In the late 1970s (very late), when I arrived earthside, if someone told my mom where I would be today she would have probably laughed. It was August, winter in my hometown, where normal temperatures linger around the mid 40's. A city of 20million, known as "the concrete jungle" welcomed me into the world and I went on to have a typical childhood of a South American kid. In my country, that included gated community high-rise living, trained dog for self-protection, and very little exposure to nature – the opposite of what many people think when they hear I am from Brazil. The truth is that I had amazing vacation experiences growing up when my family would pack everything in the car and drive across the country to get away from the hustle of the big city, but my actual day-to-day childhood was limited because safety was always a concern.
Fast forward 17 years and I landed in North America when my dad brought the family to Chicago while he was working on a PhD. I spoke no English. I knew no one. But I noticed most homes didn't have a fence, much less an electric one with a locked gate and a guard dog behind it. Life was about to radically change. Eventually, we moved even further north a few years later, and made Canada our new permanent home. I worked at a bank for close to 8 years before figuring out I needed a new career and when I finally made the move, it brought me back to the Midwest. I graduated from NIU in DeKalb in 2010 with a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics and was accepted at the supervised practice dietetic internship program at OSF. It would be a year of no income, living in Peoria, a city I knew nothing about, before I could sit in for my RD exam and become a Registered Dietitian. I made the move to Peoria telling myself – "One year. That's it. Then I am out of here" But one should never say never, except to say "you just never know".
Midway through the program I met my now husband, who was also a transplant living in Peoria (he is an engineer at CAT). We dated for 7 months, got engaged, and were married 8 months later. We bought our "starter" home that year in 2012 - a modest 1960's ranch in the heart of town. I was by then working in the clinical field and two years later in 2014 we welcomed our first boy, Landon, now 4 years old. We knew we wanted back to back pregnancies with children close in age and so it was that 15 months later, in 2015, we welcomed our second boy, Luke who is now 2.5 years old. I know I am biased, but our little family feels perfect.
Along our road to where we are today, some things became the foundation of our life. Mike and I started believing that we were so blessed, that we actually already had all we ever needed. Our starter home became our forever home, and we got to work on making sure we didn't live a life focused on things, but that we kept the focus on the experiences. In 2014 we went through the Dave Ramsey program and paid off both cars, then saved for and paid cash for upgrading one of our cars when the family grew, then paid off student loans and got down to just owing the mortgage on our starter home. During that time, our family doubled in size, Mike got an MBA at Bradley and I stopped working full time. We are truly blessed. I work about 10 hours a week outside the home, as a neonatal dietitian at a special care nursery with preemie babies, which is my dream "out of the house" job. The rest of my time is spent on my primary dream job – my family. We chose to homeschool the boys and in these early preschool years especially, nature time is essential for them to develop relationships with all natural things around them. We are often hiking and exploring the many green areas, nature preserves, and state park around Peoria, and the boys are thriving on a "school diet" of outdoor life and good reads. We have a growing home library of delightful rich literature which is becoming their favorite hangout place in the house. Outside, they love to identify birds, dig holes on the ground, play in the creeks, cook mud meals, and collect nature finds. They have super interesting discussions about leaf shapes and colors, and love to see how many acorns they can fit in their pockets. My youngest prays for snow every night. If you are not sure if God listens to prayers, this spring is clear evidence that He does.
We enjoy travelling and have done so both as a family and as mom/dad only trips. These trips have taken us to South America, Europe, Asia, and around the US and Canada. Last year our US family road trip took us east to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, then enjoying historical towns on the way back and camping at Shenandoah National Park where the views from our hikes were just as amazing as the bear we saw. This summer our family road trip is taking us west, where we will visit the National Parks in Colorado, then enjoy a family reunion in Nebraska on the way back and a few days in one of the thousand lakes of Minnesota. We will also be spending a few days at a family camp here in Illinois with other nature loving homeschooling families and we are very excited for that.
I continue to believe that living a simple life leads to living a big life. I continue to believe that experiences shape who we are and that those experiences, second to our faith, are the most important things we can impress on our children. I continue to love my husband even more every day, especially for his desire to raise two Godly men of character out of our children.
Where this world of adventure and experiences will take us next, you just never know. But wherever it is, I will make sure I take note of the new flowers and birds I see along the way.
My husband and sister planned this amazing adventure from the Midwest to Anchorage on to the Kachemak Bay in Alaska. We were on our way to O'Hare airport with two large suite cases stuffed in the back of our 4Runner. One was full of fishing and camping gear, and the other was packed with clothes. I was a little on edge as Declan had been scream crying for two hours in the car, which was not his usual behavior. Thirty minutes away from the airport we discovered blaring Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti was the only thing that stopped this insanity.
