Course Description: Effective organizations, whether in the public, private or non-profit sector, seek to attract and retain satisfied customers consistent with their mission and capacity. The course will emphasize the theory and practical skills associated with assessing customer interests, desires and needs; identifying organizational fit; and harnessing the organization's capacity to respond. It will explore the relationship of marketing to other business functions and consider the challenges faced by organizations seeking to serve international and cross-cultural markets. Examples of how both young and mature organizations gain insight into consumer behavior, market services and engage in business-to-business marketing will be analyzed. Marketing for the e-business sector will be discussed, and students will be introduced to the role of marketing in new ventures, and learn cost-effective ways to do market research and leverage available resources in innovative ways to create new markets.
Winer, R. & Dhar, R. (2011). Marketing Management (4th ed.).. Boston: Prentice Hall.
Develop marketing strategies for the local and global markets across the product life cycle.
Employ models, theories, and data analysis to critically examine factors that influence consumer and organizational decision-making and buying behavior.
Assess marketing challenges and opportunities paying particular attention to customers, pricing, distribution channels, communications, and product development.
Design and employ strategies for customer relationship-building and management with the goal of long-term retention customer retention.
Course Schedule and Topics: This course will cover the following topics in eight learning sessions, with one Unit per week.
Discussion Forums are only active for each current and relevant learning week, so it is not possible to contribute to the forum once the learning week has come to an end. Failure to participate in the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum as required may result in failure of the course.
Some units in this course require that you complete a Written Assignment. Assignments can vary in type: short papers, research-based, case studies, and the like. You are required to submit your assignments by the indicated deadlines and in addition, to peer-assess three of your classmates' assignments according to provided instructions. During this peer-assessment, you are expected to provide details in the feedback section of the assignment's Specimen Assessment Form, indicating why you awarded the grade that you did to your peer. Failure to submit assignments and/or peer-assessments may result in failure of the course.
Portfolio Activities are tools for self-reflection and evaluation within the context of the course. These activities are designed as a means to document and reflect upon your learning process and critical thinking skills. Ideally, you will draw from your experiences inside and outside of the classroom, as well as what you've learned in other courses, to showcase your overall growth and examine ways in which you can continue to develop and sharpen your professional goals. Portfolio Activities will be useful to you as part of your Capstone experience.
If and when you submit any work that requires research and writing, it is essential to cite and reference all source material. Failure to properly acknowledge your sources is known as "plagiarism" – which is effectively passing off an individual's words or ideas as your own. University of the People adheres to a strict policy of academic honesty and integrity. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in sanctions by the University, including dismissal from the University or course failure. For more information on this topic, please review the Academic Integrity Policy in the University Catalog.
Any conduct that interferes with the quality of the educational experience is not allowed and may result in disciplinary action, such as course failure, probation, suspension, or dismissal. For more information on this topic, please review the Code of Conduct Policy in the University Catalog.


Press – The Pearl Room has a prix-fixe menu for lunch, brunch and bar.
Branded Content – Part of a series of spots for the Chopped: Open Your Basket challenge. This promotion is sponsored by Hyundai. Check out a case study to see how the spots are created.


At The Woodhouse Day Spa the purpose for our standard is to care for you and through our caring attention, enable you to live a more fulfilled life. We hope each experience with us is an outstanding one and we can offer the escape you deserve. Serving all of Central Texas: Belton, Temple, Salado, Killeen, Harker Heights, Waco, Fort Hood, & Copperas Cove.
The Woodhouse Day Spa promises to exceed our guests' expectations, making each visit a truly unforgettable experience. With over 70 spa treatments to choose from, you are able to relax, unwind and revitalize. Choose from a variety of facial, massages and body care treatments from our famous Minkyti facial, to our invigorating body treatments in the cascading waters of our Vichy shower. Unwind with our Swedish, Deep Tissue or Volcanic Stone Massage followed by nurturing manicures and pedicures giving you the maximum benefits in relaxation and transformation, from head to toe. The Woodhouse also offers a refreshing Shirodara scalp treatment, an award winning Minkyti facial, micro-dermabrasion, waxing services and reflexology. The Woodhouse Day Spa offers online printable gift cards. The ideal Holiday and Christmas gift.


Brocade products are now part of Broadcom, and it's still very easy to access the documentation you need.
Support Documents and Downloads - Use the look-up tool for all documents you accessed in the Document Library. This section does not require registration.
Fibre Channel Networking Support - Where to go for help if you need more information or can't find what you need in the downloads area.
Multiple Brocade products have been purchased by various companies that will manage their support and continued development.
Resources for the remaining Brocade products will continue to be available. Please continue to access EOL products here .


A Hadoop streaming job is a MapReduce job that uses standard Unix streams as an interface between the Apache Hadoop and our program. This naturally means that we can write MapReduce jobs by using any programming language that can read data from standard input and write data to standard input.
This tutorial describes how we can create a Hadoop streaming job by using Spring Data Apache Hadoop and Python. As an example we will analyze a novel called The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and find out how many times the last name of Sherlock's loyal sidekick Dr. Watson is mentioned in the novel.
Note: This blog entry assumes that we have already configured the used Apache Hadoop instance and that Python 2.7.2 is used.
Get the required dependencies by using Maven.
Load the application context when the application starts.
These steps are described with more details in the following Sections. We will also learn how we can run our Hadoop streaming job.
Add the Spring milestone repository to the list of repositories.
The mapper script receives its input data from the standard input.
The input is processed one line at the time.
The output is written to standard output as tab-delimited line.
Read the input from standard input and process it one line at the time.
Convert the processed line to UTF-8.
Split the converted line into words.
Remove special characters from each word.
Encode the output to UTF-8 and write the key-value pair as a tab-delimited line to standard output.
The reducer script receives its input from standard input as tab-delimited key-value pairs.
The reducer script writes its output to standard output.
Read key-value pairs from the standard input and process them one by one.
Obtain the key and value by splitting the word.
Count how many times the string "Watson" is given as a key to our reducer script.
Encode the output to UTF-8 and write it to standard output.
Create a properties file that contains the values of configuration parameters.
Configure the property placeholder that is used to fetch the values of configuration parameters from the created properties file.
Configure the Hadoop streaming job.
Configure the default file system of Apache Hadoop.
Configure the path that contains the input files.
Configure the path in which the output files are written.
Configure the path of our mapper script.
Configure the path of our reducer script.
Configure the input path of the job.
Configure the output path of the job.
Configure the path of the mapper script.
Configure the path of the reducer script.
Configure the job runner bean.
Configure the job runner to run the configured jobs when it is started.
We have now learned how we can created a streaming MapReduce job by using Spring Data Apache Hadoop and Python. Our last step is to run the created job. Before we can run our job, we must download The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. We must download the plain text version of this novel manually because Project Gutenberg blocks download utilities such as wget.
Upload the input file to HDFS.
We can execute the main() method of the Main class from our IDE.
We can build a binary distribution of our example project by running the command mvn assembly:assembly at command prompt. This creates a zip package to the target directory. We can run the created MapReduce job by unzipping this package and using the provided startup scripts.
Note: If you are not familiar with the Maven assembly plugin, you might want to read my blog entry that describes how you can create a runnable binary distribution with the Maven assembly plugin.
The outcome of our Hadoop streaming job does not depend from the method that is used to run it. The outcome of our job should be written to the configured outcome directory of HDFS.
We now know that the last name of doctor Watson was mentioned 81 times in the novel The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
PS. A fully functional example application is available at Github.
I updated the Spring Data Apache Hadoop version to 1.0.0.RC2.
Next Post: Getting the Best Bang for Our Buck – Waste or Value?


Starting preschool or daycare can special time for kids. It is also a time when kids are in close proximity and germs are spread. Here are some ideas to help.
How do our kids know that food is good for them? Kids tend to not like what is good for them. Here are some tips to help make healthy food fun.


