text:
Education system, India, innovation
Without fundamental reforms to the education system, Indians will not innovate
The education system, with terrible teaching that programs Indians to focus on tests, must change and put a focus on learning instead.
By Qrius
Credits: Pexels 267885
By Akash Pallath, Ansh Joshi, and Deepak Dhariwal
In 2018, Apple's co-founder, Steve Wozniak, visited India and made some fascinating observations on the country. He was humble enough to admit he knew little about India, but he remarked that he did not see "big advances in tech companies" in the country. He blamed the culture, which he saw as "one of success based upon academic excellence" and "having a good job."
Wozniak observed that Indians are a lot like Singaporeans in this regard. They study, work hard and get an MBA. They may buy a Mercedes, "but where is the creativity?" Wozniak takes the view that creativity gets lost when behavior becomes too predictable and structured.
His observation on India might be harsh, but it is not far from the truth. Hard figures back Wozniak's argument. In 2017, the UN's World Intellectual Property Indicators (WIPO) reported that foreign nationals dominated the patents granted in India. They accounted for more than 85% of the newly-filed ones. According to Oxford Economics, Indian startups lack technological innovation and mimic successful businesses that begin elsewhere. When it comes to big players, only one Indian company, Hindustan Unilever, notably a subsidiary of the London-based Unilever group, made it to the top 75 in the Forbes list of the World's Most Innovative Companies.
Just north of the Himalayas, another story is emerging. A country with more than a billion people is now at the forefront of cutting-edge technology. While China has built, perfected and scaled up its own high-speed rail technology, India's high-speed version will run on 20th-century engines built through Japan's tech know-how and its financial generosity. While China is innovating in quantum communication and computing, India is taking symbolic baby steps by awarding paltry sums that are unlikely to lead to significant results. And while Chinese startups account for 26% percent of the world's unicorns, Indian startups form a mere 4%. Is this because Indians are less innovative than the Chinese?
THE NEW TRIANGULAR TRADE
In the US, Indians are considered incredibly innovative. A fifth of patents filed by foreigners in America are by people of Indian origin. Vinod Khosla, Vinod Dham, Ajay Bhatt, Sanjay Mehrotra and Sabeer Bhatia are among the thousands of great Indian innovators. A simple question arises: What do they have in common?
It turns out that most Indian innovators tend to pursue advanced graduate or business degrees from American schools before beginning their technological ventures. Indians are a key component of Silicon Valley success. They produce much of the intellectual property that produces wealth for the US.
In fact, a curious phenomenon is taking place these days. Talented Indians leave for the US to study. Then, they work for American companies or start something on their own. They tend to write software and design hardware. The software Indians write powers Chinese mass-manufactured hardware. The hardware they design is produced in the Middle Kingdom as well. Eventually, this software and hardware comes back to India in the form of OnePlus, Xiaomi, Huawei and even Apple phones.
This phenomenon is the modern-day equivalent of the infamous trans-Atlantic triangular trade of the past. For four centuries, colonial merchants purchased molasses, tobacco and cotton from plantations in the Americas. These products were produced by slaves. Then, they were shipped to Europe for factories to convert them into finished products. Ships took some of these goods to Africa where they were exchanged for slaves. Then, they sailed off to the Americas with these Africans who slaved under the simmering sun to grow sugarcane, tobacco and cotton for factories in Europe.
Today, Indian professionals have taken the place of African slaves, computer chips have replaced molasses and smartphones are the new rum. In this 21st-century formula, India has taken the place of Africa, China of America and America of Europe. Importantly, many Indian professionals, such as Sundar Pichai of Google and Satya Nadella of Microsoft, are captains of American ships that power this triangular trade. If Indians are talented enough to run the new triangular trade, why can't they create new technologies and great businesses at home?
NONSTOP TESTS PRODUCE GOOD PARROTS
India is fixated with exams. There are easily over 400 entrance exams in India at undergraduate, graduate and professional levels for every field ranging from engineering to hospitality. In the vast majority of cases, entrance exams are the sole parameter for admission into prestigious institutions. The most famous example is the notorious Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for the highly-selective Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT). Less than 1% make it through the JEE into IIT.
Getting in is a relentless rat race. Any experimenting or going off the beaten path can be fatal. Unlike Americans, Indians rarely get second chances. So, students have no incentive to go beyond the syllabus. Their relentless focus is to crack the entrance exam. A huge private coaching industry of ruthless cram schools has emerged to prepare students for success in JEE. Ironically, these private players prepare students to get into the taxpayer-funded IIT. In 2016, these cram schools were estimated to be worth $40 billion. They are worsening India's already deep and wide class divide.
There is another phenomenon at play these days. Now, many creative Indian students are leaving the country for undergraduate degrees immediately after school. Unlike the Khoslas or Pichais of yore, they are bypassing India's brutal entrance exams. The story of Malvika Raj Joshi has captured much public attention. A fantastic programmer, she was a three-time medal winner at the International Olympiad for Informatics. Yet she was not eligible for even the lowliest of IITs. Joshi had not taken the national school exams, a compulsory requirement for writing the JEE. While IIT was hung up on exams, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) swooped in and offered Joshi a scholarship.
Joshi's story is an exception. Most creative students are crushed by India's brutal exams. The nonstop testing environment that Indians grow up in stifles creativity or critical thinking. It rewards rote learning and conformity. As a result, Indians are very good at parroting what examiners want of them, but are unable to think for themselves.
SCHOOLS KILL CURIOSITY
In 2009, 15-year-old students from India participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) that evaluates reading, math and science abilities. Students from 73 countries participated and Indians were second from the bottom with Kyrgyzstan achieving last place. There is a catch, though. Indian students who took the test were from Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh, two states considered showpieces of education among India's 29 states and seven union territories. Unsurprisingly, India decided not to participate in PISA evaluations till 2021 to avoid losing more face.
Since 2009, the situation in India's government-run schools has turned worse. The data from the 2016 annual report on rural education shows that high school students of the eighth grade who could not do basic three-digit by one-digit division rose from 32% in 2010 to 57% in 2016. Such figures make a mockery of claims that "New India" will be an innovation hub.
The ills of the schooling system are amplified when students go to colleges, institutes and universities. More often than not, they choose schools and colleges based on popular social perception instead of genuine interest.
China might lag behind the US in technological innovation, but its performance is much better than India. The Economistpoints out that more Indians might be attending school than ever before, but they are not learning much. Part of the problem might be that the country has too many schools. "India has 35% more students than China," but it has four times the number of schools as China. India's terribly-drafted Right to Education Act mandates primary schools within a kilometer of every village. It has resulted in 5,000 schools having no pupils at all.
Unlike India, China has not relied on a token legalistic solution to education. Instead, it has nurtured academic talent and promoted research with iron political will. In the early years of the 21st century, India and China were comparable in terms of the number of top-ranked universities and gross enrollment ratio. Since then, China has left India trailing behind far in the distance. It has spent more on research, hired better teachers and improved access to education for most of its young people.
There are many reasons for India's pathetic educational record. It spends a paltry 2.7% of its GDP on school education, trailing behind other many developing countries, including dysfunctional ones such as Brazil. India spends this little money unwisely. And corruption is an ever-present phenomenon. Many become teachers through bribery and are utterly unqualified. A quarter do not even show up to teach. The Economist rightly argues that India's 70,000 teacher training institutes are nothing but "low-grade degree shops."
When teachers do turn up to teach, they invariably use outdated pedagogy. Rote-based learning is still the name of the game and tests determine cleverness. Few students observe animals or plants around them. Even fewer use their hands to build objects or create art. The government-run school system is so broken that even creative teachers are kneecapped by lack of funds. Primary school teachers get a measly 500 rupees (less than $8) per year for teaching and learning material. So, they are forced to rely on school textbooks, which have multitudinous errors, are infrequently reviewed and are of poor print quality apart from being frequently understocked.
As mentioned earlier, teacher quality is terrible in India's government-run schools. Once they start collecting their salaries, they have little incentive to teach. No one holds them accountable. KPMG, a leading consulting firm, blames it on lack of output-based incentives or monitoring. The problem is deeper than that. Bureaucrats with no interest in or experience of education systems are in-charge of forming education policies. They leave the education departments in three years and have no long-term vision. The entire system is rotten.
Poor teacher quality and issues with textbooks also affect private schools. In fact, these schools invariably tend to pay teachers less than their public counterparts. Therefore, they attract low-quality teachers. Private schools are often better administered, though, and teachers do turn up to teach. Like the government-run system, the quality of teaching tends to be poor and students have no option but to rely on the parallel education industry to prepare for university entrance examinations.
The fact that Indian students attend both schools and cram schools means that they have little time left for themselves. This busy schedule leaves little space and time to think. This kills their creativity even further. The entire purpose of education is reduced to jumping through hoops in a Kafkaesque system instead of to learn, think or innovate.
SHATTERED DREAMS AND BROKEN LIVES
The ills of the schooling system are amplified when students go to colleges, institutes and universities. More often than not, they choose schools and colleges based on popular social perception instead of genuine interest. Misinformation by cram schools often skews their judgment.
These authors, who have gained their Bachelor of Technology degrees from IIT Gandhinagar, can comment firsthand about the popular beliefs of the fabled IITs. "Ek crore ki naukri aur dher saari izzat" (a salary of 10 million and extraordinary prestige) is what many students expect when they step foot in IIT. The fixation with placement, an Indian term for finding a job or getting placed, in a top company drives most students. It is the reason they choose computer science because it the gateway to Google. Subjects such as materials science or bioengineering are perceived as poor choices because they are unlikely to lead to high salaries. Similarly, electrical engineering is equated with power plants, chemical engineering with petroleum and civil engineering with toilsome road-building.
Too many students think of IIT colleges as mere launching pads for MBAs at the famous Indian Institutes of Management (IIM), the counterparts to the IITs. Some others prepare for the Indian Civil Services Examination that opens to door to elite bureaucratic positions. "Ek crore ki naukri nahi to ek crore ki dowry" (if not 10 million as salary, then 10 million as dowry) is the aim for many students as well as parents.
Sadly, such high salaries and dowries are a mirage for most students. Gargantuan salaries are scanty, jobs at Google are few and prospects after fashionable majors are not quite what they are made out to be. As the authors have seen firsthand, many students make wrong choices. Even when they realize their mistake, the Indian system makes it almost impossible to rectify their errors. Students are often stuck studying for degrees they have little interest in. However, due to parental and social pressure, they soldier on. This comes at the price of exploration, innovation and "risky" entrepreneurial pursuits. In the end, most people end up in a rat race for a high-paying job, which the perceptive Wozniak diagnosed as the major reason for a lack of creativity.
FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES ARE THE NEED OF THE HOUR
India's system is so broken that it needs fundamental changes, not cosmetic reforms. The authors have three suggestions.
First, India must centralize and decentralize at the same time. Under the Indian Constitution, education is a concurrent responsibility of both the central and state governments. Schools are affiliated with either central or state boards that determine curricula and conduct examinations. Both central and state governments run schools in similar locations. There are no common standards across India's many school boards and no accountability.
In contrast, in China the entire education system is run by the Ministry of Education, imposing common standards across the country. Federal and democratic India cannot adopt the Chinese system. Yet it can certainly bring in a creative reform. It can let state school boards decide curricula and conduct exams for subjects such as local languages, local history and local culture, while the Ministry of Human Resource Development at New Delhi that is currently responsible for central school boards takes over subjects such as math, physics, chemistry and English. This creative mix of centralization and decentralization might allow India to impose a common standard of education while preserving its rich diversity in culture.
Second, India must adopt a performance-based appraisal system for promoting teachers. There must be incentives for them to teach well and promote creativity. A good example for India is Ghana, another former British colony that is in West Africa. Notably, Ghana won its independence a decade after India. Its national teachers' standards lays down well-defined principles and metrics for evaluating teachers' progress. These metrics incorporate evidence such as lesson plans, evaluations, testimonials, research and participation in professional development programs. Unsurprisingly, Ghana's educational standards have risen over the last few years.
Third, Indian students must be able to make more informed choices when choosing their majors. To do so, schools must disseminate better information about various majors. Counseling must be an integral part of the educational experience. And the practice of admitting students into specific majors at the age of around 18 must go. Universities could allow students to choose their majors after a semester or year of study. This choice could be based not only on exams, but on hands-on projects.
Lest we forget, recent education reforms in Delhi indicate that major changes are possible. The authors hope that fundamental reforms come soon so that the best Indian minds can innovate not only in foreign lands, but also at home. It is high time for the new triangular trade to end.
This article was originally published in the Fair Observer.
Being a mindful leader: Lessons from neuroscience