Once in Anchorage we met up with my sister, her husband and our eight-year-old niece. Our plan was to pitch our tents down the Kenai Peninsula until we reached Homer. During the summers in Alaska it is easy to stay up late because the sun does not seem to set. This made it easy to stay up until midnight dancing to bluegrass music in Hope. Kyle was in heaven seeing all of the salmon runs occurring and fly fished for sockeye, coho and pink salmon. I was happy to breath in the mountain air, eat fresh berries and salmon, and not to see any bears.
Angelic women live in Homer. I mean it. As soon as we sat down at the Mermaid Café, before saying a word, a woman brought our son warm food. It was such a kind and thoughtful gesture. From Homer we chartered a boat to take us across the Cook Inlet to a bay where a yurt would be our home for a few days. This ride was breathtaking. We saw hundreds of salmon, jellyfish, eagles, an otter, a sea lion and a whale. And just like in the commercial, my phone storage ran out while video taping the whale. Usually in the bay you will see hundreds of starfish on the beach as the tide changes. A parasite had been moving up the west coast that summer and we saw none. It was a reminder of the natural balance of life.
We made it back home in one piece with a deeper appreciation of the Earth and all of her cycles. Although our son Declan was only 16 months old, we hope it influenced him to appreciate nature and spark a curiosity of adventure.
The majority of the trip went smoothly, which I attribute to thinking ahead and conscious packing. That is why Bethany, the queen of adventure gear at Bushbaby, asked me what some of my essentials are when packing for a trip like this one. For the kiddos a micro puff jacket is key for the cold plane ride and when the weather dips at night. The technology makes these jackets warm yet easy to stuff into a corner of a bag or used as a pillow. Our little one also packed boots, socks, a stocking hat, gloves and a rain jacket from Bushbaby. Two to three pairs of Smartwool socks are very important. They can go longer without washing and are very warm. A lightweight rain jacket with a hood will keep your kid dry and is an easy layer to pack while keeping your load light.
In order to navigate our toddler, a diaper bag and luggage through the O'Hare parking lot, we bought a second hand Kelty kids carrier from Bushbaby. Once we checked it as luggage (kids gear checks free) we had our packable Ergo as transportation for Declan. Both carriers were used throughout the trip on hikes.
In order to support our immune systems and keep calm while traveling we made sure to pack a few of our favorite Young Living essential oils as well as some portable chiropractic equipment (all four adults on the trip are doctors of chiropractic). The oils I packed included Australian Blue, Thieves and lavender. Of course we packed lots of healthy, organic snacks such as nuts, apples, dehydrated fruits and veggies. Being as we were dropped off in the middle of nowhere without cell reception, the adults brought a first aid kit including sewing necessities, fire starter equipment, pocket knives, fishing gear, sleeping bags, rope, garbage bags, polarized sunglasses, cameras and a bear gun.
If getting out in Mother Nature and sleeping under the stars sound fun to you, but you have never done it before, my advice is to start local. We have a lot of great places to camp in the Peoria area. The more you camp the more you learn what a necessity to pack versus a pleasure is. For our family camping is a great way to reconnect to each other.
Hello! I'm Cara Davis, SAHM and avid Bushbaby fan!
I was born and raised in a small rural town in Pennsylvania called Huntingdon. It's in the backyard of PSU's Happy Valley and the home of Lake Raystown, the largest man-made lake in Pennsylvania. I've spent loads of time in the wild as a child roaming through creeks and fields and mud. My mother was a big advocate for children being outdoors as the phrase heard almost daily was "Will you kids just go outside!"
Fast forward a few years, quite a few, and I've found myself in Peoria, IL, married to an Indiana boy. We've done our best to raise a well-rounded, well-mannered English Bulldog, Gilda, but failed miserably on the well-mannered part. In an attempt to do better with our other babies, I've placed my nursing career on hold indefinitely to stay at home. We now have a seven year old, Jack and a five year old, Ava. In a recent interview of a local mother, her occupation was listed as "professional volunteer". Ha! I'm going to add that to my resume, too!
After some trial and error through the toddler years, I have learned that my mom was right! Just go outside! The most miserable days full of tears, arguments and frustration can be turned around in a matter of minutes with a little trip into the outdoors. There is something calming and centering about being in the midst of God's creation. It seems to reset our moods and put smiles back on our faces.
With Spring in the air (supposedly) and Summer on the horizon we look forward to more adventures. Our Summers are kicked off at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway watching fast cars and cheering for the pink one. My husband loves sharing this part of his childhood with us and hopes that the kids will love watching the Indy 500 as much as he does. The track is such an exciting place! From here, we will make our annual trip back to Pennsylvania where the pace is much slower and the outdoors feel much closer. Mom, now nana, and pappy have kept the same philosophy from my childhood and many activities involve just being outside. Tending gardens, having cookouts and exploring pappy's "back 40" make for a great start to our Summer. We are also looking ahead to future plans of traveling through national parks with an RV! This has been on our bucket list for a long time and we cannot wait to explore even more of our country! But, for now, I will keep my fingers crossed that Spring will actually happen this year and count down the last few days of school until Summer Break!