I just noticed the context menu on right-click of the right-hand pane in read/write/verify/discovery modes includes a 'Paste' option if there happens to be text on the Windows clipboard at the time - this surely has no meaning (or purpose) ?
Anyway, it's only cosmetic - doesn't cause any harm.
It's just there because of the type of control it is. They're OS default menus, not my own.


text:
Liverpool advised to table bid for Leroy Sane
Samuel Slaney | 20:30 17/08/22
Liverpool have been advised to table a bid for ex-Manchester City star Leroy Sane.
The club have been advised by ex-Arsenal and Everton striker-turned pundit, Kevin Campbell.
Speaking to Football Insider, Campbell said:
"We all know that is all about the squad these days. There is going to be injuries, loss of form and back-to-back league and Champions League games. You need to be able to flip your squad so everybody is fresh.
"If it was Diaz one game and Sane the next… I'm sure Liverpool fans would be happy with that. Many teams would love that strength in depth, let's be honest.
"I think it would be a smart move to go for Sane.
"When you look at the way City are, their bench is phenomenal. It is incredible the strength in depth they have. You need to match that to compete with them. It is frightening. With five subs it can make a huge difference."
The Unthinkable?
Considering the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester City over the last few years, the signing of Sane would create a great deal of anarchy among both fanbases in what would be a polarising transfer.
Back when James Milner joined from City in 2015, it was a move that came with scarce reaction from a rivalry standpoint.
Although Sane would be joining from Bayern, with the rivalry that currently coincides between Liverpool and Man City, it would be a real statement from Klopp and co to pull off 'the unthinkable.'
He'd be a great fit too.
Since joining Bayern, the German international has slightly regressed in terms of his direct goalscoring capability, though this might be as a result of Bayern's "big presence up top" approach.
That said, Sane is still extremely dangerous in possession, as can be evidenced by his average of 4.52 shot-creating actions per 90, along with the 14 attacking Bundesliga returns in the form of seven goals and seven assists last season. It is no wonder he's been dubbed a "sensation" by OptaJoe.
£280k-per-week Sane is a complete and utter Klopp signing.
He's exactly the kind of player that the Liverpool boss can develop into one of the world's best, and with his ability to operate as an inverted right winger, he may just be a long-term Salah replacement.
Samuel Slaney
Liverpool: Why Prospective new owners should sign Jude Bellingham
Liverpool: Why Mohamed Salah is still crucial
Liverpool monitoring Alexis Vega

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Should You Tell Your Gifted Child About Their Giftedness?
Your child is gifted. Perhaps a school psychologist has formally tested your child, or you have engaged private testing that indicated advanced skills. Or perhaps you watch your child on the ball field or in school plays. She just blows her peers away. Everyone knows that there is something very special about your child's abilities.
What do you say to your child about his gifts? Do you say anything at all? Does it really matter how you discuss giftedness with children?
Many, but not all, gifted kids will figure out that they are different, even without formal testing. By 5, children have started comparing themselves and their abilities to their friends, classmates and siblings. Gifted children begin to notice that their skills in some areas exceed their peers. They may also realize that they react differently. The many "over-excitabilities" of giftedness can result in greater sensory sensitivity, emotional sensitivity, a sense of justice far beyond their years, a quirky sense of humor, or a level of energy and movement that doesn't match friends and classmates.
I think that kids benefit in two big ways from knowing about their gifts: they will not interpret "different" as "bad" or "exempt from challenge", and they can learn to manage any sensitivities or intensity differences with confidence. Can gifted traits be disruptive to the status quo? Sure, but that's not necessarily a problem when it is managed well.
I like Mary-Elaine Jacobsen's personal management strategies in her book, "The Gifted Adult". I think that many of her suggested approaches to handling what she sees as a triad of constant brain traits (complexity, intensity and drive) in gifted adults can be applied to supporting a gifted child.
Young gifted children may ask questions constantly, want to discuss their passions without end, and strive for perfection when everyone else is satisfied with their first amazing effort. They want to answer every question posed in class and may want to control a game because they are bored with a simpler strategy of play. Telling a child that they are "too much", when these behaviors emerge as the result of their brain's makeup, is potentially harmful. It is possible to teach children to manage the expression of their gifts without denying their nature. It starts with telling them the truth: they are wired differently. Acknowledging their frustrations and providing solutions isn't always easy, but even an incomplete attempt done with compassion and optimism is better than telling them to fit in and stop causing problems.
Children who don't have to work to receive high grades may not feel empowered by acing a test; they may feel like frauds when complimented for effort they didn't expend, or even fear the loss of praise when they are encouraged to explore advanced studies. Gifted children need to hear praise for the quality of their efforts even more than children who struggle. Telling a child that their creativity and depth of thought is what you find impressive, rather than their grade, communicates that the true nature of their giftedness is seen and appreciated.
There are other challenges that gifted children face, with the degree of challenge increasing when their abilities far outrun their peers or when areas of disability create the situation of being "twice exceptional". Take a look at Gifted and Struggling? Meet the Twice Exceptional Student and How OT Can Help. Supporting children is so important under these circumstances. Being honest is just the beginning.
This entry was posted in gifted children, parenting, Uncategorized and tagged discussing giftedness with children, gifted and talented, gifted over-excitabilities, Mary-Elaine Jacobsen, parenting gifted children, teaching gifted children on February 7, 2018 by Tranquil Babies.


WhyHotel is also perfectly situated close to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, U.S. Air Force Memorial, the Pentagon, Crystal City and National Landing. If you are visiting Washington DC, you're in luck. The Metro access is just a 5-minute walk away. Hop on the Orange or Silver line and you're all set.
Everything you should want or need is at your doorstep. Union Kitchen Grocery, Compass Coffee and South Block Juice are inside the building. Endless entertainment, live events and shops are right next door in the Ballston Quarter Mall. And if you need a local perspective or recommendation, our 24/7 onsite host team is always here to help.
This unit has two bedrooms and an additional size sofa bed for additional guests. (6 guests max).
This spacious unit has 2 bedrooms with an additional queen size sofa bed for additional guests. (6 guests max).
See you soon at WhyHotel Arlington Ballston Randolph St!
Historic Capitol Hill Apt - Walk to Eastern Market!
Gorgeous 3 BR Capitol Hill Rowhouse!
Newly-Built Carriage House | free trolley to metro | 1 blk to H Street !
Charming 2 Bedroom Steps to The Convention Center with Balcony!


This webcam is currently assigned to Flying Saucer. It was originally added on July 27, 2009 and has been viewed 61,658 times since then. The current picture above was taken 2 minutes ago, thereby the webcam seems to be currently active. So far, it was added to their personal favorites on webcams.travel by 0 people.


This page provides a few suggestions for Christian books that you may find of interest with short summary reviews from readers.
Dealing with difficult issues, this book is particularly helpful to any Christian looking to give a reason 'why' they believe, and to assist in providing a firm basis to effectively present those beliefs.
An excellent read for those looking to explore Gods attributes.
The book is an easy to read exploration of the one true God, with a good balance of insight mixed with humour.
If you want to know more about God, this is the book for you, you will not be disappointed!
I found this book to be an excellent read after coming to Christ.
It gives a very good overview of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation and provides a good foundation when taking Bible Study seriously.
A book for anyone who has burning questions over the challenges faced by evolutionary theory and Biblical Creation.
A thoroughly engaging read for those who want to better understand the two positions and be able to maturely challenge evolutionary theory represented as fact.
An exceptionally difficult read for any modern Christian providing an insight into the persecution of the church throughout history to the modern day.
Be warned the accounts of persecution do shock and upset , but in equal measure the book highlights the power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen Christians in the most horrific adversity. A truly inspiring read.
This book will reverberate with Christians encountering the challenge of standing for Christ today, sympathetically encouraging Christians to face the 'shame' of belief in Christ head on and take strength from Christs adversity.
Humorous and empowering, the book will leave you with a new zeal to serve the Lord with courage.


