckel Tablason
The Ready Mapbook of East Hawaii, 6th Edition
He Mele Aloha: A Hawaiian Songbook (English)
Treasury of Ukulele Chords
Hawaiki Rising
Hawaiki Rising Product Description:
A young Hawaiian discovers clues his ancestors once used to navigate across a trackless ocean. A navigator from a tiny Micronesian island reaches out across barriers of culture and distance to pass on the seafaring art of his ancestors. A replica of a Polynesian voyaging canoe, Hōkūle'a, sails ancient seapaths. A crew bonds together with aloha on a voyage to raise distant islands.
Hawaiki Rising is the true story of Hōkūle'a and the men and women who sailed in the wake of their ancestors to discover pride in their culture and themselves.
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Raphael Mc Mullin, RGN, M.Sc.
Julie M. Weldon, M.S.N, RN.


text:
In "Macbeth", by William Shakespeare, Is Macbeth to blame for the murders in his name?
Essay by Bloodofcrows, High School, 11th grade, A, May 2006
Downloaded 1015 times
Keywords William Shakespeare, Belief, Macbeth, Fate, King Duncan
It is my belief, that the character of Macbeth, in the play of the same name by William Shakespeare, was not completely to blame for the murders in his name. Macbeth's character is kind, sociable, generous, intelligent yet immature, and very loyal to his wife. The latter two played the biggest parts in his rise and fall as king of Scotland. All the events leading up to his crowning and death can be attributed to his weak personality and willingness to abide by his wife's wishes.
When first confronted by the three sisters, Macbeth, although pleased with the premonition, seems unbelieving, until he is informed by Ross and Angus, that he has been given the title of 'Thane of cawdor'. When Macbeth hears of this, he makes his first great soliloquy: "Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor: / the greatest is behind" (act 1, scene III). But even then he states, that "If fate will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir" (act one, scene III).
The sleepwalking Lady Macbeth
This is saying that he intends to do nothing but let fate do what it will. He sees no reason to risk killing Duncan, and believes that if the prophecy is correct, then it would happen without his doing.
It is when Lady Macbeth reads the letter explaining the three sister's words that she takes the crowing of her husband into her own hands. She calls apon the forces of darkness to rid her of human emotion that may get in the way. "That tend on mortal thoughts! Unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty; make thick my blood, Stop up the access and passage to remorse, that no compunctious visitings of nature. Shake my fell purpose."(Act one, scene V). She worries for her husband, and that he 'is too full of the milk of human kindness' (act one, scene V) and when Macbeth decides against killing King Duncan, She Accuses Macbeth of being un loyal, "what made you break this enterprise to me?"(Act one, scene VII). And Macbeth, being the weak character he is, succumbs to her wishes, and murders Duncan. During and immediately after the murder, he feels guilt from what he has done, yet realizes that the past is unchangeable. "What's done cannot be undone" (act one, scene V).
And so, Macbeth continues to do his wife's wishes, including killing two of the king's servants, whom had been framed by the murderer himself. He realizes that if the three sister's prophecy had come true for himself, then Banquos prophecy must also have been true, in that, although Banquo would never be King of Scotland himself, his sons after him would. Macbeth organizes Banquo and fleance's assassination, and Banquo is killed, however fleance escapes. This drives Macbeth to extreme anger, and insanity soon after. He see the figure of Banquo approaching him at a banquet, his reactions enlighten his guests as to secrets hidden by the occupants of dunsinane. Lady Macbeth maintains composure throughout this, although it is evident that guilt is taking its toll on her as well.
When Lady Macbeth finally does crack under pressure, Macbeth soon understands that he is too far in to turn back and pretend nothing ever happened, and so gets more rugged in his pursuit of glory. "I am in blood, Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o'er." (Act three, scene IV). Macbeth at this stage cares about nothing. Especially when Lady Macbeth kills herself, he then becomes ruthless, understanding at last, that all his efforts would go unrewarded and forgotten by anyone to follow. To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; and all our yesterdays have lighted fools, the way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more; it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing." (Act three, scene V)
In conclusion, Macbeth was influenced heavily by events that he himself could not control. Be it love for his wife or a lack of understanding as to right or wrong, or even personal limitations. Some would argue that the prophecy by the three witches brought apon the rise and fall of Macbeth, although in my opinion, if the the prophecies really were just that, and then even without Macbeths knowledge of the future, he would have been crowned king. Or, maybe, the prophecies only became such, because Macbeth was told them, therefore, it was nothing more, than three old witches playing with a susceptible mind. In blood/ Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er.
Sarah Siddons in the Sleepwalking Scene
The English actor Charles Kean as William Shakespe...
Macbeth and Banquo with the Witches by Henry Fusel...
In "Macbeth", by William Shakespeare, Is Macbeth to blame for the murders in his name?. (2006, May 13). In WriteWork.com. Retrieved 02:11, January 17, 2022, from https://www.writework.com/essay/macbeth-william-shakespeare-macbeth-blame-murders-his-name
WriteWork contributors. "In "Macbeth", by William Shakespeare, Is Macbeth to blame for the murders in his name?" WriteWork.com. WriteWork.com, 13 May, 2006. Web. 17 Jan. 2022.
WriteWork contributors, "In "Macbeth", by William Shakespeare, Is Macbeth to blame for the murders in his name?," WriteWork.com, https://www.writework.com/essay/macbeth-william-shakespeare-macbeth-blame-murders-his-name (accessed January 17, 2022)
Macbeth Purpose
"Macbeth" by William Shakespeare As William Shakespeare weaved the storylines of his plays, he considered both the ignorant lowlife and the insightful intellectual. He constructed them to be entertaining enough to humor those with little intelligence, but also meaningful enough to attract ...
1 pages 13172 1 Apr/2004 3.0
Macbeth and the symbol of blood
... of Banquo which he planned. Macbeth shows a bit of his guilt when he says 'It is the bloody business which informs thus,' he could not get the courage to say murder after he had killed Duncan, so he says this instead. Lady Macbeth ...
What was the witches' role in Macbeth?
... MacBeth had been appointed Thane of Cawdor? Of course, once MacBeth, who, living in such a society, was superstitious, is presented with Cawdor's title, he believes that the other prediction, namely his kingship, must come true. Banquo notes the danger inherent in believing (and subsequently acting ...
... Macbeth and Banquo, Scottish generals, are returning after crushing a rebellion against Duncan ( King of Scotland ), when they are met by three witches. The witches prophesy that Macbeth will become thane of Cawdor , then later on he will become King. Banquo is told that he will never become King ...
Finding Courage To Die. On Hamlet
... one of the most famous and well known excerpts from the play ' Hamlet .' What most people do not realize is the significance it has in the portrayal of the character Hamlet . During this soliloquy ...
2 pages 105 Nov/1996 5.0
Role of Falstaff in Henry IV, Part One
... one main plot. Falstaff is of paramount importance to the sub-plot dealing with Hal's decision between continuing his carefree life style or maturing into the role he is destined to play as a respected prince and later king ...