We enjoy looking for new places to explore but we also have some favorites. The kids love the "princess steps" at Forest Park. I have no idea why they call them that but all of those railroad ties must lead to a castle, right? Hiking the trails at Jubilee, splashing through the creek behind our house or just digging in the dirt are a welcomed change of pace. We've found that one place we can explore over and over is Wildlife Prairie Park. Adventures there are endless. We can go and wander through the trails or eat a packed lunch by the bison or spend the whole time just going down the Gollywhopper. The key to a successful trip outdoors is to have the right shoes, layers and to be prepared for getting dirty! Bushbaby has been amazing at helping us find the right tools to enjoy the great outdoors. Everyone's sense of adventure and toothy grin will quickly emerge, once you've headed outside!
Hubby, Children? I've been with Ben for 12 years and married for 10 in September. We have 2 girls. Scarlett is 7 and my complete mini me and Annika is 5 and laid back like Ben.
Passions, career? I love to read, I always have a book or 2 going. It calms me. I also think family & friends are incredibly important. We are with either/all a lot. For work, I'm a satellite manager at Prep.Freeze.Cook by day and my passionate love to do "job" is Nurtured Baby Boutique. I love helping mamas get into cloth diapers or get that perfect fit with a carrier.
Best part of being their mom? The girls make me smile every single day. I can be having the worst day and they come home from school and just make it better. They're both happy kids and SO busy. I can't help but be happy with them.
Spring + Summer plans for the family?
CAMPING!! We are all so ready to get our tent out!
Helpful activities to keep your girlies active, to pass along to other families? We do a lot of reading and coloring. Even out camping they have books and crayons. Scarlett is really into spelling right now. We use erasable boards/markers for her to practice even in the car if she wants to!
I was born in Dayton, OH and went to school in the surrounding suburbs. I stayed in that area through college, and then moved to Cincinnati, OH in my early 20s to be closer to work.
I could never see myself going to a 4 year school, so I went to community college. I got an associate's degree in business management – network management from Sinclair Community College. While there, I worked a full time internship as a network administrator and fell in love with email systems. Yep, I'm super cool. I took a consulting position for a company in Cincinnati, OH. When I moved to Illinois, I worked from home, and then we bought a house out in the country. I quit my job. We had big dreams of living a more homestead lifestyle and seeking out new adventures on the weekends. Our expectations of what one person can accomplish proved to be a little unrealistic, but I'm still here… hustling to do what I can the hard way and trying to teach a couple littles how to be decent humans.
I love all things food. I am an aesthetic enthusiast. I am passionate about giving new life to things others have discarded. I love to create things. When you put all those things together, I become a pretty rockin party planner.
Say what? That palindrome was the beginning of what my life looks like these days. In my mid 20s I joined a dating site even though I had no interest in a relationship. Some random guy that lived in Peoria, IL sent me a quirky email that started a 2 month long conversation. I decided it was obviously a good idea to invite him to stay with me for a long weekend and at the end of that weekend, Jamie and I had already settled into an old married couple dynamic. After doing the long distance thing for a while, I moved to Peoria, we bought a house on a little piece of land outside of Mackinaw, and here we plan to stay.
We have two little adventurers in our family. Finch is 3… soon to be 4 and Wren is 2.5. They love nothing more than when they get to help set up our tent or have the opportunity to get real dirty in a creek.
So much of my time as a parent is spent trying to channel the patient person I thought I was before small humans entered my life. I had this idealistic expectation of what an awesome mom I was going to be, and I am… but it isn't all rainbows and sunshine over here. I am used to excelling at the things I undertake… being able to step back at the end of a project and feel proud of the work I have done. For me, parenting is nothing like that. Sure there are days where I feel like I am crushing this mom thing, but more often than not I am just trying to keep my head above water. By becoming their mom, my kids have forced me to realize that I have to let some things go, lower my own expectations of what I "should" be able to do, and how important it is to take the time to just get lost in all the wonder that is around us. Without them, I don't think I would have pushed myself to slow down… but now that I have I am forever thankful.
Helpful Activities to keep your little ones active, to pass along to other local families?
This year we have been on a mission to explore a lot of different parks in the area. I have been focusing on one area at a time and then trying to make time to visit all the different places listed on the community's parks and recreation page. Not growing up in the area, I have no idea what the "good" places to go are, so it has been nice to spend time finding what works best for our family. There are so many places around and many of them are underutilized. I prefer parks a little off the beaten path that don't get a lot of foot traffic. That way, I can be more of an observer while the kids explore more independently.