text:
Q: A way to set property of array contents? I've got an inventory script that I'm using to create a readout of the players inventory from an array. I need to set a .amount property, but I'm getting some undefined errors when I try to set them like this. I can't use sets or hashmaps. Can anybody tell me what I'm missing?
I'm using NaN only to debug the code at the moment.
    //This is already defined as an array, just a shortcut.//
    var inv = state.history[0].variables.player.inventory;
    inv[i].amount = 0;

    //Do this for every item in the inventory.//
    for (var i = 0; i < inv.length; i++) {

        //If the inventory item is Apple should resolve to ...inventory.Apple.amount.//
        var q = inv[i].amount;

        //If we find a duplicate in the array, just count and keep going.//
        if (inv[i] == inv[i-1]){
            q = (q + 1);

        //If the item is the last one or unique, print the item on the inventory screen.//
        } else {
            q = (q + 1);
            alert(inv[i] + " " + q.NaN);
            new Wikifier(place, inv[i] + " " + q.NaN + "
");
        }
    }

A: You are trying to get i before it is defined in the loop, put it after:
//This is already defined as an array, just a shortcut.//
var inv = state.history[0].variables.player.inventory;

//Do this for every item in the inventory.//
for (var i = 0; i < inv.length; i++) {
    inv[i].amount = 0;

    //If the inventory item is Apple should resolve to ...inventory.Apple.amount.//
    var q = inv[i].amount;

    //If we find a duplicate in the array, just count and keep going.//
    if (inv[i] == inv[i-1]){
        q = (q + 1);

    //If the item is the last one or unique, print the item on the inventory screen.//
    } else {
        q = (q + 1);
        alert(inv[i] + " " + q.NaN);
        new Wikifier(place, inv[i] + " " + q.NaN + "
");
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
The Air Force is getting ready to privatize a big part of its training program
Paul McLeary,
Oct. 31, 2017, 5:43 PM
When Lt. Col. Eric "Doc" Schultz died in a crash during a training flight in early September at a Nevada test range, it took three days for the US Air Force to acknowledge the accident. Even then, the Air Force refused to say what kind of jet Schultz was flying when he was killed.
The hushed reaction spawned theories that the Air Force didn't want to expose a new, classified aircraft.
Another theory was the military was covering up the crash of an F-35 stealth fighter, which the service eventually denied.
Some of the speculation was put to rest when reports emerged that Schultz was part of Air Force squadron tasked with evaluating foreign aircraft and was likely flying a Russian Su-27 used to train pilots on how to fight some of the newest aircraft coming from Russia and China.
Over the years, plane spotters have snapped pictures of at least one Russian Su-27 fighter jet flying over Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, where American pilots schooled in Russian tactics go head to head with other American pilots. Yet the Air Force's operation of Russian aircraft now is modest compared with during the Cold War.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the US Air Force operated a secret squadron, nicknamed the Red Eagles, that flew Soviet aircraft to train American pilots to fight against potential adversaries. That squadron was disbanded in 1990, however, and its remaining aircraft transferred to a smaller test squadron, which Schultz was a part of.
A US RC-135U in international airspace over the Baltic Sea is intercepted by a Russian SU-27 Flanker, June 19, 2017.
While the Red Eagles were disbanded, the need to operate foreign aircraft as part of an aggressor squadron never went away. And with recent advances in Russian capabilities, and a more aggressive posture after the Kremlin's 2014 invasion of Ukraine, the need is greater today than at any point since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
As a result, last year the Air Force's Air Combat Command announced that it would explore using a fleet of contractor-owned and operated aircraft to fly what is officially known as "adversary air."
This week, the Air Force released its formal "presolicitation," essentially an announcement to the industry that it is moving forward with a formal competition. The lucrative contract, potentially worth billions of dollars, has already sent companies scrambling to buy up foreign aircraft.
It also signals a fundamental break from the past: What was once a fundamental part of the US Air Force will now go to private contractors.
Speaking last month at an annual Air Force summit, Gen. James Holmes, the head of Air Combat Command, pointed to an escalating pilot shortage as one of the major factors leading to the decision to outsource adversary air.
Taking pilots out of combat rotations isn't an option given the pace of military operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, increased combat in Afghanistan, and growing tensions with Iran and North Korea. "I'd have to trade an operational fighter squadron for an aggressor squadron," which would take about 20 to 24 aircraft and their pilots, Holmes said.
The former Soviet Union's flag next to an F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 64th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, November 16, 2004.
The Air Force's aggressor squadron is a classic Cold War story. The US Defense Department, in a program named Constant Peg, quietly sought to obtain Soviet aircraft on the sly. The Red Eagles, the product of this program, flew a variety of aircraft including MiG-17s, MiG-21s, and MiG-23s. Even after the unit was disbanded, however, the Air Force continued to obtain and operate Soviet aircraft for testing.
According to several sources, the Air Force now has a number of MiG-29s that were obtained via Moldova and two Su-27s, one of which is believed to have been destroyed in the crash that killed Schultz.
Getting Russian aircraft has become easier since the fall of the Soviet Union, according to those familiar with the Air Force program, but keeping those aircraft flying proved difficult; they required spare parts that were difficult to get.
"A lot of that was political," said a former government official who worked with Soviet aircraft. "To get spare parts, you had to deal with the Russians and their purchasing agents, and you had to deal with their companies."
The question now, however, is why the Air Force is turning to non-Russian aircraft to mimic a Russian threat. "My guess is it's political considerations that may be driving the quest for non-Soviet aircraft," said one owner of a private firm that deals in Russian aircraft.
The Air Force would prefer to have something "maintained and operated by a big company."
F-16 Fighting Falcons do an 'Elephant Walk' on the flight line at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, December 14, 2012.
via U.S. Air Force
But the cost of aircraft is just one factor driving the new contract. The other is the availability of military pilots. The pool of US Air Force pilots that can be spared to fly training missions is vanishingly small.
The Air Force is currently struggling to cope with a shortage of 1,500 pilots, forcing leadership to shutter many of the dedicated training squadrons that kept Cold War-era fliers sharp, leaving a new generation of fighter pilots with diminishing opportunities to fly against modern aircraft.
After looking at options to keep as many fighter pilots flying as possible, using contractors "turned out to be the quickest to field and most cost-effective" way to keep people flying, said Stephen Brannen, the adversary air program manager at Air Combat Command. He estimates that the contract will be worth as much as $500 million a year. But primarily, "it was borne out of the combat fighter pilot shortage," he said.
The potential reward of billions of dollars has two companies in particular scrambling to buy foreign aircraft in a bid to win the contract, and several other companies are rumored to be in the mix.
A Qatari Dassault Mirage aircraft during Odyssey Dawn, when Qatar helped enforce a no-fly zone over Libya.
US Navy photo by Paul Farley
Only it's not Russian aircraft they're snapping up. The Virginia-based Airborne Tactical Advantage Company, or ATAC, has bought 63 modernized French Mirage fighters, and Draken International has purchased 20 Mirages being retired by Spain.
Turning to private industry and older aircraft to mimic new Russian and Chinese fifth-generation fighters is a bold, and possibly risky, step that the Air Force says is necessary, given the massive shortfall in available pilots and budget constraints partially imposed by massive buys of F-35 aircraft and a new stealth bomber currently in development.
The service is looking to contract out about 37,000 hours of the 60,000 training hours it flies each year, leading some Air Force leaders to estimate that about 150 to 200 contractor aircraft will be needed. No one contractor could even come close to filling that need, meaning the bid will be split among multiple companies, of which ATAC and Draken are the largest.
Draken, which has somewhere around 80 aircraft, already has a deal to fly missions at Nellis Air Force Base. The industry's biggest contractor, ATAC — with about 90 jets — flies with Navy aircraft carrier strike groups before they head out on lengthy deployments.
But private contractors' planes don't come close to matching the capabilities of modern Chinese and Russian planes, much less the U.S. aggressor squadrons flying F-16s and F-15s.
Until now, contractors have been able to fly second- and third-generation aircraft, but both services are demanding fourth-generation aircraft to give their pilots a taste of what they might face. The Mirages aren't to that level, but the hope is that with some upgrades to their avionics, they can mimic fourth-generation aircraft well enough.
A US-made F-16 aircraft.
Staff Sgt. Shawn Nickel / US Air Force
Jeffrey Parker, the CEO of ATAC, told Foreign Policy that his company snapped up "basically the entire French air force" supply of Mirages — along with 6 million spare parts — and is paying to upgrade them because it saw both potential Air Force and Navy contracts coming, and he sees there being demand around the globe for these kinds of contractor-led air training programs.
Parker and others noted that the Navy hurriedly issued a solicitation for fourth-generation trainers as soon as word leaked about the upcoming Air Force bid. With the services competing for a limited number of fourth-generation aircraft, the French and Spanish jets bought by ATAC and Draken were part of a dwindling supply.
Even so, industry watchers expect it to be several years before the industry can meet the Air Force's needs, forcing the service to continue to make trade-offs. "Demand is appearing to outstrip supply," Parker said, "and the aftermarket for used military fighters has grown tremendously" as the rising cost of new advanced aircraft slips further out of the reach of smaller countries.
Even beyond the cost, questions remain over how well these older jets and contract pilots can mimic advanced aircraft and if they can effectively replace highly trained Air Force aggressor squadrons that have flown missions for decades. "You have to train like you fight," said retired US Air Force Maj. Gen. Lawrence Stutzriem, a former fighter pilot.
Staff Sgt. Michael Keller takes a self-portrait in an F-15E Strike Eagle during a training mission over North Carolina, December 17, 2010.
US Air Force/Staff Sgt. Michael B. Keller
What is being lost is felt acutely by Stutzriem, who spent years flying against fellow Air Force pilots who had perfected Russian tactics during the height of the Cold War.
In those years, "the best pilots got assigned to aggressor squadrons," he said, where they focused on studying Russian doctrine and tactics, and the service made sure that "they're better pilots than you."
Holmes, the head of Air Combat Command, said seeking private contractors isn't the desired option but that it's the only one the Air Force can afford right now given shortages in budgets and personnel. "It's a temporary measure the way we see it," he said. "We would like to get it back in house."
The trade-offs are real, he said. American pilots have always trained against a peer threat, but with contractors flying older jets, "we know it's going to be something less than that."
But as of now, there's not enough money and too few pilots to even place a timeline on that plan. And at least for the foreseeable future, a mission that was once a core Air Force capability will be filled by contractors flying private aircraft.
"It's years away before we can start doing it ourselves again," Holmes said.
* Sharon Weinberger contributed reporting to this article.
Read the original article on Foreign Policy.
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SEE ALSO: The Air Force wants to add more National Guard and Reserve personnel to ease its pilot shortage
NOW WATCH: Watch this F-15E Strike Eagle receive a special paint job in this incredible time-lapse
More: Foreign Policy US Air Force F-16 su-27
mig 29
Aggressor squadron