3 new songs from 2015 of this Ukrainian porngrind duo + US black/noise massacre with Charlie/PSYCHO on drums!!!
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Last songs from Australian porngrind sickos, Viscera is dead now. Unreleased songs from NxVx, recorded in 2013.
New 6th full length album of crazy perverted Gore/grinders from Ukraine!!!


Biology of indigenous fish, environmental effects (e.g. water salinity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, etc.) on ion exchange, osmo-regulation, respiration, fish growth, survival rate of fish and shrimp; effects of drugs and chemicals on fish and shrimps.
Biodiversity, distribution and population dynamics of aquatic organisms; water quality and management; bio-indicators and aquatic resources management.
Nutrition requirements, feed formulations and feeding schemes for commercially cultured species, such as Pangasius catfish, snake-head fish, tilapia, etc.; live food culture such as microalgae, rotifers, Artemia, etc.
Applying and developing new technologies for seed production and farming systems of commercially cultured species such as freshwater fish (especially catfish), marine fish (cobia, groupers…), crustacean (freshwater prawn, shrimps, crabs), mollusks and seaweeds.
Diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease pathogens from cultured species.
Genetics applied in biodiversity and conservation, broodstock domestication and seed selection of indigeneous species.
Socio-economics, production and value chain, management and sustainability of fisheries.


Organic carbon present in aquatic ecosystems has the potential to either be sequestered by sedimentary organic matter or recycled and contributed to the atmosphere through microbial respiration. Ultimately, the fate of organic matter is dependant upon its source, as well as the physical transport mechanisms and biogeochemical transformations it is exposed to in the water column. Because these processes vary significantly within aquatic systems, such as the ocean, it is difficult to assess the biogeochemical importance of organic carbon; however, it is a problem of critical importance whose results could be utilized to resolve key issues in global biogeochemical carbon cycles and to determine the net heterotrophy of most aquatic environments.

Scientists from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and Virginia Commonwealth University would address this problem by studying organic carbon dynamics in Lake Superior because its biogeochemistry is similar to that of the world ocean. Using Lake Superior as a natural laboratory, the researchers plan to carry out radiocarbon measurements of particulate organic carbon (POC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and bacterially-respired CO2, as well as obtain the chemical composition of DOC and POC during stratified and non-stratified periods. Results would be used to identify the sources of carbon in the lake and determined transformations of carbon between POC, DOC, DIC, and bacterially-respired CO2.

Educational impacts include workshops and presentation for K-12 audiences as well as research and training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students in Water Resources Science and Biochemistry classes.