As the weather gets colder, we will likely rely on some trusty favorites to run the crazies out. Last year, we really enjoyed the toddler time at the Morton Indoor Soccer Complex and our membership at the Peoria Playhouse.
Favorite fall adventures for your family?
The highlight of our fall is a big campout we host at our property. Since both my husband and I are imports to the area, it started as a way to see folks we otherwise don't get the opportunity to visit every year and as we make new friends locally, the guest list grows. When we first started doing it, nobody had kids, but these days the majority of people who make it have littles. For a lot of them, it is the first place that they experience camping out as a family. Planning a camping trip with babies and toddlers can be an overwhelming step to take, but here there is a backup plan if it is just not working. For many of the kids, this will be their 4th year coming to the campout, and as they get older it is so fun to watch them truly excited to spend the entire weekend outside… becoming experts at "roughing it" in the great outdoors.


Hi, any ideas on this? The TM UI doesn't even load at all now on my dashboard while using firefox (with greasemonkey). I've tried uninstalling and re-installing it a few times with no success. It had been fine before the change to the worker site. The UI loads in Chrome, as do the few previous watchers I had. But nothing in Firefox. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
There were some changes in Greasemonkey that broke Turkmaster and other scripts. I ran into a weird bug in Greasemonkey when attempting to update TM to support the new GM but maybe that's fixed now.


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HomeNewsNewly wed man, four others die as 18-seater bus plunges into river in Ondo
Newly wed man, four others die as 18-seater bus plunges into river in Ondo
By amebonationblog01@gmail.com April 19, 2021 0
At least five persons including a newly wedded man, were confirmed dead after an 18-seater bus plunged into a river in Aponmu village, Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo state.
The 18-seater bus with registration number Lagos AAA 859 XC which took off from Lagos, plunged into the Owena river on Sunday afternoon, April 18, killing at least five passengers including the driver.
According to an eyewitness, the driver lost control of the vehicle due to high speed while it was raining, and plunged the bus into the river which is about 25 feet from the surface.
The witnesses said the rain prevented help from getting to the trapped passengers for over an hour.
The new groom identified as Adewale, was said to be returning to Akure with his wife after the wedding at the Ikoyi Registry when the incident occured on Sunday afternoon.
Eyewitnesses said they were to conduct the traditional wedding next weekend. The bride was said to have been seriously injured in the accident.
The death of the five passengers was attributed to the impact the bus had when it hit the rock at the bottom of the river. Other rescued injured victims, including a five-year-old, have been rushed to the hospital.
Spokesman for the Ondo FRSC, Mr. Abiola Fadumo, confirmed the incident but said rescue operation was still on.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


They were spotted hand-in-hand on the island of Hawaii.
Ben Affleck has been at the center of some serious internet mocking due to a photo of him that showed off his massively colorful back tattoo. He decided to take his mind off of the trolls by spending some time with his girlfriend Lindsay Shookus, with whom walked hand in hand on a tropical island. Click through for all the details.
Watch to find out all the details!
He was spotted on a beach in Honolulu last weekend, where the Good Will Hunting actor sported a massive back tattoo filled with colorful ink that covered most of his back. He once claimed the tattoo was fake and its only purpose was for a movie he was making.
His longtime friend Matt Damon stood up for Ben regarding his back tattoo, telling late-night host Trevor Noah, "It's not one man's job to tell another man what he can do to his back." Way to go, Matt!
All that shade didn't stop him from enjoying his time in Hawaii with Lindsay, as the two were spotted hand-in-hand leaving a popular restaurant that was clearly so good that Ben left with a big doggy bag.
Looks like they are both taking this situation in stride, as the two of them were spotted getting a good giggle in while staring at their phones. Perhaps they were simply laughing about the entire situation?
What do you think of Ben's tattoo mockery? Does he deserve any of it? Sound off in the comments!


The Epistle of Paul to the Philippians is one of the Prison Epistles. Paul wrote four epistles when he was in prison, and we have labeled them Prison Epistles. They are Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and the little Epistle to Philemon.
The Epistle of Paul to the Philippians was written to the believers in Europe in the city of Philippi. This letter came out of a wonderful relationship that Paul had with the Philippian church. It seems that this church was closer to Paul than was any other church. Their love for him and his love for them are mirrored in this epistle. This epistle deals with Christian experience at the level on which all believers should be living. It is not a level on which all of us are, but it is where God wants us to be.