We are delighted to have received the grant of US Patent no 10,194,394 This builds on the earlier UK granted patent in protecting the design concept of the Flume Catheter. There is then an additional patient application in hand to protect the method of forming the critical balloon component from an inflatable element folded over the catheter tip. We understand that this will be important in securing the necessary investment in manufacturing and distribution to bring the Flume Catheter to market.
Design freeze; After several months of intensive further development we have frozen the design that will now be taken forward to the 'first in human' clinical trials. Key to this was further development of the chosen balloon material, the profile of the catheter tip, the bonding adhesives and the lubricious coating, working closely with our technology partners in each area. This now clears the way for us to make up the close to 300 devices that will be sent for the full range of independent testing needed to seek the necessary approvals for the trials.
Grant funding for 'first in human' clinical trials; Grant funding has been secured for the trials that are due to commence in Q2 2019 (subject to the above approvals). They will be run in two centres, the Bristol Urological Institute (BUI)/ Southmead Hospital and University Hospital Southampton under the direction of Prof. Marcus Drake and Prof. Mandy Fader.
On Friday 9th November, we were also delighted to be a part of the BUI's Annual Scientific Meeting when Dr. Nicola Morris made a presentation on the Flume Catheter as part of session in recognition of the legacy of Prof Roger Feneley.
We wanted to share the results of our survey completed by nurses caring for catheter patients. Firstly, a huge thank you; we had responses from over 150 nurses caring for over 2,500 catheter patients. More than simply hard numbers you have shared your experience of the reality of patients' care. Thanks also to the Nursing Times and their article and link to the survey, as the numbers really climbed in the days after that feature.
· Suprapubic; many of you are concerned about supra-pubic catheters. The design of the Flume should be just as relevant for suprapubic as urethral use and we will ensure that we get approvals for both routes.
· Traumatic removal; A number of you highlighted the trauma caused when the catheter balloon is forcibly removed still inflated, perhaps by a patient with Alzheimers or with an accident snagging an insufficiently secured urine bag. This is very timely as we finalise the patient ready specification of the Flume.
The survey feedback has been invaluable as we finalise the design and prepare for 'first in human' clinical trials, that we hope to start early next year. More news in due course, not least as we hope to announce good news on the associated grant application.
We were delighted to be awarded the 'Clinical Impact' poster prize today at the IMechE "Incontinence: The Engineering Challenge" conference. Plus lots of encouragement and advice. A great opportunity to meet and hear what's new in the area.
We will be giving a short 'Poster' presentation at the iMechE conference "Incontinence: The Engineering Challenge XI", 28-29 Nov 2017. Hope to meet you there.


The Wellesley Historical Society and the Wellesley Historical Commission, in partnership with the Wellesley Free Library, will be hosting a lecture on how to research your historical home. Whether you live in one of the oldest houses in Wellesley, or a post-war colonial, we'll offer ways to find out more about your home, street, or neighborhood, and the people who lived there. Discover the resources that are available at the Society and the Commission and take home some useful tips.
Kathleen Fahey, Curator of the Wellesley Historical Society and Arvid von Taube, Chairman of the Wellesley Historical Commission will be presenting.
Join in on Tuesday, February 28th at 7:00 pm in the Wakelin Room of the Wellesley Free Library; this program is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact the Wellesley Historical Society at (781) 235-6690 or info@wellesleyhistoricalsociety.org.


The original Peiser Floors has been family owned and operated for well over a century, catering to the wood flooring needs of generation after generation of private clientele as well as designers, architects, commercial and retail properties as well as real estate companies and hotels. Following in the tradition of the company's founder Irving Peiser, Barry Peiser continues to practice an old-world style of business treating all clients with equal respect and extraordinary service.
Peiser Floors knows just how much hard work goes into providing the best flooring solution for you and your home. This is why we will be with you throughout the sales and installation process - available to provide accurate cost and labor estimates, as well as accessible regarding any questions or concerns you may have.
As one of the oldest hardwood flooring companies in New York, Peiser Floors believes in only the highest quality hardwood flooring for it's clients. The experienced team at Peiser will make sure your floors are completed using best in class materials and installation techniques.
With over 100 years of experience in and around the New York area, Peiser Floors takes its reputation very seriously. This is why we will stand by all of our products and installations, as well as make sure that you are completely satisfied with each and every inch of your floor before we call the job complete.


text:
import textdistance

def get_cosine_similarity(string1, string2):
    return textdistance.cosine.normalized_similarity(string1, string2)

import re

# requires: pip3 install langid laserembeddings
# and also: python3 -m laserembeddings download-models

from langid import classify
from laserembeddings import Laser

def get_vectors(strings):
    languages = []

    for string in strings:
        languages.append(classify(string)[0])

    corpus = [string.lower() for string in strings]
    corpus = [" ".join(string.splitlines()) for string in corpus]
    corpus = [re.sub(r'\W+', ' ', string) for string in corpus]

    return Laser().embed_sentences(corpus, lang=languages)