text:
Countrywide agrees £90m private equity investment to slash debt pile
Oct 22nd 2020 4:21AM
Embattled estate agent Countrywide has revealed a £90 million lifeline investment and changeover at the top under plans to cut its debt mountain and revive its fortunes.
The planned capital raise will see private equity firm and current shareholder Alchemy effectively take control of Countrywide, with a stake of between 50.1% and 67.7%.
The deal will also see a management overhaul, with executive chairman Peter Long to be replaced by Carl Leaver – the former chief executive of hotels group De Vere – and the appointment of a chief executive officer later this year.
Countrywide managing director Paul Creffield will retire in 2021.
Shares in the firm tumbled as much as 16% on the announcement of the deal, which comes after a testing few years that have seen Countrywide's share price slump on the back of mounting losses.
Countrywide admitted it is at a "critical inflection point" and urgently needs to reduce its mammoth £90.2 million debt pile.
The group said the investment, together with a new four-year loan from its lenders, will slash its debts by £50 million.
It will also bolster its balance sheet and fund investment as part of its turnaround announced in March 2018, according to the firm.
Mr Leaver said: "With the right capital structure and Alchemy as a supportive controlling shareholder, I am confident that there is a very bright future for Countrywide."
Outgoing boss Mr Long said the deal marks an "exciting new chapter" for Countrywide.
"Countrywide now has a sustainable capital structure that will allow it to thrive," he added.
The deal was announced as Countrywide's results showed it slumped to a pre-tax loss of £44.3 million in the first half of 2020.
It said recent trading was "buoyant" as the stamp duty holiday on properties up to £500,000 has helped spur on a mini housing boom since the lockdown.
But the firm held off from giving full-year guidance due to ongoing uncertainty amid the pandemic.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Altough if he's been killed in a car accident that would not even become a news article I guess.
... < He was a Snow Plow operator...!
... < I can tell,...because the VERY LAST thing the man did before leaving for the big snow drift in the sky,...was to clip off somebody's mailbox...!
Damn it is sad but when it is popular people it gets to the news, anyway sad for him rest in peace and hope you go to Paradise and all, anyway peace out sad news but what can you do life goes on and so all, now im going off to place some bets, just rested and bath and back with energy and ready to rock and roll, cheers good luck guys have fun at the tables hope you do well and make a lot of money cheers peace out good luck!
I am with Bowie on this as I had not seen or heard of him before but he was probably more well known in Canada.There seems to be quite a lot of plane crashes lately and I suppose in the rural parts of Canada using a small plane to get around is pretty normal.
Ever since I started to watch 'Flying Wild Alaska' I am kinda scared getting on a plane whenever is snowing out there.
I think if you live hundreds of miles from anywhere in the wilderness of Canada then unless you want to be spending hours travelling then a small plane is ideal.Maybe they should just make getting a plane license a little more stricter.