Paul visited Philippi on his second missionary journey. You will recall that he and Barnabas went on their first missionary journey to the Galatian country, where they had a wonderful ministry and founded many churches in spite of the persecution they encountered. Paul wanted to visit these churches on his second missionary journey. He wanted to take Barnabas with him again, but Barnabas insisted on taking his nephew, John Mark, who had been with them at the beginning of the first missionary journey. This young fellow, John Mark, you may remember, turned chicken and ran home to mama when they had landed on the coast of Asia Minor. Therefore, Paul did not want to take him the second time. So this split the team of Paul and Barnabas. Barnabas took John Mark and went in another direction. Paul, with Silas for a companion, retraced his steps into the Galatian country, visiting the churches which they had established on the first missionary journey.
It would seem that Paul intended to widen his circle of missionary activity in that area, because a great population was there, and it was highly civilized. Actually, Greek culture and Greek learning were centered there at this particular time. Dr. Luke in recording it says that Paul attempted to go south into Asia, meaning the province of Asia, of which Ephesus was the leading city. But when he attempted to go south, the Spirit of God put up a roadblock. Since he wasn't to go south, Paul thought he would go north (where Turkey is today), but when "… they assayed to go into Bithynia … the Spirit suffered them not" (Acts 16:7).
Now he can't go south, he can't go north, he has come from the east, there is but one direction to go. So Paul went west as far as Troas. That was the end of the line. To go west of Troas he would have to go by boat. So Paul was waiting for instructions from God.
Sometimes we feel that God must lead us immediately, but God can let us wait. I think He lets us cool our heels many times, waiting for Him to lead us. If you are one who is fretting today, "Oh, what shall I do? Which way shall I turn?" Wait, just wait. If you are really walking with the Lord, He will lead you in His own good time.
So Paul continued to wait in the city of Troas (we know it as Troy) for orders, and he got them finally. He was given the vision of the man of Macedonia, recorded in Acts 16:9–10.
Paul and his companions boarded a ship that took them to the continent of Europe. To me this is the greatest crossing that ever has taken place because it took the gospel to Europe. I am thankful for that because at this particular time my ancestors were in Europe. One family was in the forests of Germany. I am told that they were as pagan and heathen as they possibly could have been. Another branch of the family was over in Scotland. And they, I am told, were the filthiest savages that ever have been on the topside of this earth. Now don't you look askance at me, because your ancestors were probably in the cave right next to my ancestors and they were just as dirty as mine were. I thank God today that the gospel went in that direction, because somewhere down the line some of these ancestors heard the Word of God, responded to it, and handed down to us a high type of civilization.
So Paul crossed over into Europe, and his first stop was Philippi. "And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us" (Acts 16:13–15).
Paul, you see, found out that the man of Macedonia was a woman by the name of Lydia, holding a prayer meeting down by the river. That prayer meeting probably had a lot to do with bringing Paul to Europe. I'm of the opinion there were many people in Philippi who saw that group of women down there by the river praying and thought it wasn't very important. But it just happened to be responsible for the greatest crossing that ever took place! And Lydia was the first convert in Europe.
Now Lydia was a member of the Philippian church to which Paul wrote this epistle. We know something about some of the other members of this church also. There was a girl who was delivered from demon possession. "And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour" (Acts 16:16–18).
Also the Philippian jailer and his family were members of this church. You recall that Paul and Silas were thrown into jail at the instigation of the masters of the demon–possessed girl who had been deprived of their income. God intervened for Paul and Silas in such a miraculous way that their jailer came to know Christ. "And [the jailer] brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house…. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house" (Acts 16:30–31, 34).
There were, of course, other members of this Philippian church whose stories we do not know. They were a people very close to the apostle Paul. They followed him in his journeys and ministered to him time and time again. But when Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, they lost sight of him for two years. They did not know where he was. Finally they heard that he was in Rome in prison. The hearts of these people went out to him, and immediately they dispatched their pastor, Epaphroditus, with a gift that would minister to Paul's needs.
So Paul wrote this epistle to thank the church and to express his love for them. He had no doctrine to correct as he did in his Epistle to the Galatians. Neither did he have to correct their conduct, as he did in his Epistle to the Corinthians. There was only one small ripple in the fellowship of the church between two women, Euodias and Syntyche, and Paul gave them a word of admonishment near the end of his letter. He didn't seem to treat the matter as being serious.
His letter to the Philippian believers is the great epistle of Christian experience. This is Paul's subject in his epistle to the Philippians.


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Undefeated R Adios Jersey romps in $100,000 City of Ocala S.
Adios Charlie |
Adios Charlie's 3-year-old filly R Adios Jersey ran her record to a perfect 6-for-6 with an 11-length score in the $100,000 FTBOA City of Ocala Florida Sire S. Dec. 11 at Tampa Bay Downs.