On this page we will try to give you more background information on the influence of "camber, caster, toe-in/out on the handeling of your car.
We will start of with a basic explanation first.
Imagine/draw an axis-line through the steering-turning-axis of the wheel.
PART 2: What influence do CAMBER, CASTER, and TOE-IN/OUT have on the behaviour of the car?
When cornering the body of the car will start rolling, inducing positive camber. Negative camber will compensate this effect.
Result: more grip and stability while cornering.
Also; negative camber creates a force on the wheels called "camber-thrust". Going straight Left and Right will be in balance and the car goes straight.
Result; better straigth stability with more negative camber.
When cornering the inner wheel will be lifted from a little to sometimes completely. Than the camber-thrust will cause the car to make a sharper turn, pushing the car inwards.
That's why car-designers try to keep about 0.5 degree negative camber while cornering with the suspension being compressed. That means that the negative-camber at ride height will become more negative when suspension compresses, at the same time the bodyroll will eat up negative camber. Hopefully leaving a bit of negative for Cornering-grip and better steering and even heating of the tires as well as even tire-wear.
Question; Is Negative-Camber always a positive thing?
Why; It will cause tire-wear on the inner-side of the tyres going straigth.
Ideal would be that the tires are always perpendicular to the road under all circumstances.
For a salooncar this will be harder than for a race car, because of more wheel-travel, softer suspension, more body-roll.
Also tire wear should be economical with a saloon-/street-car. Racers have more budget for tires.........most of the times.
Most of the times this will be between 0.5 and 2.0 degrees negative camber.
On most streetcars camber is rather difficult to adjust.
Except if you use Intrax camber-plates, than camber can be adjusted in a few seconds.
Generaly will be between +2 and 5.5 degrees, positive.
Only applies to the front-/steering-wheels.
Caster is needed to create straigth-line stability or one could say "directional steering stability"
In order to understand what the effect of caster is we can take the front-wheels of a shopping cart.
These wheels do have positive caster and because of that they will go in the direction where you push the cart.
If you would turn these wheels 180 degrees than they would have negative caster.
Pushing the cart now will be a lot more difficult and at the same time very unpredictable/unstable.
The outher wheel will get more negative camber as the inner wheel's camber will get less negative.
The more positive caster the more "feed-back" you will feel driving the car, especially with a force feedback wheel.
One could think, "the more positive caster the better" but that's not really the case.
It would make steering harder as the steering force will increase.
While steering; positive caster will cause the inner wheel to rise and the outher wheel will drop.
This again will transfer "corner-weight" from the inner to the outher wheel, causing a loose feeling in the car.
Normally it's not so easy to adjust caster on a car but using Intrax camber-plates also makes the caster adjustable.
Affects 3 majore areas; Tire wear, straight-line stability and corner entry handling.
For minimum tire-wear it would be ideal to have the wheels parralel / 0 degrees while riding.
This can be acomplished to give a bit static toe-out to a frontwheel-drive car, or toe-in to a rearwheel-driver.
A frontwheel-drive car has the tendency to understeer.
Toe-out will induce a bit of oversteer, so it could compensate the frontwheel-driver's understeer.
Excessive toe-in will cause the tire to scrub on the outboards and so will shorten the tire-life.
Too much toe-out will cause the inboard edges to wear out.
Steering response will be improved with toe-out.
Straight line stability will be improved with toe-in.
Sometimes toe-in or toe-out is used for another effect; Tire-temperature.
For racing-tires it's very important to reach a certain temperature in order to deliver maximum performance/gripp.
The scrubbing also has another positive effect; It will scrub the tires clean providing extra gripp for braking and cornering.
Street cars often are set up with toe-in; For good straight-line stability cornering is sacrefied.
Race cars are often set up with toe-out; Straight-line stability is sacrisfied for good cornering.
If the suspension is independent; Toe-in or -out can also be applied to the rear-wheels. The effect on the rear-wheels is generaly the same as on the front.
Also there's a difference between static and dynamic toe. Especially on a frontwheel-driver you see this happening.
The same goes for a rearwheel-driver with independent suspension left and rear.
What happens is that when torque is applied ; The driven wheels pull themselves forward trying to toe-in.
Now it depents on the construction of the suspension how much the toe-in will increase.
On streetcars this effect is a lot bigger than on race cars as they use softer rubber bushings in the suspension-joints.
These provide more comfort and "kill" more noise but doing so sacrefice precision and stiffness.
All the above is of great importance on the handeling of the car. as well as the level of satisfaction of the driver.
So if possible use factory settings or settings who have proven to be good, as a starting point for a new setup with new springs, shocks, and/or camber-plates on your car.
Investing a vast amount of money in new shocks and not lining the wheels again in a proffesional workshop, could make your suspension-investment absolete!
It could be that you do not feel any improvement of the suspension upgrade. Also your car can easily become unsafe on a straigth, during cornering and/or under braking.
Also we hope you understand more about the lining of a car and at the same time are aware of the importance of it.
We wish you lots of safe riding-pleasure!