text:
Not So Complete Streets
By Carolyn Krasnow, Ph.D
In recent years, urban planners and community leaders across Canada have turned to "Smart Growth" planning approaches like Complete Streets and New Urbanism to help communities address common challenges associated with downtown planning in the era of the automobile. After decades of urban design focusing on the primacy of the auto, approaches focus on creating communities and streetscapes that provide, among other things, better integration of multi-modal transportation and better walking environments. The point of these planning approaches is to create healthier, less congested and ultimately more livable communities that also foster economic and commercial development.
Arising in the U.S. but quickly becoming international movements, Smart Growth-influenced developments and streetscape upgrades have cropped up throughout Canada. Canadian cities including Mont-Saint-Hilaire in Quebec, Whitehorse in Yukon, and Markham, Ontario have made their communities more walkable and bicycle-friendly, and improved the quality of life for residents. UniverCity in British Columbia and McKenzie Towne in Calgary were created as new communities with sustainable and/or new urbanist principles.
Creating urban environments that have a better balance of transportation modes isn't as easy as it sounds. Critics of New Urbanism contend that it still accommodates "car culture" more than is desirable, and many people would like to see greatly reduced parking requirements for new developments and cities alike. And given the aging population, decreasing car ownerships trends among younger people, and the rise of car sharing, there is plenty of reason to plan parking with reduced needs in mind. But on the flip side, in most places cars are still the primary form of transportation for most people; not taking them into account adequately can hurt existing businesses and new ones.
A developer we worked with on a transit-oriented development in a vibrant Canadian city came up against this problem as they planned their development: they recognized the environmental, social and financial benefits of minimizing the number of parking spaces, and they worried about overbuilding parking in an era when alternative transportation is on the rise. But as they worked on leasing plans for residential and commercial space they understood that too little parking could limit their market. Sure you can find residential tenants who don't own cars, but can you find enough of them to make a building lease fully at an average of a half space per unit? Maybe, or maybe not now but some years down the road.
Trying to find the balance between forward-thinking minimalism and current-market pragmatism requires careful evaluation, whether you are trying to right-size a downtown parking system or plan a new parking system for a New Urbanist development. Yet many cities, planners and developers are still referring back to old codes and rules of thumb that reflect parking generation rates in the absence of alternatives or demand management. I've even seen reports by consultants that estimate what a downtown should be generating based on square feet of development and standard industry ratios, instead of actually analyzing the unique patterns of a city and the ways in which industry ratios are being reduced through foot traffic, transit, and shared use. The result? The study will recommend parking that isn't needed. The industry ratios are deliberately based on studies of land uses that lack shared parking, transit access or other mitigating factors; they are meant to show the maximum probable demand. With transit, foot traffic, and shared use of parking between land uses with different peak hours, cities rarely generate parking at standard rates. Similarly, using old codes is likely to over-project parking needs since it won't take into account changing approaches to urban living. Basing a recommendation on rules of thumb rather than real conditions is the start of a lot of misunderstanding.
Codes and ratios all need to be rethought for a given market, with careful evaluation of the realistic impact of transit usage, bike usage, car sharing, car ownership trends and other issues and options that reduce the likelihood of residents owning cars and shoppers/employees using them to come to an area. Walk-in traffic can also change over time as an area becomes more dense, and needs to be carefully considered.
Perhaps the most subtle and challenging part of the puzzle is the market issues. Parking "consumers" weigh cost and convenience. In a downtown where rates are not well stratified – and in many places they are not – everyone will compete for the most convenient spaces. Where there is a premium for the best spaces and a considerable discount for the inconvenient or otherwise undesirable ones (down a hill, in a garage, etc.), some people will opt for the less convenient but cheaper spaces. Not everyone has to change their behavior, just enough people to mitigate congestion on the busiest streets. Similarly, we've worked on TOD developments that want to encourage transit use, but are challenged by parking markets whose rates are comparable to the cost of a monthly transit pass. Some people will choose transit anyway, but it will be harder to reach transit goals where there is no strong disincentive to drive. Having the alternative available isn't enough. In working on TOD projects, like the one in Canada that we discussed earlier, we can't just project how many spaces are needed, we have to project how many spaces are needed in the context of a very specific constellation of alternatives, market prices, expectations, and demographics.
In most places, cars aren't dispensable just yet, and most Smart Growth initiatives take that into account. It's vital to be forward thinking and not rely on old data and old ideas about travel. It's also vital to be pragmatic about the many factors that affect decisions about transportation. The decisions planners make about how and where to provide parking, and at what price, can help create a parking system that combats sprawl and over-reliance on the single occupant vehicle without creating a project whose transportation challenges become an impediment to success.
Carrie Krasnow is a vice president with Walker Parking Consultants and the managing principal of the firm's New York office. She can be reached at Carrie.Krasnow@walkerparking.com.


WE AND THE COLOR is a web magazine for your daily art and design inspiration. We feature outstanding projects of various creative fields. In addition, you can find trendy graphics, templates, and fonts for download. Read more here.


text:
Sokolniki  () is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Łagiewniki, within Dzierżoniów County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland.

The village has a population of 350.

References

Villages in Dzierżoniów County

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This tragedy comes two months after over a 100 people had perished off the shores of Ukara Island, also in Lake Victoria, Tanzania and two years after over 30 members of a football club had drowned in the lake.
A cruise boat which sank in Lake Victoria was overloaded, carrying about 120 people instead of its capacity of just 50, Uganda's president said on Sunday.
Police had said on Saturday at least 10 people were dead following the accident off Uganda's Mukono district, close to the capital Kampala.
"The boat was overloaded and secondly there was bad weather," Patrick Onyango told Reuters, adding the boat was carrying 84 people.
Another 26 people had been rescued from the water, Onyango said, a lower figure than the initial 40 given by the police on Saturday. He attributed the discrepancy to some survivors' failure to register with the police.


text:
package com.intellij.codeInsight.intention.impl;

import com.intellij.codeInsight.CodeInsightBundle;
import com.intellij.codeInsight.CodeInsightUtilBase;
import com.intellij.codeInsight.intention.PsiElementBaseIntentionAction;
import com.intellij.openapi.editor.Editor;
import com.intellij.openapi.project.Project;
import com.intellij.psi.*;
import com.intellij.psi.codeStyle.CodeStyleManager;
import com.intellij.psi.javadoc.PsiDocComment;
import com.intellij.psi.util.PsiTreeUtil;
import com.intellij.util.IncorrectOperationException;
import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;
import org.jetbrains.annotations.Nullable;

/**
 * @author max
 */
public class SplitDeclarationAction extends PsiElementBaseIntentionAction {
  @NotNull
  public String getFamilyName() {
    return CodeInsightBundle.message("intention.split.declaration.family");
  }

  public boolean isAvailable(@NotNull Project project, Editor editor, @Nullable PsiElement element) {
    if (element == null) return false;

    int offset = editor.getCaretModel().getOffset();
    if (!(element instanceof PsiJavaToken)) return false;
    if (element instanceof PsiCompiledElement) return false;
    if (!element.getManager().isInProject(element)) return false;

    final PsiElement context = PsiTreeUtil.getParentOfType(element, PsiDeclarationStatement.class, PsiClass.class);
    if (context instanceof PsiDeclarationStatement) {
      return isAvaliableOnDeclarationStatement((PsiDeclarationStatement)context, element);
    }

    PsiField field = PsiTreeUtil.getParentOfType(element, PsiField.class);
    if (field != null && PsiTreeUtil.getParentOfType(element, PsiDocComment.class) == null && isAvaliableOnField(field)) {
      setText(CodeInsightBundle.message("intention.split.declaration.text"));
      return true;
    }
    return false;
  }

  private static boolean isAvaliableOnField(PsiField field) {
    final PsiTypeElement typeElement = field.getTypeElement();
    if (typeElement == null) return false;
    if (PsiTreeUtil.getParentOfType(typeElement, PsiField.class) != field) return true;

    PsiElement nextField = field.getNextSibling();
    while (nextField != null && !(nextField instanceof PsiField)) nextField = nextField.getNextSibling();

    if (nextField != null && ((PsiField) nextField).getTypeElement() == typeElement) return true;

    return false;
  }

  private boolean isAvaliableOnDeclarationStatement(PsiDeclarationStatement decl, PsiElement element) {
    PsiElement[] declaredElements = decl.getDeclaredElements();
    if (declaredElements.length == 1) {
      if (!(declaredElements[0] instanceof PsiLocalVariable)) return false;
      PsiLocalVariable var = (PsiLocalVariable) declaredElements[0];
      if (var.getInitializer() == null) return false;
      PsiTypeElement type = var.getTypeElement();
      if (PsiTreeUtil.isAncestor(type, element, false) ||
          element.getParent() == var && ((PsiJavaToken)element).getTokenType() != JavaTokenType.SEMICOLON) {
        setText(CodeInsightBundle.message("intention.split.declaration.assignment.text"));
        return true;
      }
    } else if (declaredElements.length > 1) {
      if (decl.getParent() instanceof PsiForStatement) return false;

      for (PsiElement declaredElement : declaredElements) {
        if (!(declaredElement instanceof PsiLocalVariable)) return false;
        PsiLocalVariable var = (PsiLocalVariable)declaredElement;
        PsiTypeElement type = var.getTypeElement();
        if (PsiTreeUtil.isAncestor(type, element, false) || element == var.getNameIdentifier()) {
          setText(CodeInsightBundle.message("intention.split.declaration.text"));
          return true;
        }
      }
    }

    return false;
  }

  public void invoke(@NotNull Project project, Editor editor, PsiFile file) throws IncorrectOperationException {
    if (!CodeInsightUtilBase.prepareFileForWrite(file)) return;

    PsiManager psiManager = PsiManager.getInstance(project);
    int offset = editor.getCaretModel().getOffset();