The bay filly now has three stakes wins, most recently in the Charles Town Oaks (G3). Her six wins have come by a combined 32 ¼ lengths and she has earned $427,400 for Averill Racing, LLC and ATM Racing.
Saturday's victory was arguably her most impressive to date as she toyed with her competition as the 1-5 favorite. Under jockey Paco Lopez, R Adios Charlie led the field through a quick quarter-mile of :21.79 and a half in :44.35. Up three lengths at that point, she drew off at will and coasted under the wire in 1:22.60 for the seven furlongs on fast main track.
R Adios Jersey was bred in Florida by Ocala Stud and J. Michael O'Farrell Jr. She is out of Marion Theatre, who is a full sister to the four-time stakes winner Royal Lad.
Adios Charlie, Florida's leading sire of black type winners and graded stakes winners in 2021, will stand next year at Ocala Stud for $4,000 S&N.


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Health departments rely on libraries to distribute COVID-19 testing kits
By Cass Balzer | December 1, 2021
Kathy McFadden (right), a staffer at Sussex County (Del.) Libraries, hands out rapid, at-home COVID-19 testing kits during a drive-through distribution event at Seaford (Del.) District Library in August 2021. Photo: Delaware Department of Libraries
Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, libraries have served both informally and officially as public health partners, from 3D-printing personal protective equipment to serving as vaccination sites. Now, as the country continues to ease masking and social-distancing restrictions, libraries are again stepping into the role as a point of care—this time by helping to distribute rapid, at-home COVID-19 testing kits.
In Delaware, the Division of Public Health (DPH) approached the Delaware Division of Libraries (DDL) with a plan to distribute more than 75,000 BinaxNOW antigen self-tests through the state's public libraries for three months from summer to fall 2021. "I think it's a slam dunk that [health departments] would think of libraries," says Alta Porterfield, statewide social innovator at DDL.
The initiative—which ran at 32 of Delaware's 33 public libraries—was "a very easy transition" for library workers, says Porterfield, since they already have experience in public-facing roles and materials distribution.
Further west, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) launched its testing kit distribution program—using a proctored version of Abbott's BinaxNOW tests, which requires a smartphone app and telehealth appointment—in March 2021 and considered libraries an important asset from the outset. The program has ebbed and flowed with the pandemic; of the 1.6 million testing kits ODH distributed last September (at the peak of the state's Delta variant spike), around 700,000 went to Ohio's public libraries.
"We're an opportunity for people to find resources," says Michelle Francis, executive director of Ohio Library Council (OLC) and point-person for the ongoing ODH partnership. "We're not the local health department, and we're not the schools," she says, noting that libraries were never meant to be the primary test kit distributor. "This is about being a distribution point for a resource that otherwise might not be accessible to certain individuals within our community."
'Part of daily service now'
An overwhelming demand and limited supply of the BinaxNOW tests caused long lines and frequent phone calls at many of Delaware's libraries. At Lewes (Del.) Public Library (LPL), Director Lea Rosell says the phone rang constantly—hundreds of calls per day—but the influx of visitors was no more substantial than their pre-COVID-19 norm. "It didn't feel like that much of a burden or that resources were scarce," she says.
LPL made its testing kits available for pickup at the circulation desk and instituted a limit of two boxes per person, with each box containing two tests. Visitors did not need to show an ID or library card, nor did staffers record names when patrons came in to pick up kits. "Libraries very much value patron privacy, and [collecting names] would have been a logistical and ethical nightmare," says Rosell. To track distribution, LPL noted how many kits they had at the start and end of each day. During the three-month period, library workers distributed a total of 5,280 tests.
We're encouraging and supporting the pursuit of knowledge, and part of that knowledge is, Am I healthy? —Joel Mantey, adult services manager at Findlay–Hancock County (Ohio) Public Library
According to OLC, more than 160 library systems are involved with the voluntary partnership in Ohio, including the Findlay–Hancock County Public Library (FHCPL). Joel Mantey, adult services manager, says the tests were sorely needed in their area: "It's been a boon for the community."
FHCPL, which had distributed more than 17,000 testing kits by November, orders kits through ODH to resupply whenever stock is low. The kits are available at the reference desk and—like at LPL—visitors are not asked to provide identifying information or a library card. The program has been popular among patrons, but Mantey does not characterize it as overwhelming. "It's just become part of daily service now," he says.
Mantey and Holly Walter, circulation services manager, say the program aligns closely with the mission of FHCPL. "We're encouraging and supporting the pursuit of knowledge, and part of that knowledge is, Am I healthy?" says Mantey. "We can help give people that security of knowledge."