text:
Title: 'Carbon is an investment, not an output'
Land policy expert Jeremy Moody speaks to Peter McCann about carbon credits and new farm support schemes in the UK.
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/carbon-is-an-investment-not-an-output-745631
More > Northern Ireland
Peter McCann on 25 Jan 2023
'Carbon is an investment, not an output'
Peter McCann
Carbon is stored on farms in soils, trees and hedgerows.
Landowners should not sell carbon credits from their farms to other businesses, a leading land policy expert has advised.
Jeremy Moody from the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV) said the suggestion that carbon credits could become a new income source for farmers is "a distraction".
Jeremy Moody from the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers.
The concept of carbon credits involves farmers capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the likes of increasing organic matter levels in soils, planting trees and hedgerows, or re-wetting peatland.
This allows them to sell carbon credits to other businesses, which then use these credits to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions on paper.
However, Moody is keen to point out that once a carbon credit is sold, the farmer cannot use it to lower their own greenhouse gas emissions from farming.
"If your milk or lamb purchaser comes to you and asks how you are moving to net zero, if you have sold away the low hanging fruit for almost nothing, you've made your work on delivering for your own business much harder," he said.
In an interview with the Irish Farmers Journal, Moody stressed that farmers should play the long game when it comes to increasing carbon stores on their farms.
"We over-estimate what we can do for other people and we under-estimate what we have got to do for ourselves. You should see carbon as an investment, not as an output. If you are holding onto your carbon, that will support your business in 10- or 15-years' time," he said.
As previously outlined, stores of carbon on farms could potentially help lower the carbon footprint of farming activity.
However, Moody also thinks that lowering emissions will be important for doing business down the line.
He suggests that in the future, interest rates on loans from banks could be higher for farm businesses that have not made progress with reducing their carbon footprint.
"We are beginning to see that in the housing market," he said.
Soil scheme
Looking at the farming industry in NI, Moody is "enormously supportive" of the new Soil Nutrient Health Scheme, where every farm can avail of free soil sampling and mapping to calculate the total carbon stored on each holding. "See this as an investment in the future, so you have control of your carbon. It is not something that you should sell like milk or lamb," he said.
Farm schemes
Although each devolved region of the UK is designing different farm support schemes, Moody sees a similar direction of travel across all regions. The most extreme change is happening in England, where the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) will be phased out by 2027, to be replaced by schemes that mainly focus on delivering for the environment.
The plan in NI is different, as there will still be an area-based payment, known as the Farm Sustainability Payment, although it will be at a lower level than the current BPS.
Money will gradually be taken from the area payment budget to fund the headage schemes for sucklers and beef cattle and, eventually, a new agri environment scheme known as Farming With Nature.
"I struggle to see whether the Farm Sustainability Payment will be worth much to many people once new agri-environment schemes are fully in place," Moody maintained.
The CAAV secretary and adviser points to DAERA guidance which states that the Farming With Nature package will eventually become the "central plank" of agricultural policy in NI. He said that while England is moving to environmental schemes much faster than the rest of the UK, all other regions are gradually heading that way too.
"There is a direction of travel. You can see the different horses going their own way down these roads. In the end, they may not be wildly dissimilar," Moody said.
Basic Payment Scheme
DAERA
Siobhán Walsh
Setting the record straight on carbon sequestration
Thomas Duffy is the current vice-president of CEJA, the European Council of Young Farmers. He talks carbon storage on farms this week.
Lorcan Roche Kelly
Why the Government's plans for agriculture are the wrong kind of incentive
The coming change in farming could be like the end of horse power.
Darren Carty
UK sheepmeat production increases 3% in 2022
While sheepmeat production increased, it remains 6% below the five-year average.
Kieran Mailey
NI Trends: prime cattle prices push on to 470p/kg; hogget quotes jump 30p/kg
Beef prices in Northern Ireland continue to rise, while after several weeks of pressure, hoggets are also moving up in value.


text:
package org.springframework.messaging.simp.stomp;

import java.lang.reflect.Type;

/**
 * Abstract adapter class for {@link StompSessionHandler} with mostly empty
 * implementation methods except for {@link #getPayloadType} which returns String
 * as the default Object type expected for STOMP ERROR frame payloads.
 *
 * @author Rossen Stoyanchev
 * @since 4.2
 */
public abstract class StompSessionHandlerAdapter implements StompSessionHandler {

	/**
	 * This implementation is empty.
	 */
	@Override
	public void afterConnected(StompSession session, StompHeaders connectedHeaders) {
	}

	/**
	 * This implementation returns String as the expected payload type
	 * for STOMP ERROR frames.
	 */
	@Override
	public Type getPayloadType(StompHeaders headers) {
		return String.class;
	}

	/**
	 * This implementation is empty.
	 */
	@Override
	public void handleFrame(StompHeaders headers, Object payload) {
	}

	/**
	 * This implementation is empty.
	 */
	@Override
	public void handleException(StompSession session, StompCommand command, StompHeaders headers,
			byte[] payload, Throwable exception) {
	}