    PsiElement token = file.findElementAt(offset);
    PsiDeclarationStatement decl = PsiTreeUtil.getParentOfType(
        token,
        PsiDeclarationStatement.class
    );

    if (decl != null) {
      invokeOnDeclarationStatement(decl, psiManager, project);
    }
    else {
      PsiField field = PsiTreeUtil.getParentOfType(token, PsiField.class);
      if (field != null) {
        field.normalizeDeclaration();
      }
    }
  }

  private static void invokeOnDeclarationStatement(PsiDeclarationStatement decl, PsiManager psiManager,
                                                            Project project) throws IncorrectOperationException {
    if (decl.getDeclaredElements().length == 1) {
      PsiLocalVariable var = (PsiLocalVariable) decl.getDeclaredElements()[0];
      var.normalizeDeclaration();
      PsiExpressionStatement statement = (PsiExpressionStatement) JavaPsiFacade.getInstance(psiManager.getProject()).getElementFactory()
          .createStatementFromText(var.getName() + "=xxx;", null);
      statement = (PsiExpressionStatement) CodeStyleManager.getInstance(project).reformat(statement);
      PsiAssignmentExpression assignment = (PsiAssignmentExpression) statement.getExpression();
      PsiExpression initializer = var.getInitializer();
      PsiExpression rExpression;
      if (initializer instanceof PsiArrayInitializerExpression) {
        rExpression = JavaPsiFacade.getInstance(psiManager.getProject()).getElementFactory().createExpressionFromText(
            "new " + var.getTypeElement().getText() + " " + initializer.getText(), null
        );
      }
      else {
        rExpression = initializer;
      }
      assignment.getRExpression().replace(rExpression);
      initializer.delete();

      PsiElement block = decl.getParent();
      if (block instanceof PsiForStatement) {
        final PsiDeclarationStatement varDeclStatement =
          JavaPsiFacade.getInstance(psiManager.getProject()).getElementFactory().createVariableDeclarationStatement(var.getName(), var.getType(), null);

        // For index can't be final, right?
        for (PsiElement varDecl : varDeclStatement.getDeclaredElements()) {
          if (varDecl instanceof PsiModifierListOwner) {
            final PsiModifierList modList = ((PsiModifierListOwner)varDecl).getModifierList();
            assert modList != null;
            modList.setModifierProperty(PsiModifier.FINAL, false);
          }
        }

        block.getParent().addBefore(varDeclStatement, block);
        decl.replace(statement);
      } else {
        block.addAfter(statement, decl);
      }
    } else {
      ((PsiLocalVariable) decl.getDeclaredElements()[0]).normalizeDeclaration();
    }
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
As climate change sets in, the global poor feel the heat
By Henry Neondo
Melting glaciers and lingering droughts leave the developing world increasingly parched, says 2006 Human Development Report; adaptation is crucial
"Throughout the developing world, climate change will likely reduce the availability of water, lower agricultural productivity and expose millions of poor people to hunger, but efforts thus far to help them adapt to this changing environment have been "woefully inadequate", asserts the newly released 2006 Human Development Report.
The Report, entitled Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis, argues that global warming is no longer a threat on the horizon" it is taking place, and its effects on water security are becoming devastatingly apparent.
Moreover, the most severe consequences will be experienced by countries and people who bear no responsibility for the problem.
For example, more than three million people risk starvation due to years of drought in northern Kenya. Other parts of sub-Saharan Africa" from Burkina Faso and Mali, to Zambia and Zimbabwe" are facing major crop losses among food staples from climate-change-induced weather patterns.
The Horn of Africa, southern Africa, and the Sahel, which are already dealing with chronic and persistent food emergencies, could experience losses of over 30 percent for maize production, production losses of more than 20 percent for sorghum losses of 18 percent or more in the production of millet.
Accelerated glacial melt and reduced rainfall threaten major food systems in South Asia, where India faces the twin challenges of glacial melt and a marked reduction in rainy days in most of the country, including areas prone to drought.
Glaciers in Central Asia and Latin America are rapidly shrinking, too.
As dry areas get drier, wet areas get wetter and extreme weather becomes more common, the poor" that are usually most exposed to the elements, most directly dependent on natural resources and have the lowest capacity to adapt to crop production losses" will become more vulnerable to hunger, poverty and environmental degradation. Inequality will intensify.
Mitigating future climate change is important, the Report says, but poor people are now being forced to adapt--and the international community must help.
"Either we take concerted action now to bring clean water and sanitation to the world's poor, or we consign millions of people to lives of avoidable poverty, poor health and diminished opportunities, and perpetuate deep inequalities within and between countries. We have a collective responsibility to succeed", said United Nations Development Programme
Administrator Kemal Dervi.
The Report cites several crucial steps in helping the poor adapt. Increased funding is at the top of the list. The Adaptation Fund attached to the
Kyoto Protocol will mobilize only about $20 million by 2012 on current projections, while the Global Environmental Facility" the principal multilateral mechanism for adaptation" has allocated $50 million to support adaptation between 2005 and 2007.
These levels of funding don't come close to meeting the need for assistance in adapting to the dramatic changes in the global climate, the Report contends.
An upsurge in aid to developing-world agriculture's the sector most affected by global warming "must accompany increased support for adaptation, the Report argues. Developing countries as a group have seen aid to agriculture tumble from 12 percent to 3.5 percent of total aid since the early 1990s.
Reversing these trends will be critical to successful adaptation. The
Report says tripling aid to agriculture's from $3 billion annually to
$10 billion by 2010 -- should be a minimum requirement.
Regions where the world's hungry are concentrated will have to absorb the bulk of the planet's additional population over the next decades, estimated at 2.4 billion by 2050.
And as most of them will be dependent on rainfed agriculture, the number of those at risk will continue to rise.
What's more, intensifying competition for existing water supplies from industry and urbanization puts poor farmers at even greater risk of losing their livelihoods, or worse.
"The biggest challenge ahead is how to manage water resources faced with competition and climate change to meet rising food needs while protecting the access of poor and vulnerable people", said the Report's lead author Kevin Watkins.
Melting glaciers are the clearest evidence of global warming: In the
1990s glacial mass fell at three times the rate of the previous decade. The melting of these water banks, surprisingly, reduces the actual availability of water.
More robust river flows make flash floods more likely, exacerbating already acute irrigation drainage problems.
Higher temperatures lead to the evaporation of most of the melted water from glaciers. Flows to reservoirs and irrigation diminish; agriculture" and consequently, broader societies suffers.
To be sure, the long-term human-development implications of global warming are alarming. In some regions, changing rainfall patterns and declining water availability will reduce crop yields by a quarter or more by
Global malnutrition could increase by 15 to 26 percent, says the report, with 75 to 125 million more people facing malnourishment by 2080.
But in Kenya, suffering for lack of water is here, and now.
Entire pastoral communities have seen their herds and assets depleted, leaving them increasingly vulnerable to all future risks. Violent clashes between farmers and pastoralists over water have become increasingly common, while Kenya's GDP fell 16 percent between 1998 and 2000 due to drought.
And the full economic costs are probably much greater since these figures fail to count the effects of malnutrition, reduced investment in agriculture and a loss of investment in industry.
As the 2006 Human Development Report makes clear, success in adapting to climate change, in Kenya and around the developing world, cannot wait.
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As state elections draw near, disputes over political yard signs can lead to lessons of free-speech in America's neighborhoods. Homeowners' desires to the express their political views by planting yard signs may collide with community association boards' efforts to preserve their communities' appearance.
It is important for your community to have reasonable rules about political signs and even more important to have the knowledge and skill to effectively guide the residents and/or an association board through the process of creating, communicating and enforcing community rules.
The courts have found that the right to display a political yard sign in community association-governed property is not protected under free speech rights. Instead, the association's governing documents as well as city, county and state statutes dictate if yard signs are permissible.
Community association managers are like small town mayors, with the responsibility to be reasonable and fair while upholding rules. If your community has yard sign regulations, make sure they conform to state and local laws and enforce them consistently. A CMCA-certified manager should be knowledgeable of best practices, industry standards and laws affecting political signs. Make sure your community is protected with competent management.
Consult state statute. State law may already regulate such signs.
Consult local town or county regulations. Some counties regulate the duration and placement of signs.
Develop a rule that will be effective for your community during next year's election, which will include a very important presidential election.
Don't prohibit signs without exception. The right to express political views during campaign season is dearly held. If your association's rules are content neutral, reasonable and consistently enforced, there's less chance of expensive litigation.
Remind residents of sign rules prior to election season.
Don't forcibly remove signs. This is only a last resort, because it will cause hard feelings.
Approach enforcement in a friendly, neutral manner.
What are you community rules about political signage?