# requires: pip3 install sklearn

from sklearn.metrics.pairwise import cosine_similarity

def get_lasered_cosine_similarity(vector1, vector2):
    return cosine_similarity([vector1], [vector2])[0][0]

def formality(text):
    # list more restrictive patterns first
    formal = "(uint64_t\*?)|(_?[a-z]+(_[a-z]+)+)|('.')|(\d)|(\+)|(\-)|(\*)|(\/)|(%)|(\|)|(==)|(!=)|(<=)|(<)|(>=)|(>)|(=)|(lui)|(addi)|(ld)|(sd)|(add)|(sub)|(mul)|(divu)|(remu)|(sltu)|(beq)|(jalr)|(jal)|(ecall)"
    return len(re.findall(formal, text, re.IGNORECASE))

class Student:
    def __init__(self, firstname, lastname, q_total, q_length, q_formality, a_total, a_length, a_formality):
        self.number_of_qas = 1
        self.firstname     = firstname
        self.lastname      = lastname
        self.q_total       = q_total
        self.q_length      = q_length
        self.q_formality   = q_formality
        self.q_similarity  = float(0)
        self.a_total       = a_total
        self.a_length      = a_length
        self.a_formality   = a_formality
        self.a_similarity  = float(0)

import csv

def read_old_qas(responses_files):
    emails     = []
    firstnames = []
    lastnames  = []
    questions  = []
    answers    = []

    for responses_file in responses_files:
        with open(responses_file, mode='r') as csv_file:
            print(f'Considering as old responses file: {responses_file}')

            csv_reader = csv.DictReader(csv_file)

            for row in csv_reader:
                emails.append(row['Username'])
                questions.append(row['Ask Question'])
                answers.append(row['Answer Question'])

                if 'Firstname' in csv_reader.fieldnames and 'Lastname' in csv_reader.fieldnames:
                    firstnames.append(row['Firstname'])
                    lastnames.append(row['Lastname'])
                else:
                    firstnames.append("")
                    lastnames.append("")

    return emails, firstnames, lastnames, questions, answers

def read_qas(csv_file):
    csv_reader = csv.DictReader(csv_file)

    students = dict()

    emails = []

    questions = []
    answers   = []

    q_length    = 0
    q_formality = 0

    a_length    = 0
    a_formality = 0

    for row in csv_reader:
        emails.append(row['Username'])

        questions.append(row['Ask Question'])
        q_length    += len(row['Ask Question'])
        q_formality += formality(row['Ask Question'])

        answers.append(row['Answer Question'])
        a_length    += len(row['Answer Question'])
        a_formality += formality(row['Answer Question'])

        if row['Username'] not in students:
            students[row['Username']] = Student(
                row['Firstname'],
                row['Lastname'],
                float(row['Grade Question']),
                len(row['Ask Question']),
                formality(row['Ask Question']),
                float(row['Grade Answer']),
                len(row['Answer Question']),
                formality(row['Answer Question']))
        else:
            students[row['Username']].number_of_qas += 1
            students[row['Username']].q_total       += float(row['Grade Question'])
            students[row['Username']].q_length      += len(row['Ask Question'])
            students[row['Username']].q_formality   += formality(row['Ask Question'])
            students[row['Username']].a_total       += float(row['Grade Answer'])
            students[row['Username']].a_length      += len(row['Answer Question'])
            students[row['Username']].a_formality   += formality(row['Answer Question'])

    return students, emails, questions, answers, q_length, q_formality, a_length, a_formality

def write_results(students, csv_file):
    fieldnames = 'Google Apps Email', 'Firstname', 'Lastname', 'Total Average', 'Number of Q&As', 'Length of Answers', 'Formality of Answers', 'Similarity of Answers', 'Length of Questions', 'Formality of Questions', 'Similarity of Questions', 'Totel Length of Q&As', 'Question Average', 'Answer Average'

    csv_writer = csv.DictWriter(csv_file, fieldnames=fieldnames)

    csv_writer.writeheader()

    for student in students.items():
        csv_writer.writerow({
            'Google Apps Email': student[0],
            'Firstname': student[1].firstname,
            'Lastname': student[1].lastname,
            'Total Average': (student[1].q_total + student[1].a_total) / student[1].number_of_qas / 2,
            'Number of Q&As': student[1].number_of_qas,
            'Length of Answers': student[1].a_length,
            'Formality of Answers': student[1].a_formality,
            'Similarity of Answers': student[1].a_similarity,
            'Length of Questions': student[1].q_length,
            'Formality of Questions': student[1].q_formality,
            'Similarity of Questions': student[1].q_similarity,
            'Totel Length of Q&As': student[1].q_length + student[1].a_length,
            'Question Average': student[1].q_total / student[1].number_of_qas,
            'Answer Average': student[1].a_total / student[1].number_of_qas
        })

def compute_similarity(students, emails, message, strings, old_strings, old_emails, old_firstnames, old_lastnames):
    all_strings = strings + old_strings

    vectors = get_vectors(all_strings)

    similarity = [ [float(0)] * len(all_strings) for i in range(len(strings)) ]

    for x in range(len(strings)):
        for y in range(len(all_strings)):
            if x < y:
                # similarity[x][y] = get_cosine_similarity(strings[x], all_strings[y])
                similarity[x][y] = get_lasered_cosine_similarity(vectors[x], vectors[y])

                if similarity[x][y] > 0.95:
                    print(f'{message} similarity {similarity[x][y]} at [{x},{y}]:')
                    print(f'{emails[x]} ({students[emails[x]].firstname} {students[emails[x]].lastname})')
                    if y <= len(strings):
                        print(f'{emails[y]} ({students[emails[y]].firstname} {students[emails[y]].lastname})')
                    else:
                        print(f'{old_emails[y - len(strings)]} ({old_firstnames[y - len(strings)]} {old_lastnames[y - len(strings)]}) [old response]')
                    print(f'<<<\n{strings[x]}\n---\n{all_strings[y]}\n>>>\n')
            elif x > y:
                similarity[x][y] = similarity[y][x]
            else:
                similarity[x][y] = 1.0

    return similarity

def assign_similarity(students, emails, old_emails, q_similarity, a_similarity):
    all_emails = emails + old_emails

    for x in range(len(emails)):
        student = students[emails[x]]

        for y in range(len(all_emails)):
            if x != y:
                student.q_similarity += q_similarity[x][y]
                student.a_similarity += a_similarity[x][y]

        if (len(all_emails) > 1):
            # normalize again
            student.q_similarity /= len(all_emails) - 1
            student.a_similarity /= len(all_emails) - 1

def process_files(old_responses_files, responses_file, analysis_file):
    old_emails, old_firstnames, old_lastnames, old_questions, old_answers = read_old_qas(old_responses_files)

    students, emails, questions, answers, q_length, q_formality, a_length, a_formality = read_qas(responses_file)

    q_similarity = compute_similarity(students, emails, "Question", questions, old_questions, old_emails, old_firstnames, old_lastnames)
    a_similarity = compute_similarity(students, emails, "Answer", answers, old_answers, old_emails, old_firstnames, old_lastnames)

    assign_similarity(students, emails, old_emails, q_similarity, a_similarity)

    write_results(students, analysis_file)

    print(f'Number of students: {len(students)}')
    print(f'Total number of Q&As {len(questions)}')
    print(f'Average number of Q&As per student: {len(questions) / len(students)}')
    print(f'Average length of answers per student: {a_length / len(students)}')
    print(f'Average formality of answers per student: {a_formality / len(students)}')
    print(f'Average length of questions per student: {q_length / len(students)}')
    print(f'Average formality of questions per student: {q_formality / len(students)}')
    print(f'Average length of Q&As per student: {(q_length + a_length) / len(students)}')

import sys, getopt

def main(argv):
    old_responses_files = []

    response_file = ''
    analysis_file = ''

    try:
        opts, args = getopt.getopt(argv,"ho:r:a:",["ofile=","rfile=","afile="])
    except getopt.GetoptError:
        print ('examr.py { -o <oldresponsesfile> } -r <responsefile> -a <analysisfile>')
        sys.exit(2)

    for opt, arg in opts:
        if opt == '-h':
            print ('examr.py { -o <oldresponsesfile> } -r <responsefile> -a <analysisfile>')
            sys.exit()
        elif opt in ("-o", "--ofile"):
            old_responses_files.append(arg)
        elif opt in ("-r", "--rfile"):
            response_file = arg
        elif opt in ("-a", "--afile"):
            analysis_file = arg

    if response_file != '':
        with open(response_file, mode='r') as csv_responses_file:
            if analysis_file != '':
                with open(analysis_file, mode='w') as csv_analysis_file:
                    process_files(old_responses_files, csv_responses_file, csv_analysis_file)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main(sys.argv[1:])