While ODH provides libraries with instructional fliers to distribute alongside testing kits, Mantey says staffers have helped patrons navigate the technological challenges that accompany the proctored BinaxNOW test kits, such as downloading the required app and creating an account. Since FHCPL does not have internet-enabled devices or Wi-Fi hotspots available for loan, patrons who did not have a smartphone or comparable device were provided with a list of local pharmacies that offered testing services. To address these hurdles to access, ODH began switching to unproctored test kits in November, but proctored options will continue to comprise around 5% of a library system's allocation.
Both FHCPL and LPL say their partnerships have allowed them to build new fundraising relationships, distribute promotional materials, and get library cards into community hands. "These are new relationships and new opportunities that we probably otherwise wouldn't have had," says Francis of OLC.
Keeping staffers safe
Delaware's libraries had worked on state health initiatives before, but this time around State Librarian and DDL Director Annie Norman wanted to make sure library workers felt appreciated in their collaboration.
Library Assistant Claire Cassidy loads boxes of BinaxNOW COVID- 19 testing kits onto a cart at South Coastal Library in Bethany Beach, Delaware. Photo: Susanne Keefe/South Coastal Library in Bethany Beach, Delaware
"Libraries have such fatigue," she says. "They don't feel like they're compensated in any way by their partners." To counter this, Norman asked DPH for financial reimbursement for libraries agreeing to serve as testing kit distributors. The department decided to use American Rescue Plan Act funds to provide each library with $10,000 to use at their discretion in exchange for their participation.
All but one public library in Delaware chose to participate in the partnership. In response to the nonparticipating library's concern over safety, Norman says DDL added language to its advertising materials explicitly stating that patrons experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should not go to libraries for tests.
While the ODH program does not specifically tell visitors to avoid libraries if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, some libraries, including FHCPL, offer a curbside pick-up option for kits. According to Walter, this allows staffers to keep a safe distance from patrons who may be sick.
No one on LPL's staff tested positive for COVID-19 during the partnership, though Rosell suspects that sick patrons have likely walked through their doors. In addition to requesting that visitors wear masks, LPL relied on sneezeguards, social distancing, and biweekly staff meetings to ensure all involved felt safe. She also says some of the $10,000 the library has received from DPH has gone toward safety modifications and equipment, such as converting the building's water fountain to a bottle-filling station and providing free masks for patrons.
Ultimately, it was the community benefits—not the money—that drew Rosell to get involved: "The whole idea of access really rings as something that is very apparent in this partnership."
CASS BALZER is a writer in Chicago.
Libraries serve as COVID-19 vaccination sites
Healthy Distance
Telemedicine brings house calls to local libraries


POMEROY — The Meigs County Commissioners will be hosting public officials and residents from around the region during a public town hall style meeting scheduled for Feb. 20 in Pomeroy.
On Thursday, the commissioners discussed their plans for the meeting and the reason behind bringing representatives from around the region together.
The goal of the meeting is to discuss the budget proposed by Governor John Kasich. This includes the proposed fix to the sales tax loss regarding managed medicaid services, which is projected to have a large impact on counties in the region. Other budget related topics expected to be discussed include proposed cuts to Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding and the local government fund.
"The idea behind it is to unite local officials that face the bigger cuts," said Commissioner Randy Smith.
Regarding the proposed sales tax fix, Randy Smith added that the current proposal from Kasich focuses on making the state whole, but "just kicks the can down the road" as far as local governments are concerned.
The meeting is an opportunity to get the local officials from around the region together to talk with state representatives as they put together their budget plan.
State Representative from the region, including Ryan Smith, who represents Gallia County, and Jay Edwards, who represents Meigs County, are expected to be in attendance for the meeting said Randy Smith.
Ryan Smith is currently the Chairman of the House Finance Committee.
In addition to Smith (93rd District) and Edwards (94th District), the commissioners have invited representatives Ron Hood (78th District), Andrew Thompson (95th District) and Jack Cera (96ht District).
The 93rd District includes Gallia and Jackson counties, along with portions of Lawrence and Vinton counties. The 94th District includes Meigs County, along with portions of Vinton, Athens and Washington counties. The 78th District includes Hocking and Morgan counties, along with portions of Pickaway, Fairfield, Athens and Muskingum counties. The 95th District includes Carroll, Harrison and Noble counties, as well as portions of Washington and Belmont counties. The 96th District includes Monroe and Jefferson counties as well as a portion of Belmont County.
Additionally, invitations are being sent to commissioners of the counties in these districts, who are also being encouraged to invite other officials in their counties, as well as residents of the counties.
The meeting will take place from 6-8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 20 in the second floor community room of the Farmers Bank building in Pomeroy.


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E-commerce players keep burning money
10:04 ngày 16 tháng 07 năm 2018
Vietnam's e-commerce platforms keep rolling in losses and taking in massive amounts of capital in wait for the online retail market to take flight.