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On every afternoon preceding a Biblical holiday, the Kalever Rebbe would disappear for many hours; no one knew where he went.
On the day preceding each Biblical festival, Rabbi Yitzchak-Isaac Taub of Kaliv would disappear for many hours; no one knew where he went. One year on erev Sukkot, the lay leader of the Kaliv Jewish community, Mr. Yaakov Fisch, was determined to discover the tzadik's secret. While the Rebbe was occupied, Fisch hid himself in the wagon, where he remained undiscovered until the Rebbe was well on his journey.
When Reb Yankel revealed himself, the Rebbe became visibly distressed. He exclaimed, "What can I do with you now?" He made the stowaway promise not to ask any questions, not of himself nor of anyone else.
Soon they arrived at a city which Yankel did not recognize. The Rebbe abruptly stopped the wagon, and began to walk down a narrow path that led to a mikveh. He instructed his passenger to wait while he immersed himself there.
Yankel waited in the wagon until he was overcome with curiosity and impatience. Forgetting the tzadik's warning, he hopped off the wagon and sought to question the people nearby. "Excuse me," he asked in Yiddish the first man he stopped, "but where am I?"
"Don't you know where you are?" the astonished fellow replied, thinking that he was dealing with a madman. "Where do you think you are?"
"Well, I was just in Kaliv, Hungary, a few hours ago," Yankel began.
"Now I know you're mad," said the man, "How could you possibly get from Kaliv to Tzfat in a few hours?"
"Tzfat?!" cried Yankel. "You're the one who is mad! How could I be in Tzfat, in Eretz Yisrael, if I was just in Kaliv?"
The argument intensified, and in the heat of the debate Yankel forgot to get back to the wagon before the Rebbe reappeared. To his dismay, he arrived back at the mikveh just in time to see the wagon pulling away. Yankel was beside himself. Here he was, stranded in a town of "meshuga'im" (insane people) who thought they were living in Tzfat!
However, he had no choice but to ask one of them to take him in to his home for the Sukkot holiday.
Already during the first hours of the festival, seeing the different customs and hearing people speaking in the Holy Tongue and in Arabic as well as Yiddish, Yankel realized that indeed he was in Tzfat, Astonished, it dawned on him as an epiphany that the Kaliver used a Divine Holy Name for kefitzat haderech (a miraculous contraction of a journey) to come to Tsfat every erev Yom Tov in order to immerse himself in the mikveh of the holy Arizal, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria.
His amazement was quickly joined by shock as he realized that he was compelled to remain in Tzfat until the Rebbe would return the following Yom Tov. How else could he possibly get all the way back to Europe?
Meanwhile, back in Kaliv, the Fisch family was frantic about Yankel's sudden disappearance. They ran to the Rebbe for advice. The Kaliver smiled as he assured them that there was no need for concern, promising that Mr. Fisch would return just in time for the Passover Seder!
And so it was. Six months later, Yankel Fisch was delighted to see the tzadik's wagon arriving at the Arizal's mikveh on Erev Pesach. This time he made sure not to miss the ride back home.
The Rebbe extracted a promise from Yankel not to reveal this incident in his lifetime; it became known only after the Rebbe passed away in 1821.
Rabbi Yitzchak-Isaac Taub of Kaliv (1744 - 7 Adar II 1821) was a goatherd in his youth. Subsequently he studied under Rebbi Shmelke of Nicholsburg and Rebbi Elimelech of Lizhinsk. Also known as "the Sweet Singer of Israel," he was a seminal figure in the spread of chasidism in Hungary.
Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (1534 - 5 Av 1572), Known as "the holy Ari," revolutionized the study of Kabbalah and its integration into mainstream Judaism during the two years he spent in Zefat before his death at 38.


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← 'Rutgers Rome Stories': RU Classics and Center for Digital Filmmaking join forces, produce four student-directed films on Eternal City
For RU Classics prof Emily Allen-Hornblower, tenure, promotion and a top teaching prize →
At 249th anniversary commencement, RU Classics celebrates its 2015 graduates
Rutgers Classics'15, accompanied by undergraduate director Professor Emily Allen-Hornblower, take the first seats at the School of Arts & Sciences convocation
First, some numbers. An estimated 16,465 graduates received degrees from Rutgers at graduation ceremonies on 17 May of this year, the 249th since the founding of the university in 1766. Baccalaureate degrees accounted for 10,593 of the 2015 total, give or take a few. Master's degrees added up to 3,951; doctorates another 1,919.
Many of the graduating students assembled at High Point Solutions Stadium had good reason to feel lost in a crowd. But that wasn't the case for those from Rutgers Classics, which proudly contributed .0007% of the day's degree recipients. Though enrollments for the largest classes in our department frequently push capacity, the language-based major and the graduate degrees remain a highly personalized experience, with intensive teaching and close advisement in the best liberal arts tradition.
Rutgers Classics'15—and their undergraduate director—about to take the field at High Point Solutions Stadium
Receiving the BA in Classics in 2015 were Tyler C. Archer (with departmental Honors); Blessie M. Banayat; Tawny E. Cataldo; Michaela G. Fore; Adam J. Kasarda (departmental Highest Honors); Meghan E. Kiernan (departmental High Honors); Bernard Lin; Erica L. Olsen; Lauren A. Pavlis; and Kathryn E. Tomiak (departmental Honors).
Receiving the Jacob Broadhead Prize in Classics ("to a student who displays all-around excellence in Classics") was Bernard Lin.
The commencement exercises of Douglass Residential College recognized for its Cornelison Prize in Classics ("all around excellence in Classical studies by a member of Douglass College") Eileen E. Hallman'16; and also Alison Bocchino'15 (awarded 2014); and Dana Hayes'15 (awarded 2013).
On 17 May, there was also awarded a degree of MA in Classics to Scott Asher William Barnard. Scott Barnard received the degree of BA from the University of New Mexico, and also holds a MA in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies from Rutgers.
Rutgers Classics' latest PhD—Dr Andriy Fomin of Ukraine, whose work focuses on historiography of the Roman imperial era
Receiving the degree of Ph.D. in Classics was Andriy Fomin, who wrote a dissertation entitled How
Dio
wrote
history:
Dio
Cassius' intellectual, historical
and literary
techniques under the direction of Professor Sarolta A. Takács (Rutgers Department of History). Andriy earned his first degree from V.N.
Karazin
Kharkiv
National
University (Ukraine), and holds both a Ed.M. in Education and a MA in Classics from Rutgers.
Following the ceremony, Rutgers Classics undergraduate director and associate professor Emily Allen-Hornblower exhorted the freshly-minted BA recipients:
"You have much to be proud of, and it was an honor and a joy to spend the day with you yesterday. Sending renewed congratulations to each of you from all of us in Classics…our very best wishes and warmest encouragement to all of you in each of your endeavors. Stay in touch, keep us posted about what you are up to, come back and visit; don't become strangers!"
On 6 May, Rutgers inducted eight students into Eta Sigma Phi, the national Classics honor society. From left, Becky Makulowich, Princess Olowu, Akari Armatas, Michael Antosiewicz, Aurora Morton, Thi Trinh, Gabrielle Ferro. Not pictured: Sedef Ulker Piker.