	/**
	 * This implementation is empty.
	 */
	@Override
	public void handleTransportError(StompSession session, Throwable exception) {
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Rebuilding confidence in the eyes of tenants and the market to achieve an outstanding sales result.
Seabank is a prominent commercial building located in the centre of Southport, Gold Coast which was built in circa 1987. The expansive combined site area of 5,995 sq.m includes both the Seabank commercial office building as well as Seabank Lane, a 1,222 sq.m vacant parcel of land utilised as a 42-bay car park. The building overlooks the Southport Broadwater and comprises approximately 8,547 sq.m of net lettable area across 11 levels, including 1,033 sq.m of ground floor retail. The basement car park provided 202 bays, with a further 15 visitor parking spaces at grade.
At the time of our appointment in October 2013, Seabank's occupancy was approximately 60% and while some cosmetic upgrades had been completed in earlier years, it was clear the building's services hadn't been updated since 1987. In addition, there had been a poor track record of building maintenance necessitating a major capital works program. Local market conditions were also deteriorating and office demand and net absorption levels were at extreme lows.
We stabilised the asset management process recognising the need for better and more coordinated management. As part of this we carried out an extensive review of outgoings and service contracts to ensure the best value and service was obtained.
We opened communication directly with tenants to achieve a higher degree of tenant satisfaction.
upgrading and modernising common amenities and common areas.
We reinvigorated the leasing program to secure quality tenants working with leasing agents to structure incentives that would appeal to A Grade and government tenants.
We undertook some test fit plans and completed a targeted tenancy upgrade to provide display suites for prospective tenants (i.e. due to the outdated nature of vacant floors, we saw the need to not only create, but implement the vision for prospective tenants).
We rebuilt the market's confidence in the asset by showing the landlord's commitment to upgrading the building, stabilising occupancy and improving income. Once that goal was achieved, the asset was placed on the market at the optimal time having regard to market conditions, following a thorough process of selecting the most appropriate sales agent to sell the asset.
Before the asset was placed on the market an extensive Vendor's due diligence process was undertaken to ensure the sales program would run smoothly and any potential issues were understood and disclosed.
A sales program followed, allowing buyers to access an extensive data room and to engage in rounds on offers.
Following the close of offers, contract terms were negotiated effectively, managing the risks of the Vendor and achieving a short-term settlement.
Through our work, we were able to increase building occupancy by approximately 35%, delivering to the market a building that was circa 90% occupied. By repositioning Seabank in the eyes of tenants and the market, the owners were able to achieve a sale price of $34 million, being 55% over the original valuation - representing a yield of 6.99%.


FBC BELIEVES IN SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITIES WHERE WE LIVE AND WORK.
We also believe in lending a helping hand when it's needed. We do this through contributions, partnerships, and volunteer resources. We believe in making a tangible difference in the communities we serve.
Howard Countys remarkable place of hope, help and support for those living and coping with cancer. Knowledgeable trained volunteers and a nurturing staff provide support and assistance for cancer patients and their families and caregivers.
Family and Children's Services of Central Maryland is a nonprofit, nonsectarian agency committed to providing targeted services to vulnerable families and individuals in all stages of life who are experiencing problems related to social and personal adjustment thereby enhancing their quality of life.
Family and Children's Services of Central Maryland (FCS) provides services that support individuals and families throughout their lifespan. We offer programs designed to help individuals and families solve vexing problems or prevent issues from becoming disabling. Our programs address issues including relationship disruption, family violence, sexual abuse, parent/child issues, teen pregnancy prevention, single or teen parenthood and elder care.
The Howard Hospital Foundation was established in 1992 as a not-for-profit organization charged with the mission of providing philanthropic support for Howard County General Hospital. The Foundation coordinates all fund raising activities for the hospital and is responsible for managing the endowment.Through the generosity of individuals, corporations and organizations, the Foundation helps sustain the hospital in its mission of caring for and continually improving the health of the residents of Howard County and surrounding communities. The Foundation provides funding for the expansion and renovation of facilities, purchase of new equipment and furnishings, and the development of programs to enhance the hospital's present and future services as well as health education and public outreach programs.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Light The Night Walk is an annual event to raise funds for cures. It's the nation's night to pay tribute and bring hope to thousands of patients and their families. Funds raised through Light The Night Walk support the work of hundreds of the world's best and brightest researchers in their search for better therapies and cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
There is at least one Fisher House™ at every major military medical center to assist families in need and to ensure that they are provided with the comforts of home in a supportive environment. Annually, the Fisher House™ program serves more than 10,000 families, and have made available nearly 2.5 million days of lodging to family members since the program originated in 1990. By law, there is no charge for any family to stay at a Fisher House operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs; and Fisher House Foundation uses donations to reimburse the individual Fisher Houses operated by the Army, Navy, and Air Force. No family pays to stay at any Fisher House!
In addition to constructing new houses, Fisher House™ Foundation continues to support existing Fisher Houses™ and help individual military families in need. Families and friends of patients at any of the military's hospitals can now receive up-to-the-minute reports on a loved one by going to the patient's own customized web page, thanks to new services provided through CaringBridge.
We are also proud to administer and sponsor Scholarships for Military Children, the Hero Miles program, and co-sponsor the Newman's Own Award.
The United States Armor Association grew out of the United States Cavalry Association, established by a small group of cavalry officers in 1885 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
The Armor Association's charter is: to preserve and foster the spirit, the traditions, and the solidarity of Cavalry and Armor in the United States.
The Association is a non-profit organization with over 4,000 members dedicated to disseminating knowledge of the military art and sciences, with special attention to mobility in ground warfare.
Wounded Warrior Project began when several individuals took small, inspired actions to help others in need.
The resulting objective was to provide tangible support for the severely wounded and help them on the road to healing, both physically and mentally. What had been initially viewed as a small contribution (compared with what the warriors had sacrificed while serving our country) has become WWP's signature program:"WWP backpacks delivered bedside to wounded warriors."
Wounded Warrior Project is a nonprofit organization.
FBC partners with the AFCEA Fort Belvoir Chapter to produce the AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days every spring. Proceeds from these events go directly to designated scholarship and grant programs. Last year alone, FBC donated over $180,000 to students and schools in Fairfax and Prince William Counties.
Danny Dietz Jr. was born on January 26, 1980 in Aurora, Colorado the son of Danny Phillip Dietz Sr. and Cindy Dietz-Marsh and brother to Tiffany Bitz and Eric Dietz.
He was a 1999 graduate of Heritage High School (Littleton, Colorado). He earned his black belt in Taekwondo from the Korean Academy of Taekwondo.
He enlisted in the Navy in 1999, earned his SEAL Trident in 2001 and was subsequently assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two in Virginia Beach, VA. 2003. Dietz deployed with his Special Reconnaissance element to Afghanistan to support Naval Special Warfare Squadron Ten and the prosecution of the Global War on Terrorism.
The Danny Dietz Memorial Fund was created for the purpose of bettering the community by providing a yearly scholarship to a selected student from Danny's alma mater, Heritage High School. Funds for scholarships will be raised by this and other organizations hosting various yearly events and private and public donations.
Our mission is to honor hard work and community service, to offer inspiration, and share the belief that the norm will be "Find and expect innovation." All of this is aimed at creating more virtuous students, athletes, family members, and citizens who will become and/or strive to be leaders in their communities.