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


VIDA at UD is a club that wants to create a network among Pre-Dental, Pre-Medical, Pre-Veterinary students or any student that is interested in a career in the medical field.
The meeting will last about 30 minutes, and we will be going over who our executive board members are, what types of meetings we will be having in the future, and a general survey to see what you guys would want out of VIDA at UD this year. Executive board members will present what they will be planning for this semester, which includes: volunteering, medical supply drives, and a One Health project.
On this coming Tuesday, October 23rd and Thursday, October 25th, Animal Science Club will be hosting our annual pumpkin sale! We will be selling all sizes of pumpkins from 12-4PM on Tuesday at Townsend Hall and from 8AM-3PM on Thursday on Trabant patio! If you are looking for a spooky decoration for your house or dorm, this is the perfect sale for you.
Prices will vary based on which size pumpkin you choose. Please stop by Trabant or Townsend next week to pick up some pumpkins and support Animal Science Club!
The Office of Student Conduct is currently recruiting students to apply for the 2018-2019 Appellate Board.
Applications are available here, and are due by February 25th.
Please find the UDaily Article for more information.
Apply to Become An Ag Ambassador Today! Applications are due March 1st and must be submitted to Ms. Cometa in Townsend 104.


text:
Reported By 18 Sep 2017
Saamy 2 has been in the news for quite some time now. Directed by Hari, the film features Vikram, Trisha and Keerthy Suresh in the lead roles. We have learnt that both the actresses will have important roles to play in the movie. "It is too early to reveal the nature of the characters they will be essaying in the project, but both of them will have equal weightage in the movie. The story of Saamy 2 is such that it has many sequences which will be based on the character of Trisha, who played the female lead in the first part. Also, this is the film for which Keerthy has given maximum number of days for shooting till date," revealed a source.
The movie will go on floors soon in Chennai. Believed to be made on a big budget, the film will be shot not only in Chennai, but across various locations in India as well as in foreign destinations. The makers initially planned to shoot the film in northern parts of India, however due to some unexpected changes they could not. Now, they will begin shooting in Chennai, after which they will travel to Delhi, Mussoorie, Tirunelveli, Nepal and Kerala.


Interior Wood Paneling is important to be measured first before we start to buy it. as we know, the wood paneling would be placed to cover the wall in our own house so it would have a better look. in fact, it would be important for us to have the right wood paneling for our walls in our house so it would look good. The common wood paneling that sale in the store is the Interior Wood Paneling 4×8, so we know how much wood paneling that we need to buy.
Of course, it would be very important for us to know the measurement of the Interior Wood Paneling that we want to buy. Somehow, it is not easy for us to measure our own size of the wall where the wood panel would be installed. So, we could hire an expert to help us measure the size of the wall that we want to install.
After we got the precise measurement of our walls from the expert, then the next step is looking for the suitable Interior Wood Paneling for our house. It is not difficult to finding the suitable wall paneling for our house. When we want to look the one that made from wooden material, the Interior Wood Paneling Lowes will be very recommended for us.
In the department store like Lowes, we could found a lot of designs of the wooden paneling, which have the precise size like our walls in the house. When we buy the 4×8 size that become a common size of wood paneling, we could suits how many paneling that we need to buy. This is a kind of a simple thing that need to be planned well, so we could perfectly install our own Interior Wood Paneling.
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After I built it, I was so fortunate to gain international attention — sharing on Discovery Channel and speaking at Websummit in Portugal, and I realized that this is just the beginning. The luck/privilege that I was given could be used to help millions. I later moved to control prosthetics.
Now, I'm working on developing brain controlled robots.
The immediate market is to help people with disabilities and comas to be able to gain back control and independence, allowing them to once again interact and communicate with the previously untouchable environment.
How it works, is the electrodes outputted a signal. I then applied a fourier transform to extract alpha waves, beta waves, theta waves etc. I then used machine learning to extract insights from the data. I then was able to correlate brain states with certain actions. ie: letting my brain run wild and think about everything released different signals than my brain trying to stay clear and meditate.
Realizing brain computer interface tech has the possibility to completely change the world. People are working on ways to upload information into your brain, transferring memories, and some smart people like Ray kurzweil think that in the 2030s we might just have brain chips– completely transforming the worlds in which we live.
The possibilities for the industry scared me. What if your brain could be hacked? If we're really trying to optimize for success, is the best path to go down?