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ACF Home » Office of Community Services » Resource Library » LIHEAP DCL Four Contract Solicitations
LIHEAP DCL Four Contract Solicitations
Guidance, Policies, Procedures, Dear Colleague Notices
Dear Colleagues:
We want to inform you of four LIHEAP contract solicitations that have been posted to the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website. On the home page, go to the "Search" feature and put in the keyword "LIHEAP" to view all of these actions.
Presidential Executive Order 13520, Reducing Improper Payments and Eliminating Waste in Federal Programs, issued in November 2009, encourages Federal agencies to take deliberate and immediate action to eliminate fraud and improper payments. Additionally, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius implemented a department-wide program integrity mandate and later established the Office of Program Integrity Coordination.
Also, as you know, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) made recommendations for strengthening LIHEAP fraud prevention in a June 2010 report. Subsequently, in FY 2012, Congress appropriated $3 million in training and technical assistance (T&TA) funds for LIHEAP program integrity efforts. HHS has been working to develop several T&TA procurement actions to assist us in a number of important program areas.
The Office of Community Services (OCS), Division of Energy Assistance (DEA) is requesting proposals under four procurements in the following areas:
· Monitoring—to expand capacity and resources of OCS for conducting compliance reviews (both on site and desk reviews) of LIHEAP grantees (states, tribes and territories). This contract is intended to help OCS fulfill its commitment through its HHS Program Integrity Risk Register and demonstrate (in light of the 2010 GAO report on LIHEAP fraud prevention) the extra resources OCS is dedicating for preventing, detecting and resolving fraud in the program.
· Training—to provide direct guidance and assistance to LIHEAP grantees via several training initiatives.
· Accountability—to address program integrity needs and recommendations for LIHEAP as identified by GAO and the LIHEAP Program Integrity Work Group, specifically around options for addressing the third-party verification to allow LIHEAP grantees to access information for verifying a household's eligibility.
· Performance Data—to support the implementation of outcome performance measures for LIHEAP and provide opportunities for performance-driven decision making.
Please note that the Training and Accountability procurements are currently listed as "pre-solicitations"; the official solicitation for each will be published soon on the FBO website. (The pre-solicitation notices indicate posting of the "official" announcement by July 17, but there has been a short delay).
Each of the announcements lists the name and contact information for the contract specialists assigned to each LIHEAP procurement. All questions should be directed to the contract specialists, and not to OCS. DEA staff cannot respond to questions about the contract actions during this phase of the process.
We encourage you to circulate the information on the LIHEAP procurements through your usual networks. We do not anticipate any additional competitive bid solicitations beyond the four requests identified at the FBO website.
/s/ /s/
Jeannie Chaffin Nick St. Angelo
Director Director
Office of Community Services Division of Energy Assistance
Last Reviewed: June 13, 2019
LIHEAP DCL Request for Proposals
LIHEAP DCL Clearinghouse Program Integrity Working Group Report
LIHEAP DCL Clearinghouse Report Outlining Recommendations for Improving Program Integrity
LIHEAP DCL American Customer Satisfaction Index Survey on T&TA
LIHEAP DCL Award of Four New Contracts


MECHANICVILLE- Patricia Babenis Hatalsky, 85, of Pruyn Hill Road, died peacefully Friday, June 22nd at home, in the loving company of her family and friends. Born in Mechanicville, April 30, 1933, daughter of the late Edward and Madelyn Hanley Ryan, Patty was a 1951 graduate of Mechanicville High School and a 1955 graduate of College of St. Rose.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday at 10 AM at All Saints on the Hudson Church, 121 North Main St., Mechanicville. Burial in St. Paul's Cemetery.
Calling hours at the North Main St Church on Tuesday from 4-7 PM.
In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to either All Saints on the Hudson or St. Mary's Church, Crescent, in respectful memory of Patricia Babenis Hatalsky.


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Ted Danson Delivers in 'Mr. Mayor,' of Course, but the Show Falls a Bit Short
January 7, 2021 | By David Hinckley
That long-awaited 30 Rock spinoff, after a few detours, has finally gyrated its way to television.
Mr. Mayor, a clever, zany, semi-absurdist sitcom starring Ted Danson, premieres Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
Danson plays Neil Bremer, the unlikely new mayor of Los Angeles. He's a retired businessman who made billions in the billboard biz and has spent the last eight years lounging around the pool at his Bel Air mansion.
He's remarkably unqualified to be mayor, except the last mayor up and quit one day, and no one else seemed to want the job.
So Bremer is swept into office after an election with an 8% turnout, and he starts his term by saying things like, "We're hosting the Olympics?"
He starts his first press conference by explaining that he came to L.A. in 1976 because his girlfriend wanted to become an actress. After the Night Stalker killed her, he went into billboards to give the people of Los Angeles something to see while they were sitting on freeways going nowhere.
As this might suggest, Mr. Mayor works both sides of the not-terribly-fine line between satiric and cartoonish.
Like most zany sitcoms, Mr. Mayor also has a deeply sentimental side. In this case, Bremer admits to his staff that the real reason he ran for mayor was to impress his teenage daughter, Orly (Kyla Kenedy).
After his wife died eight years ago, he retired to spend more time with Orly. Only it seems her takeaway was that her father never did anything, so he figures being mayor would give him the cred of an actual occupation.
The other glitch in his plan is that Neil Bremer is really Jack Donaghy, the character Alec Baldwin played on 30 Rock. He's deceptively smart. He's also self-absorbed and, therefore, largely oblivious to the world around him.
The original plan was for the spinoff to follow Donaghy's political career in New York, only Baldwin dropped out, and Danson didn't want to leave L.A., which is how we got to where we are.
With a mayor who, in the words of his campaign manager Mikaela (Vella Lovell), "thinks Santa Monica is part of L.A."
Mikaela thinks about quitting until she finds that working in Bremer's office will give her health benefits, so she can finally dump her boyfriend.
The rest of the office staff includes strategist Tommy (Mike Cabellon), whose sensible advice flies right past Bremer, and Jayden (Bobby Moynihan), the perpetually hungry press secretary who is almost as tone-deaf as the mayor himself.
Jayden tends to steal scenes, like at Bremer's first press conference where he stands to the side stuffing down food so fast he has to give himself the Heimlich maneuver and then wipe his mouth on the state flag before he resumes eating.
The outsider in this cozy family is Councilwoman Arpi (Holly Hunter), an all-in progressive who aggressively promotes causes like free coyote birth control.
Arpi takes Bremer's offer to become deputy mayor, figuring he will implode any minute and she can step into his office.
Created and written by the 30 Rock team of Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, Mr. Mayor rewards fast talking except for brief pauses to get sentimental. Almost every line is a joke or a setup for a joke, with the references pinballing among politics, pop culture, imagined injustices, absurd crises, and wacky relationships.
You could almost make a game show out of it. Okay, kids, how many of those last 20 references did you get?
In the end, Mr. Mayor feels more like escapism than parody. It does all go down smoothly, thanks to Danson's world-class deadpan and the admirable support of his colleagues.


text:
using System;
using Aspose.Cells;
namespace Aspose.Cells.Examples.CSharp.Articles.ManagingVBAModules
{
    class CheckVbaProjectSigned
    {
        public static void Run()
        {
            //Source directory
            string sourceDir = RunExamples.Get_SourceDirectory();

            Workbook workbook = new Workbook(sourceDir + "sampleCheckVbaProjectSigned.xlsm");
            Console.WriteLine("VBA Project is Signed: " + workbook.VbaProject.IsSigned);

            Console.WriteLine("CheckVbaProjectSigned executed successfully.");
        }
    }
}


Fancy beautiful umbreall style is what this bella girl is all about! Help her get ready for the wonderful stroll and admire her beautiful face as you customize her looks and prepare her for a rainy day. She is all about style and fashion, so make sure you mix and match the right clothes with the perfect accesories!


It would appear as though the folks over at Legendary Pictures believes that the name "Christopher Nolan" is potentially more valuable than the combined forces of the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel. The Wrap has learned that the studio has decided to sacrifice their contractual connection to Zack Snyder's upcoming Batman vs. Superman movie in order to get a hefty share of Nolan's Interstellar, which is already being co-produced by Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros.
This news comes on the heels of the split between Legendary and Warner Bros., the studios ending their eight year relationship back in late June. A couple weeks later it was reported that the smaller production company had signed a new contract with Universal Pictures that will see the two companies working together on upcoming blockbusters. That said, Legendary and WB will still be associated through 2014, as, in addition to Interstellar, they are also part of Sergei Bodrov's Seventh Son, Noam Murro's 300: Rise of an Empire, Gareth Edwards' Godzilla, and Michael Mann's Cyber. This is just speculation, but perhaps they didn't want to stretch out their relationship all the way to 2015 when Batman vs. Superman is going to be released.
Legendary Pictures and Nolan have actually been working together for years now, having first started collaborating on Batman Begins (which also happened to be Legendary's first movie). Since then they have reunited for The Dark Knight, Inception and The Dark Knight Rises - which is to say every movie that Nolan has made since with the exception of The Prestige. It would seem that the studio isn't worried about losing their connection to WB, but they don't seem to be eager to cut ties with one of the most popular filmmakers in Hollywood just yet.
Interstellar just began production earlier this week and has an absolutely ridiculous all star cast that includes names like Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow, Casey Affleck, Wes Bentley, Topher Grace, David Oyelowo, Ellen Burstyn, Michael Caine and more. Based on the work of CalTech physicist Kip Thorne (who is also working as a consultant on the film as well as an executive producer), the movie is about a group of explorers who discover a wormhole that could completely change the future of human space flight and interstellar travel. Jonathan Nolan, Christopher' brother, wrote the original draft of the screenplay, and when Christopher Nolan came on-board to direct he merged his brother's script with an existing idea that he had. Like both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, the director will be filming certain sequences of the movie with IMAX cameras, ensuring the biggest blockbuster experience possible. Warner Bros. and Paramount will release the movie in theaters nationwide on November 7, 2014, and hopefully we'll be lucky enough to get our first sneak peek at the movie before the end of the year.