text:
FIM X-Trial's cathedral prepares for its stars
The historic X-Trial Barcelona is sure to be exciting and close-fought based on what we have seen so far Sunday's (2nd February) 43rd edition of...
Supercross Triple Crown for Roczen in Glendale
It was a format shake-up at round four of the 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship with the first of three Monster Energy...
Superbike, Jerez Test: Rea heads Razgatlioglu
Completing just a few laps was all that was needed for Jonathan Rea, whilst Yamaha, Ducati and Honda all impressed inside the leading positions.The...
MotoGP 2020 calendar confirmed
The 20 race weekends are now set in stone as we edge closer to the new season getting underway
Click here to see/dwnload the full schedule
The 2020...
MXGP of Spain venue announced!
FIM and promoter Youthstream are very pleased to announce the brand-new venue of intu Xanadú in Arroyomolinos (Comunidad de Madrid) will host the MXGP...
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World Championships / Red Bull Rookies Cup 26/08/2014
Silverstone could see the first year Rookies at the front again
Of course the old airfield is far flatter than Brno but it is likely to repeat the unpredictable weather that was a major factor in this year's Grand Prix of the Czech Republic. Varied track conditions make it hard for the circuit newcomers to learn the circuit but in Brno, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Marc Garcia, Enzo Boulom and Bo Bendsneyder made a nonsense of that by all being in the heart of the battle for the lead through Race 2.
So looking forward to this weekend it is obvious that any of the first year Rookies could be challenging for the win as they did in Brno. Of course the men to beat are also the same; points leader Jorge Martín, the 16-year-old Spaniard who had his points advantage cut by a last lap crash in Brno when nearest rival and fellow countryman Joan Mir, also 16, won and slashed his lead to just 30 with five races remaining. Mir was second last year in Race 2 at Silverstone.
There are still 125 points to be won so the battle is far from over and Stefano Manzi has now moved into third place in the table, the 15-year-old Italian displaced 15-year-old Japanese Soushi Mihara who had a torrid weekend in Brno. While Mihara suffered a 7th and 13th, Manzi picked up two thirds.
As Manzi pointed out in his blog this week, "I have not bought an apartment on the third step of the podium, I intend to change but remain in the same building!" He is still looking for his first win and every weekend seems to cross the line in the lead at any time other than on the last lap.
He was a step luckier than Brad Ray though as the 17-year-old Briton was twice fourth in Brno after also having his chance in front. The home crowd advantage may be all Ray needs to take his second Rookies Cup victory, he was first in Austin's opening race last year.
Certainly don't count out Manuel Pagliani, the 18-year-old Italian has had three crashes in the last four races, one was not his fault and when he didn't fall he was second in Race 1 in Brno but on the other two occasions he fell while leading. After falling on the first lap in Brno he was furious with himself. "I just wanted to race away from pole, I was pushing, I made a mistake. I could say 'next time' but I am tired of saying, 'next time'." He has been second three time this year, he won a single race last season yet he often looks the fastest of the field. He stands sixth in the points behind Brad Ray.
There are other class riders to look out for, 17-year-old Turk Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, the hero of Germany and Olly Simpson, the 16-year-old Australian who must at least podium before the end of the year. These are all class riders, in fact there are no fools in Rookies Cup.