text:
Tory MPs back Cayman Islands tax haven after £18,000 trip
Four Tory MPs have been accused of defending the "secrecy industry" after vowing to support the Cayman Islands Government's fight against anti-money laundering measures.
Conservative MPs Andrew Rosindell, Martin Vickers, Bob Stewart and Henry Smith criticised the UK government's plans to introduce more transparency to the islands while on a five-day trip paid for by the Cayman Islands government. The wives of Stewart and Vickers (who are also their employees) were also funded to join the trip and the total cost was over £18,000.
The Cayman Islands has been widely criticised for its financial secrecy. The Tax Justice Network ranks it as the third most important financial secrecy jurisdiction in the world, claiming it offers "low-tax, regulation-light environment for financial players".
The UK's National Crime Agency has also criticised the Cayman Islands authorities, accusing them of failing to cooperate on money-laundering investigations. The NCA's director Donald Toon said that they had difficulty getting information on who owns the Cayman Island firms under investigation.
As well as being secretive, the Cayman Islands is also considered a 'tax haven' because it does not charge corporation tax or capital gains tax. It hosts around 100,000 companies despite having a population of just 60,000 – about the same as Inverness.
In June 2018, a report by the European Services Strategy Unit revealed that some of the profits made from the Scottish government's £8bn private finance infrastructure projects would go to companies registered in tax havens including the Cayman Islands.
The report found that Lothian and Strathclyde pension funds had invested £145.6m in the Equitix group of funds, which are ultimately controlled from Guernsey, through a chain of companies in Guernsey, London and the Cayman Islands.
The Equitix group of funds also has investments in privately financed public buildings throughout Scotland such as the Aberdeen Health Care Village and the Inverness College Campus.
The report's author, Professor Dexter Whitfield, said: "Offshoring not only deprives Scotland of tax revenue but the secrecy significantly reduces democratic accountability of Scotland's public infrastructure projects over a 25-30 year period.
"The only reason offshore locations are used is to benefit from the absence of taxation which obviously increases profits and the secrecy makes accountability non-existent."
In May 2018, the UK government was pressured into accepting an amendment to its Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill which would require British Overseas Territories like the Cayman Islands to implement a public register of company ownership.
If properly enforced, a public register would allow the public to find out who owns companies based in the Cayman Islands, making money laundering more difficult.
The Cayman Islands government reacted angrily and is taking legal action to try and avoid a public register. The territory's Premier Alden Mclaughlin is reported to have called the decision to impose a public register "colonial despotism".
According to the Cayman News Service, the four MPs said in the Cayman Islands that they did not support the amendments to the bill and raised concerns about a threat to the autonomy of the UK's overseas territories.
"We go away from this visit much better informed and I think that we will, as a group, want to make a report to government and I would hope that they take our views seriously," said Martin Vickers.
Henry Smith added: "I think it is another example of where we need a revised constitutional arrangement which much more recognises the overseas territories as equals in the British family."
In a tweet, Andrew Rosindell described the Cayman Islands as: "A truly great example of a small country that understands good governance, financial responsibility, rule of law, justice and prosperity for all its people, under the Crown!"
There are 13 British Overseas Territories including Gibraltar, the British Virgin Islands and the Falklands. However, tax havens like Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are not Overseas Territories but Crown Dependencies and therefore will not have to introduce a public register.
Nicholas Shaxson, author of 'Treasure Islands', said: "When the Cayman Islands comes under pressure, it never seems to be a problem for them to wheel out people to defend their secrecy industry. Cayman needs to be dragged, even if kicking and screaming, into the modern world. Britain has full powers to force them to do this, and it should simply press ahead and not listen to the special pleading."
Transparency International research manager Steve Goodrich said that the Cayman Islands' tax secrecy undermined national security. "It's well established that the secrecy provided by jurisdictions in the UK's Overseas Territories has been exploited by those looking to launder substantial amounts of corrupt and illicit wealth. Given the origin, destination and purpose of the dirty money that passes through secrecy havens like the Cayman and British Virgin Islands, it's only right that these financial flows are now seen as a national security issue."
Goodrich continued: "Parliament has made clear it intends to bring corporate transparency to the Overseas Territories so it aligns more closely with those on mainland UK. Lobbying against such changes would not only go against the will of Parliament but also aide those who are keen to undermine the UK's efforts to ensure global stability."
Dexter Whitfield said that, while introducing public registers is an improvement, it does not go far enough to stop tax avoidance. "The only substantive remedy is to ban the use of offshoring, particularly for public sector contracts."
Commenting on his report into Scottish private infrastructure project profits going through tax havens, he said: "Scottish Futures and the Scottish Government knew full well what was going to happen and basically colluded with the bidders for HUB and NPD [privately-built public infrastructure] contracts."
The MPs were joined on their trip by Eric Bush, the Cayman Islands government's representative to the UK and EU.
Bush's predecessor in this role was former Scottish MP and Conservative Chief Whip in Westminster David Maclean, now also known as Lord Blencathra.
In 2014, Maclean had to apologise to Parliament because the Bureau of Investigative Journalism revealed that he had signed a £12,000 a month contract listing one of his duties as lobbying the UK parliament.
Maclean had previously denied lobbying parliament on behalf of the Cayman Islands and still claims that, despite signing the contract saying he would, he never actually lobbied Parliament.
In March 2012, Maclean had organised a similar trip to the August 2018 one. Conservative MPs Andrew Rosindell and Graham Brady and Labour MP for Central Ayrshire Brian Donohoe had spent a week in the Cayman Islands at the islands' government's expense.
The Conservative Party was criticised on social media last weekend after photographs emerged of a Cayman Islands stall at its party conference in Birmingham.
Environmental journalist Rachel Salvidge tweeted a photo of one of the stall's leaflets which claimed that the Cayman Islands was a "transparent, tax neutral jurisdiction, not a tax haven".
"There were a number of finance brochures & leaflets," she said. "As I approached, I was asked by a chap manning the stand whether I was interested in finance."
Stalls at the conference cost between £6,600 and £32,500. For that price, the Conservative Party promises that exhibitors can enjoy "ministerial visits from senior members of Cabinet".
All four MPs and Eric Bush did not reply to requests for comment.
A source close to the Tetragon Group, which controls the Equitix group of companies said that all the UK-registered companies in the group paid UK tax.
Yes they can: taxpayers billed £23,000 for Obama dinner tickets
Scotland Office used tax-payer funded Facebook ads to 'manipulate voters'
Revealed: Boris Johnson's Afghan trip cost taxpayers £20,000
British Overseas Territories
Martin Vickers
Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill


At ROARRR we activate leaders. Essentially, identity leadership is our purpose. Our business assists Organizations/ Brands, Teams, and Individuals uncover their purposed IDENTITY. See, individuals, teams, and brands need to first have an understanding of their purposed IDENTITY, before true effectiveness can be achieved. This in turn assists our clients to be the LEADERS of influence and agents of change. Our uncovering process is achieved through the use of a combination of assessments, workshops and coaching initiatives.
Restore the ROARRR 2019 is a initiative pioneered by ROARRR Leadership to ultimately restore the brand of our great nation, through the use of our innovative workshop (I am a BRAND) which is aimed at high school scholars. The workshop focuses on Personal Brand development, as well as how our brands collectively build our communities and ultimately shape our society. Our aim is to celebrate the individual and uncover personal identity, as well as trigger active citizenship which will lead to the restoration of our national brand.
© 2019 ROARRR LEADERSHIP. All Rights Reserved.