CEMENT INDUSTRY: Cement Industry ... » Report Lime Stone Crusher Operation Summary ... » Plant Performance Report.
stone crusher plant performance report. Construction Report on Experimental Use of Natural . ... Manufacturer stone crusher plant project report in south africa stone.


Timeless Treasures | November Giveaway with Electric Quilt!
You are here: Home / Giveaways / November Giveaway with Electric Quilt!
The Electric Quilt Company is celebrating its 25-year anniversary! EQ has been celebrating all year long with promotions and giveaways, and this month we're bringing you a joint giveaway that includes the EQ7 design software and a fat quarter bundle of Dominicana by Vanessa Vargas Wilson of Crafty Gemini.
Electric Quilt is a quilt design software that lets you design your own quilts, embroidery, and block patterns. It allows users to work with block patterns, experiment with layouts, work with fabrics from leading manufacturers (like us!) or their own stash, print yardage requirements and more.
You have the chance to win an EQ7 and a fat quarter bundle of Dominicana by Vanessa Vargas Wilson—a prize bundle worth over $250.00 in value! That's one lucky winner—and it could be you! Read on to enter the giveaway.
Vanessa used Electric Quilt to create these three designs. You might recognize these as she has posted the sewing process on social media!
Ventanas is a free Broome Street pattern in the works and it will be available soon! Get the estimated fabric requirements here.
Blox is a free quilt video along series starting January 13, 2017. Link here.
One block, three layouts! Garden Confetti is a free quilt video along series starting March 3, 2017. Link here.
Enter below to win over $250.00 in prizes! Giveaway starts November 10 9am EST and closes on November 25 9am EST. Winner will be announced the following week.
And there's more! EQ is also giving one lucky winner a fat quarter bundle of Dominicana by Vanessa Vargas Wilson. That's two chances to win a bundle of Vanessa's new—and first ever—collection with Timeless Treasures! Enter to win on the EQ blog.
Electric Quilt Block Challenge Featuring Tonga Cabana!
I'm too late for the drawing because I just received the email for some reason. Anyways I think I would make a toaster, can opener, blender covers & other kitchen items for an entire kitchen ensemble. Beautiful fabric. Good luck to the winner! Happy quilting!
I would make a Garden Walk Quilt!
Thanks for the chance to win!! I think I would probably make some type of a log cabin.
since I'm new to quilting I would ask your advice.
I would love to play around with it and see what I come up with.
Love star quilts of any kind.
I would definitely make quilts more frequently with this software.
congratulations on a fun fabric line!
I am new to quilting but want to learn to make Tumbling Blocks. I saw it done in batiks with each block having three shades of the same color, with the blocks getting darker farther down the quilt and it was stunning!
I would love this Dominicana fabric.
I love the fabric and new patterns! I would really love to win the software and fabric bundle (so pick me)! ~smile~ Thank you for the opportunity!
I want to make a log cabin style quilt for a friend and I'd love to be able to see it laid out before I start cutting the fabric. I have a pattern, but I'm using different colors and only have a mental picture of what it will look like.
I love Vanessa's new fabric line! I have been following her from the very beginning and I am so proud of her! I also love her homesteading amd homeschooling. I would love to win the bundle and the EQ7. I have always wanted to try it! Thank you for making Vanessa's dream of designing fabric a reality!
What a great way to design quilts, and even just a layout to print and colour. To distress if the holidays are to busy.
A Super Simple Squares quilt by Missouri Star. Fast and easy for the holidays coming up.
I adore appliqué & would definitely design more, especially from areas we've lived in Europe.
Loving Vanessa"s fabric line…great colors!!
I would start out with a lap quilt. I am learning.
I would use the design software to make some kind of quilt with stars in it!
Oh the things I could do with EQ7 and Vanessa's fabric!
Thanks for an awesome giveaway! If I win, I would use EQ7 to help me design different memory & tshirt quilts, to start. I can't wait to see all that EQ7 can do!!
Looking forward to starting the quilt along in March!
I have heard a lot about this product. I really want to use it.
I would love to have an EQ to design a collection of hst quilts I have wanted to make for my nieces and nephews. I would like the assistance of EQ to keep them all similar but unique using a selection materials from my grandmother.
I would love to make a quilt for my grandaughter – easy pinwheel as I am a beginner. Love the fabrics and these new designs are very modern and on trend.
I like to do smaller quilts from crib to super twin. Usually, I just let the fabric "speak" to me about how it will be pieced…sometimes with great results, sometimes not so much! I have used design software for clothing, but never for quilting, and I would like to experiment with this software, especially if I wanted to recreate something that worked well.
I would male a quilt with lots of pinwheels in rows! Thanks!
Does it also estimate backing?
If I could win this contest I would make a quilt with the hankies from my Mom into a quilt using this program.
Love V's new fabric line! Bet I could play for hours & hours & hours with EQ7 ~ thx for this awesome giveaway opportunity!
I think I would make something fun and a little wild for me to put on my bed. My room needs to be brighten up and I do not like heavy blankets but a light weight quilt would do the trick.
I would make a double wedding ring quilt with EQ7. Thank you!