DENVER – A new U.S. Air Force satellite will provide the first full-time, space-based surveillance of hundreds of satellites and thousands of pieces of debris that could crash into American and allied assets circling the Earth.
If all goes as planned, the Space-Based Space Surveillance satellite, scheduled for a Thursday launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, will have an unobstructed, around-the-clock view of the increasingly heavy traffic in Earth orbit – something the Air Force doesn't have now.
Currently, the Air Force relies on a ground-based network of radar and optical telescopes around the globe to monitor about 1,000 active satellites and 20,000 pieces of debris. The telescopes can be used only on clear nights, and not all radar stations are powerful enough to detect satellites in deep space orbit, about 22,000 miles from Earth.
From its orbit about 390 miles above the Earth, the new satellite will have a clear view of deep space, unaffected by daylight or weather.
"It really has tremendous capabilities," said Todd Citron, director of advanced space and intelligence systems for Boeing Co., prime contractor for the satellite, known as SBSS.
Citron said SBSS will revolutionize "space situational awareness," the military term for knowing not only where the objects are, but where they're headed and what might be in their path.
An Air Force official was more cautious.
"We do know that the sensor is going to provide a lot of capability," said Col. J.R. Jordan, mission director for the SBSS launch and vice commander of the Air Force Space Superiority Systems Wing. "We haven't really come up with broad statements" about how much SBSS is expected to improve monitoring.
SBSS was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo., working with Boeing. It carries an optical camera on a swivel mount, so the camera's view can be changed without burning fuel to move the satellite, and will concentrate on satellites and debris in deep space. It will beam information to ground stations.
A command center at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., will oversee day-to-day operations of SBSS in orbit. The SBSS system, including ground-control facilities, cost $500 million.
It is the first satellite dedicated solely to space situational awareness, Jordan said. The Air Force space surveillance network previously had partial use of a satellite called the Midcourse Space Experiment, which was designed to track missiles but could also monitor objects in orbit. It's no longer functioning.
Millions of pieces of space debris are orbiting the Earth, from tiny pellets of escaped coolant to spent rocket stages and dead satellites, said Brian Weeden, a former Air Force space operations officer who is now the technical adviser for the Secure World Foundation, a Colorado think tank and advocacy group that focuses on the use of space.
4 inches, big enough to destroy a satellite or a module of the International Space Station with a direct hit, Weeden said.
Almost all are man-made, because natural bodies caught in Earth orbit tend to be smaller.
The military shares some of the information with civil and commercial space operators, who can maneuver satellites or the space station out of harm's way. President Barack Obama's National Space Policy, released Monday, pledged U.S. cooperation with other nations on monitoring debris.