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How You Can Prevent Paying A Lot Of Money On This Hot Indian Girls
Many research have reported in regards to the prevalence of the violence and have taken a criminal-justice approach, however most lady refuse to report it. These ladies are guaranteed constitutional justice, dignity and equality but proceed to refuse based on their sociocultural contexts. As the ladies refuse to speak of the violence and discover help, they're additionally not receiving the right treatment. A Thomas Reuters Foundation survey says that India is the fourth most harmful place on the earth for girls to live in.
Indian ladies love males who are snug in their masculinity and don't need to appear too severe out of a lack of confidence. Letting your lady see your emotional and even vulnerable site will all the time repay for you. Indian women are instinctively drawn to confident males, however seeing a person being impolite or boastful, whether to the woman herself or different people around him, are an immediate turn-off for these ladies. From the moment an Indian lady will get married, not to mention has kids, her priorities change utterly.
Don't be stunned that your beautiful Indian woman would actually like her life to be as romantic as a Bollywood movie. So, being a gentleman and making romantic gestures are some of the most vital Indian relationship guidelines. Her dad and mom are strict, and you have to respect that — Indian parents are identified to be traditional and very overprotective.
India is a big country with one of the richest cultures in human history. There are different languages used in the territory of India, but Hindi is named the official language.
I see loads of videos made by persians on youtube called persian women with footage of Indian women celebrities! Persian ladies from what I've seen are wannabe Europeans with their faux blonde hair, and plastic surgeries to vary their ethnic features similar to their noses. Atleast Indians aren't that screwed up even when we now have a keenness for light pores and skin, we're not altering ourselves to look like a special race. I think what makes Indian ladies lovely is their exotic Eurasian-like looks. A mixture of the East and the West makes them more appealing throughout cultures; i.e. the numerous times India has won Miss Universe, with consistent prime 10 runner ups yr after yr. The women within the video are incredibly beautiful, it makes me feel petty.
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Although, this femininity should not be mistaken as vulnerability. In truth, to them, it is the supply of female energy, Indian culture relates to Goddesses.
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Though it is sharply increasing, the feminine literacy rate in India is lower than the male literacy price. Far fewer ladies than boys are enrolled in class, and many ladies drop out. In urban India, women are practically on a par with boys when it comes to schooling.
I like the molding of their faces, their noses and the way pointy they're. I even like those eyes that can make you stare at them without them making an attempt. Shyness is an attractive feature including to the magnificence of the Indian woman. Some Indian girls do placed on weight in later life most probably as a result of lack of exercise. Sometimes, you feel that ladies are second class citizens in India. Most Indians may have some kind of history behind them as far as their genetic makeup is concerned.
As it has been simply stated above, exhibiting affection and a focus to Indian ladies for marriage would never be regarded as one thing abusive or inappropriate. Of course, when you simply want to purchase yourself an Indian girlfriend, you will be rejected. However, being a gentleman round an Indian lady for courting would definitely be appreciated and noticed. As it has been mentioned above, Indian girls are often introduced up based on conventional Indian upbringing. It is feasible to say that virtually all of girls in India are assured, loyal, slightly strict, proud, and incredibly loving.
As a outcome, Shobana has remained single and went on to undertake a girl whom she named Anantha Narayani. Fearless is a synonym for Barkha Dutt, the intrepid television journalist, most famously known for her war reportage in the course beautiful indian women of the Kargil War between India and Pakistan in 1999. An emblematic determine of New Delhi Television Limited, higher generally recognized as NDTV, Barkha was some of the distinguished faces of the information channel for 21 years.
You may marvel why any woman with such a traditional upbringing would even think about changing into an Indian mail order bride. Tradition can generally be somewhat limiting, and like most younger girls, those raised in India additionally search slightly change of pace and new experiences. A lady can concern to be coerced to marry somebody twice her age her dad and mom deem appropriate from a monetary level of view. By creating a profile on a marriage web site, they permit themselves to decide on a companion independently and do it safely by attending to know the particular person on-line. It's, nevertheless, crucial that every one events concerned in online relationship be 100 percent sincere in the info they supply in their profiles and the expectations they have from their future mates. Whether you would possibly be looking for knowledgeable girl who will continue to pursue her career as soon as married or a stay-at-home mum, you want to explicitly point out it.
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Mayor Bowser Launches the Fifth Annual "Home for the Holidays" Campaign, Calls on Housing Providers to Partner with the District
District Seeks to Place 1,250 Families and Individuals Experiencing Homelessness into Permanent Homes
(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Department of Human Services (DHS) launched the District's fifth annual "Home for the Holidays" campaign, which seeks to transition residents experiencing homelessness into long-term housing during the holiday season. This year, the District's goal has more than doubled, and DHS will be working with community partners and housing providers to place 1,250 families and individuals into housing during the Home for the Holidays campaign.
"While the goal of this campaign is to move neighbors into permanent housing during the holiday season, the effects are much more long-lasting," said Mayor Bowser. "Through Home for the Holidays, we have an opportunity to work together as a community to change people's entire lives. We are incredibly grateful for the housing providers who have already stepped up to work with us. Now, we're asking every housing provider in the city to look at their inventory and reach out to DHS to learn how they can play a role in providing Washingtonians a home for the holidays."
The Home for the Holidays campaign supports Homeward DC, Mayor Bowser's strategic plan for making homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring. DHS manages the Home for the Holidays campaign, which spans from November 1 through February 28. Housing providers who are interested in partnering with the District are encouraged to reach out to DHS at [email protected].
"The COVID-19 pandemic has left us with a more profound appreciation for the fact that having a home is essential for health and well-being. We have dedicated additional resources which will mean over 2,500 residents who have been experiencing chronic homelessness can attain a safe and stable home of their own," said DHS Director Laura Green Zeilinger. "We are thrilled that this year's budget presents a historic opportunity to dramatically reduce the homelessness crisis in our community. We are eager to expand partnerships with existing and new housing providers to realize the transformational effect of housing for our neighbors and community."
Home for the Holidays first launched in 2017, and more than 1,500 total households have moved into permanent housing as a result of the campaign. Community members can support Home for the Holidays by donating new and gently used houseware to households. Residents who have items to donate should email [email protected] for more details. Through this campaign, the District is seeking to partner with local housing providers to identify approximately 2,500 new apartment units in the next three months. This year, there are unprecedented resources and many residents are already matched to services and housing subsidies but are still in need of an affordable, available unit.
Since launching Homeward DC, the Bowser Administration has driven down overall homelessness by 38% and family homelessness by 73%. In that time period, the District increased investments in permanent housing by 60%. According to the 2021 DC Point-in-Time Count, homelessness in DC has decreased by 20% over the past year. Notably, for the first time in five years, there was a small, but important reduction in single adult homelessness.
The Bowser Administration's reforms to the homeless services system have prevented a shelter stay for more than 8,000 families. At the center of this work was closing DC General and launching small, service-enriched short-term family housing programs throughout the city, including the Kennedy in Ward 4, the Horizon in Ward 7, the Triumph in Ward 8, the Sterling in Ward 5, the Aya in Ward 6, the Brooks in Ward 3, and the Terrell in Ward 1.
In July, Mayor Bowser launched Homeward DC 2.0, the District's updated strategic plan. Homeward DC 2.0 includes a plan to build on the District's progress in driving down family homelessness, with a strong focus on realizing similar progress with unaccompanied adult homelessness. Last fall, construction started on a new 801 East Shelter for men, which will be followed by the renovation and re-construction of the Harriet Tubman Women's shelter in Hill East.


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Q: How to implement pattern matching in java and avoid instanceof? At the moment I don't know how to avoid code smells in my piece of code.
I've tried several patterns (Strategy, Visitor) and they didn't provide a clean and maintainable solution. Here is an example of my code for strategy pattern:
public interface Strategy {
  <T> T foo(FirstParam firstParam, SecondParam secondParam);
}

public class StrategyOne implements Strategy {
  FirstReturnType foo(FirstParam firstParam, SecondParam secondParam);
}

public class StrategyTwo implements Strategy {
  SecondReturnType foo(FirstParam firstParam, SecondParam secondParam);
}

@Setter
public class Context {
    private Strategy strategy;
    public void execute(FirstParam firstParam, SecondParam secondParam) {
        if (strategy != null) {
            strategy.fo(firstParam, secondParam);
        }
    }
}

And there is a example of objects.
public abstract class Action {
 abstract void bar();
}

public class ActionOne extends Action {
  void bar() {}
}

public class ActionTwo extends Action {
  void bar() {}
}

And I want to make this piece of code cleaner
public class ActionExecutor {
   private Context context;
   private FirstParam firstParam;
   private SecondParam secondParam;
   public ActionExecutor(FirstParam firstParam, SecondParam secondParam) {
    this.context = new Context();
    this.firstParam = firstParam;
    this.secondParam = secondParam;
   }

  public void doSmth(Item item) {
    Action action = item.getAction();
    if(action instanceof ActionOne) {
     context.setStrategy(new StrategyOne());
    }
    if(action instanceof ActionTwo) {
     context.setStrategy(new StrategyTwo());
    }
    context.execute(firstParam, secondParam);
  }
}

The idea is to perform a specific action for a specific object type. But I don't know how to avoid the usage of instanceof in this situation.

A: Two ways top of my head.
public abstract class Action {
 public Strategy strategy;
 abstract void bar();
}

public class ActionOne extends Action {
  void bar() {}
   // set strategy here,  possibly
}

public class ActionTwo extends Action {
  void bar() {}
}

public void doSmth(Item item) {
    Action action = item.getAction();
    action.strategy.execute(firstParam, secondParam);
  }

Second way, have an enum in all your actions and force it by declaring it as a parameter in your abstract class constructor. Then just use switch in instead of instanceof

A: Could be something like this:
   public void doSmth(Item item) {

    Action action = item.getAction();

    Map<String,Strategy> strategies = new HashMap<>();
    strategies.put(ActionOne.getClass().getSimpleName(),new StrategyOne());
    strategies.put(ActionTwo.getClass().getSimpleName(),new StrategyTwo());
    ..
    strategies.put(ActionHundred.getClass().getSimpleName(),new StrategyHundred());

    if(strategies.containsKey(action.getClass().getSimpleName())) {
     context.setStrategy(strategies.get(action.getClass().getSimpleName()));
    }
    context.execute(firstParam, secondParam);  }

A: This seems like a textbook use case for the Factory Method pattern.  You can use the same code you have now (or the Map example in another answer), but put it in a factory - then it's purpose-specific and decoupled from the code that uses it.
Something like this.
public class StrategyFactory {

    public static Stategy getStrategy(Action action) {
        if(action instanceof ActionOne) {
            return new StrategyOne();
        } else if(action instanceof ActionTwo) {
            return new StrategyTwo();
        }
    }
}

And then, something like this.
Action action = item.getAction();
action.setStrategy(StrategyFactory.getStrategy(action));

There's another example here: https://dzone.com/articles/design-patterns-the-strategy-and-factory-patterns