text:
Urban News on Facebook
The Urban News
Gateway to the Multicultural Community
Black Asheville
Writer's Project
Urban Renewal – Eminent Domain Progress in the Making: A Closer Look
By Staff Reports / February 13, 2009
W.C. Reid Center in Asheville may have a new home
in the foreseeable future. Photo: Urban News.
By Sarah Williams
What is urban renewal? Typically, it involves the obliteration of businesses, the repositioning of people, and the use of eminent domain as an officially authorized instrument to repossess private property for city-initiated development projects. In the 1960s, James Baldwin famously renamed urban renewal "Negro Removal."
If we look at what took place in Asheville during the 1960s and 1970s, we might be inclined to agree with Baldwin. The landscape of Asheville has changed tremendously over these 40 years. Many African Americans were displaced, and some still are; African American neighborhoods were destroyed for the sake of building new businesses and better roads; public housing, designed for transitional living, was bombarded with people looking for a place to live, becoming permanent, multi-generational living for many families.
That history of displacement demands that we scrutinize today's
"urban renewal" plans for our city. Though a few reminders of the past
remain, most of Asheville's African American history has been virtually
obliterated; with so little evidence remaining, it can be easy to
question whether black people played any positive roles in the
evolution of this city.
Will the few remaining places such as the YMI Cultural Center,
Stephens-Lee Center, W. C. Reid Center, and the Senior Opportunity
Center still be a part of the topography of Asheville ten years from
now, or will they go the way of the ghosts of the East End? Will
existing neighborhoods still be an integral part of Asheville?
According to the article "Eminent Domain" found in the online
legal dictionary (http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com),
"government has the right to take private property through the power of
eminent domain. To exercise the power of eminent domain, the government
must prove that the four elements set forth in the Fifth Amendment are
present: (1) private property (2) must be taken (3) for public use (4)
and with just compensation." This is legal, but is it humane? Will
private owners be able to maintain their quality of living by receiving
just compensation?
"Taking, the second element, refers to the taking of physical
property, or a portion thereof, as well as the taking of property by
reducing its value. Property value may be reduced because of noise,
accessibility problems, or other agents. Dirt, timber, or rock
appropriated from an individual's land for the construction of a
highway, for example, is taken property for which the owner is entitled
to compensation. In general, compensation must be paid when a
restriction on the use of property is so extensive that it is
tantamount to confiscation of the property."
Sherman Williams, a member of the board of Reid Center, spoke
about previous urban renewal projects in Asheville. "The effects on
African American families were close to devastating. Because families
were scattered, some relationships were destroyed. Some had to move to
affordable areas which sometimes meant moving to the outskirts of the
city.
"The spirit of entrepreneurship was killed," he explains. "There
were many African American-owned businesses on The Block and Southside.
They are just a memory now. Redlining took place, meaning people were
not able to get financial assistance; therefore, people were not able
to grow businesses."
Asked about the taking of property in West Asheville for
construction of the I-26 connector, Asheville City Councilman Dr. Carl
Mumpower stated, "I am not aware of any current I-26 connector
alternatives that will not impact on West Asheville, including Burton
Street and other areas."
He also responded to the concern that, just as African Americans
lost many historical landmarks during earlier urban renewal projects,
more will disappear in this round. Such African American landmarks as
Stephens-Lee High School, businesses on The Block and Southside, and
homes in the Valley Street area have been removed from the geography of
this city, leading to the fear that anything that African Americans
have identified with will eventually become just a memory. For example:
What will happen to the Reid Center, formerly the Livingston Street
School?
Assuming the YMI Cultural Center remains, what will happen to its effectiveness if a new arts center is built?
Dr. Mumpower stated, "I am not aware of a plan to destroy the
Reid Center. Unfortunately a plan supported by the City Council
majority to build an expensive new facility down the street will
distract from our potential to renovate the Reid Center."
Dr. Mumpower identified other cultural factors that he believes
have had far more destructive impact on the black community than urban
renewal.
"It would be my suggestion that a single mother rate of 70% has
done more to harm the black culture in Asheville than any other factor.
A second harm has been the herding of traditional black neighborhoods
into public housing, which has in turn become havens for drug activity
and related crimes, and recruiting stations for black youth whose
futures are corrupted by these influences. I believe the willingness of
the black community to condone and enable drug dealing in public
housing and other vulnerable neighborhoods is a form of child abuse.
The rest of us, who buy drugs, ignore our drug problem as long as it
stays hidden in public housing, and do not support our police in strong
enforcement, are equally accountable."
"Preservation of black heritage in Asheville is in the hands of
the black community," he says. "I am not aware of any resistance to
such and would note that we have a black Mayor who fills the city's
primary leadership role.
"Going forward, I am concerned that the continued deterioration of our
economy will reach a crisis state that affects everyone in our city –
regardless of color. We will have the choice of continuing themes of
blame, victimization, and entitlement or working together toward
survival and recovery."
Roderick Simmons, Director of the Asheville Parks, Recreation
and Cultural Arts Department, shared the department's position on the
status of the Livingston Street School as a community center. In a
written statement he asserted, "Last month City Council approved the
department's request to move forward with the W.C. Reid Community
Center $2-million-dollar plan for new construction that will meet
current grant obligations and build the new center on the Livingston
Street Park site. There are no plans at this time to tear down the
current center.
"Once the new center opens we will have a series of community meetings
to discuss the future of the Livingston Street School and have open
dialogue letting the community decide what is the best use of the old
school.
"We decided to recommend the two million dollars for new
construction because we would get more mileage out of our limited
funds, and we would not displace our current center programming. My
concern is, if we displace the current programming for a year while
renovating the eighty-year-old school, it would be hard to get the
community program back to its current level. This is a heavily used
community center, and we did not want to take the chance on losing
community support. Also, there is a level of community concern that
this project will not come to fruition. In order to build community
trust, we believe that building on a new site would allow the community
to see the new building going up, which builds trust and gives us time
to discuss the future of the old school with the community.
"The first phase of Reid Center construction will have dedicated space
for a theater, four multipurpose classroom spaces, and an office which
will accommodate the cultural arts programming component. A gymnasium
and a water feature could eventually be added in a future phase which
may accommodate additional programs such as sports, senior programs,
after school, visual arts classes, dance classes, aerobics, yoga, board
meetings, special events and other seasonal programs.
"Since the existing center will not be closed during
construction of a new facility, core services such as the after-school
program will continue."
African Americans are going to have to join together to make
decisions about where we go from here. If we are to become a positive
and progressive presence here in Asheville, we will have to work for it
and support each other.
Candlelight Service Honors Community Leaders
By Staff Reports / January 19, 2021
40th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration
NC District-11 Democrats Call for Representative Cawthorn's Removal
Asheville Minority Reparations Petition
MLK Association Condemns Violent Attack on Our Democracy
Field Notes: ReStorying a Community
Pioneers of Asheville
Events/Government
Honoring the Lives Lost to COVID-19
Black Asheville/Communities/Events/Our Town
Black Asheville/Education/Events/Our Town
UNCA to Host MLK, Jr. Event
Events/Lifestyles
Mardi Gras for All Y'all
Communities/Events
Annual MLK Day of Service
Coronavirus Response/Latest News/Local News
COVID-19 Outbreaks & Clusters in North Carolina
By Staff Reports / December 8, 2020
Communities/Lifestyles
Vaccine Scheduling for Healthcare Workers and Adults 65 and Older
Lifestyles/Understanding Racism
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
Coronavirus Response/Local News
Coronavirus Cases in January 2021
Arts & Entertainment/National News/Understanding Racism
American Reckoning
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Consider an exciting opportunity to help your Association and serve as a member of the ACPA Board of Directors. Nominations are now open.
Nominations from the membership must be received at the ACPA office by March 20, 2019, with the written consent of the nominee. The nominee must be a member in good standing, and the nomination must be signed by at least three (3) members in good standing. If the three sponsoring members cannot all sign a single copy, they can each fax, mail or email a copy of the nomination form with their signature and the name of the nominee to the ACPA office.
New Directors will be elected and installed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 4, 2019.
Participate in Board of Directors meetings – about 10 per year including a full day meeting in Red Deer in the fall. Meetings are typically teleconference meetings weekday evenings, with two in-person meetings per year.
Promote the principles of the ACPA to the public.
Encourage qualified individuals to join the ACPA.
ACPA officers will be selected from the Board of Directors by its members as per the Bylaws.
If you have questions about serving on the Board or getting more involved with the ACPA in other ways, please feel free to contact the ACPA Executive Director, Kathy Janzen, at executivedirector@pchem.ca for more information.


text:
package com.wibidata.maven.plugins.hbase;

import java.io.IOException;

import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
import org.apache.maven.plugin.logging.Log;

/**
 * A singleton instance of a mini HBase cluster.
 */
public enum MiniHBaseClusterSingleton {
  /** The singleton instance. */
  INSTANCE;

  /** The thread that runs the mini HBase cluster. */
  private MiniHBaseClusterThread mThread;
  /** The HBase cluster being run. */
  private MiniHBaseCluster mCluster;

  /**
   * Starts the HBase cluster and blocks until it is ready.
   *
   * @param log The maven log.
   * @param alsoStartMapReduce Whether to also start a mini MapReduce cluster.
   * @param conf Hadoop configuration for the cluster.
   * @throws IOException If there is an error.
   */
  public void startAndWaitUntilReady(Log log, boolean alsoStartMapReduce, Configuration conf)
      throws IOException {
    mCluster = new MiniHBaseCluster(log, alsoStartMapReduce, conf);
    mThread = new MiniHBaseClusterThread(log, mCluster);

    log.info("Starting new thread...");
    mThread.start();

    // Wait for the cluster to be ready.
    log.info("Waiting for cluster to be ready...");
    while (!mThread.isClusterReady()) {
      try {
        Thread.sleep(1000);
      } catch (InterruptedException e) {
        log.info("Still waiting...");
      }
    }
    log.info("Finished waiting for HBase cluster thread.");
  }

  /**
   * Provides access to the cluster configuration after it has started.
   *
   * @return The configuration.
   */
  public Configuration getClusterConfiguration() {
    if (null == mCluster) {
      throw new IllegalStateException("The cluster has not started yet.");
    }
    return mCluster.getConfiguration();
  }

  /**
   * Stops the HBase cluster and blocks until is has been shutdown completely.
   *
   * @param log The maven log.
   */
  public void stop(Log log) {
    if (null == mCluster) {
      log.error("Attempted to stop a cluster, but no cluster was ever started in this process.");
      return;
    }

    log.info("Stopping the HBase cluster thread...");
    mThread.stopClusterGracefully();
    while (mThread.isAlive()) {
      try {
        mThread.join();
      } catch (InterruptedException e) {
        log.debug("HBase cluster thread interrupted.");
      }
    }
    log.info("HBase cluster thread stopped.");
  }
}


text:
Productization of a comic for a publishing offer
Laasonen, Juuso (2013)
Laasonen_Juuso.pdf (556.9Kt)
Laasonen, Juuso
When The author on this project started the work on this thesis, he had a lot of trouble over the topic. What should he write about? What business is of great interest and spurs motivation?
Out of this thought, author got the idea of combining my great interest for comics and their production and publication with business. Essentially, he wanted to see if it is possible to find a publisher for a product that is of own making- a comic, Requiem.
One of the aims of this thesis was to find out whether or not there is demand and opportunities in the Finnish market for a commercial success with a science fiction title that has a story for a more mature audience. For now, comics with similar themes have invariable been much on the fringe of the industry, at least in Finland, but have a longer history in the international market and most recently have had more and more success in Europe and the US.