text:
Participants at Hedge Fund Compliance Summit Detail Best Practices with Respect to Insider Trading, SEC Examinations, Risk Mitigation, Marketing Materials, Valuation and Avoiding Investor Lawsuits: Part One of Two
On November 15 and 16, 2010, Financial Research Associates, LLC and the Hedge Fund Business Operations Association presented a Hedge Fund Compliance Summit at the Princeton Club in New York City. The substance of the Summit was relevant – even prescient – and the timing was fortuitous. Insider trading was a prominent topic of discussion at the Summit, and on November 20, 2010, about two weeks after the Summit, insider trading received a stunning boost on the list of concerns of hedge fund managers. That day, The Wall Street Journal and other sources disclosed the existence of a wide-ranging civil and criminal insider trading probe being jointly conducted by the SEC and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan. Then, on Monday, November 22, 2010, the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the offices of three hedge fund managers. According to press reports, at least one purpose of those raids was to gather documents in connection with the insider trading investigation reported by the Journal. Following the raids, a number of well-known hedge fund and mutual fund managers received subpoenas from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan. According to press reports, those subpoenas are very broad and include requests for documents and information relating to use of expert networks and soft dollar practices. See "For Hedge Fund Managers, Expert Networks Offer Access to Corporate Insiders While Mitigating (Though Not Eliminating) the Likelihood of Insider Trading Violations," Hedge Fund Law Report, Vol. 2, No. 48 (Dec. 3, 2009). Insider trading is a topic that the Hedge Fund Law Report has covered in depth, and that we intend to cover in even more depth in the coming months. Notably, Harry S. Davis (who participated at the Summit), Richard Morvillo and Justin Mendelsohn, all of Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, published an article on insider trading in the HFLR earlier this year that we think should be required reading for hedge fund manager personnel. See "Hedge Funds in the Crosshairs: The Law of Insider Trading in an Active Enforcement Environment," Hedge Fund Law Report, Vol. 3, No. 7 (Feb. 17, 2010). Also, Michael D. Trager, Richard L. Jacobson and Christopher Rhee, of Arnold & Porter LLP, published an article in the HFLR that can – and should – be read as a companion piece to the Schulte article. See "The SEC's New Focus on Insider Trading by Hedge Funds," Hedge Fund Law Report, Vol. 3, No. 22 (Jun. 3, 2010). Our coverage of the Summit complements these and other HFLR articles on insider trading by highlighting the more important and nonintuitive insights offered by Summit participants on insider trading. In particular, we discuss points raised by panelists on consultants and expert networks, sharing of information among personnel at different hedge fund managers, rumors and insider trading considerations in connection with bank debt trading. Beyond insider trading, this article summarizes key insights from Summit participants regarding SEC examinations and identification and mitigation of key risks. A follow-up article will discuss points made by Summit participants on compliance considerations in connection with preparing and using marketing and advertising materials, valuation and avoiding investor lawsuits. Read full article …
SEC Sanctions Buckingham Capital Management, Its Chief Compliance Officer and Its Research Affiliate for Inadequate Handling of Material, Non-Public Information
As further evidence of the renewed focus of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on insider trading, especially within the hedge fund and investment management industries, the SEC has issued an Order imposing fines and a cease and desist order on research boutique The Buckingham Research Group, Inc. (BRG), investment manager Buckingham Capital Management, Inc. (BCM) and Lloyd R. Karp (Karp). BCM is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BRG and shares an office suite with it. Karp served as chief compliance officer for both BCM and BRG. The SEC claimed that, commencing at least as early as 2005, BRG and BCM failed to have in place adequate procedures "to prevent the misuse of material, non-public information," as required by both the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In addition, BRG, BCM and Karp failed to follow the limited procedures that they did have in place and fabricated data in response to an SEC examination of those procedures. We summarize the SEC's Order and the remedial measures it requires. Read full article …
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo Files Civil and Forfeiture Actions Against Steven Rattner, Former Principal of Private Equity Fund Manager Quadrangle Group, in State Pension Fund Pay To Play Scheme, While SEC Files and Settles Similar Charges Against Rattner
On November 18, 2010, the New York State Attorney General (AG) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed related civil charges against Steven L. Rattner, founder and former principal of the Quadrangle Group, LLC (Quadrangle), for his participation in a pay to play kickback scheme devised by former members of the New York State Comptroller's Office, administrators of the New York State Common Retirement Fund (CRF). The complaints accuse Rattner of arranging a distribution deal for a film produced by the brother of David Loglisci, the Deputy Comptroller; retaining and paying Henry "Hank" Morris, the top political adviser and chief fundraiser for former State Comptroller Alan Hevesi, over $1 million in sham placement fees; and of obtaining, at Morris' request, $50,000 in third-party contributions for Hevesi's reelection campaign, in order to secure a $150 million investment in a Quadrangle fund from the CRF. Rattner agreed to settle with the SEC, while neither admitting nor denying any wrongdoing. The AG's civil action remains pending. The SEC and the AG have already brought cases against other parties to the pay to play scheme. On April 19, 2010, the SEC settled a related action against Quadrangle and its affiliates. SEC v. Quadrangle Group LLC, et al., 10-CV-3192. It has also accused Morris, Loglisci and several others with orchestrating the fraudulent scheme to extract kickbacks from investment management firms. SEC v. Morris, et al., 09-CV-2518. Similarly, the AG has filed and obtained civil settlements from nineteen individuals, as well as guilty pleas from eight individuals, including: Hevesi, who, on October 7, 2010, pled guilty to receiving a reward for official misconduct; Loglisci, who, on March 10, 2010, pled guilty to violating the Martin Act; and Morris, who, on November 22, 2010, pled guilty to violating the Martin Act. Morris admitted in court that he "intentionally engaged in fraud, deception . . . and made material false representations and statements with intent to deceive and defraud." This article details the allegations in the respective complaints and the causes of action against Rattner. Read full article …
SEC Sanctions Registered Investment Adviser Thrasher Capital Management and its CEO for Misleading Statements in Thrasher's Form ADV
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has accepted an offer of settlement from James Perkins, the CEO and managing member of Thrasher Capital Management, LLC (Thrasher), an investment adviser registered with the SEC, for failing to make documents available to the SEC and for making false statements of material fact on Thrasher's Form ADV. Pursuant to the settlement, on November 16, 2010, the SEC issued an Order setting forth civil penalties against Perkins and Thrasher, including a cease-and-desist order, suspending Perkins from association with any investment adviser for nine months and revoking Thrasher's registration. Perkins escaped any monetary penalties because he submitted financial statements and other evidence of his inability to pay. Perkins and Thrasher did not admit or deny the SEC's findings set forth in its Order, except for admission of the SEC's jurisdiction and the subject matter of the Order. The matter helps define the appropriate scope of disclosure in a Form ADV. Such disclosure, in turn, is newly relevant to the hedge fund industry because the Dodd-Frank Act will require many hedge fund managers to file Form ADV, in many cases for the first time, by July 21, 2011. Read full article …
Swank Capital Appoints Former Akin Gump Partner Barry Greenberg as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
On November 23, 2010, Swank Capital announced that Barry Y. Greenberg has joined Swank Capital as its new general counsel and chief compliance officer. He also serves in that capacity for The Cushing® MLP Funds. Greenberg is responsible for oversight of the firm's legal and regulatory compliance functions. He will also work closely with senior management on product development and other strategic initiatives. Read full article …