E-commerce firms report massive accumulated losses
The Vietnamese e-commerce market is one of the leading ones in the region for investment. According to Nielsen, the annual growth of the e-commerce market is 22 per cent and is expected to hit $10 billion in annual revenue by 2022 from the current $4 billion. Thus, the Vietnamese e-commerce market has received great attention from new investors.
It has drawn in a large number of players to become a highly-contested segment with low profit margins while expenditures for sales, logistics, and promotion programmes are too large.
The make-or-break factor is financial capacity, as players are expected to suffer heavy losses to maintain their market share until the retail market ripens and profit starts to roll in.
The domestic e-commerce market is ruled over by big names like Adayroi, Lazada, Tiki, Shopee or Sendo. These firms are backed by foreign e-commerce firms as well as firms having great financial potential.
However, in order to gain market share, these firms have to burn massive amounts of money on sales and promotion programmes to lure in passengers, which is the major reason behind their massive losses. Lazada is the e-commerce platform with the largest loss, followed by Tiki and Shopee.
Notably, Lazada reported a loss of VND1 trillion ($43.39 million) in 2015-2016, increasing its accumulated losses to VND2.7 trillion ($117.1 million) by the end of 2016. In the context of fierce competition, Lazada's losses in 2017 alone are estimated at VND1 trillion ($43.39 million) and its accumulated loss may increase to VND4 trillion ($173.56 million) by the end of 2017.
After seven years, Tiki has accumulated nearly VND600 billion ($26.43 million) in losses, including VND308 billion ($13.56 million) in 2016 and VND284 billion ($12.5 billion) in 2017.
Tiki reported a revenue of VND62.4 billion ($2.7 million) in 2016, up six times against 2015. However, the e-commerce platform took losses of nearly VND179 billion ($7.9 million) in the same year due to overly high sales expenses. Accordingly, sales expenses in 2016 were over VND222.5 billion ($9.8 million), tripling against 2015.
In fact, Tiki JSC only reported revenue from services and e-commerce trading recorded by its subsidiary Tiki Trading. In 2016, the subsidiary's revenue hit VND817 billion ($36 million) with the gross margin of 9 per cent. Despite this, Tiki Trading suffered a loss of VND41 billion ($1.8 million) as sales expenses exceeded the business' profit.
Shopee was officially launched in August 2016, however, by the end of the same year, the firm reported a loss of VND164 billion ($7.1 million), which increased to VND600 billion ($26.03 million) in 2017, twice as much as the loss of Tiki.
E-commerce players stocking up on ammunition
Vietnam's e-commerce platforms are still receiving heavy investment to develop despite big losses.
Earlier this year, Tiki received $54 million in Series C investment made by Chinese internet giant JD.com and South Korea's STIC Investments. The additional capital is expected to help Tiki to consolidate its market presence.
According to DealStreetAsia.com, Tiki plans to collect an additional $50-100 million in capital in 2019, including JD.com's contribution.
Regarding Lazada, in March, Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group announced that it will invest an additional $2 billion in the platform, two years after it acquired a controlling stake in the Singapore-headquartered e-commerce site.
Thus, Lazada Vietnam will receive a massive capital boost to increase its activities.
The latest move brings Alibaba's total investment in the online shopping platform to $4 billion. This is part of the company's efforts to "accelerate the region's e-commerce development," as stated by Alibaba.
Shopee's parent company, Sea Limited announced a great capital expansion in Shopee to provide ammunition in the prolonged war in Vietnam. In the first six months of this year, SEA poured an additional $50 million into Shopee.
Shopee aims to continually enhance its platform and become the region's e-commerce destination of choice.
Along with these names, Sendo e-commerce platform, which is backed by FPT, mobilised VND400 billion in 2015-2016. Along with the financial support from FPT, Sendo will receive investment capital from SBI Holdings, Econtext Asia, and Beenos Asia.
THE VOICE OF VIETNAM ONLINE (VOV.VN)
Editor-in-chief: Pham Manh Hung
Deputy Editor-in-chief: Nguyen Tuyet Yen, Pham Cong Han
Phone: 84-4-38255319 / 84-4-39344231 | Fax: 84-4-39344230 | Email: english@vovnews.vn


text:
Gulfshore Business Daily: July 25
TGR FINANCIAL INC. INCOME UP IN Q2
TGR Financial Inc., the holding company for First Florida Integrity Bank, announced second-quarter net income of $4.2 million. The results represent earnings growth of 16 percent compared with second-quarter results one year ago. Net income for the six months ended June 30 was $8.2 million, an increase of 20 percent or $1.4 million higher than the six months ended June 30, 2018. The return on average assets was 1.14 percent for the three months ended June 30, up six basis points over the same period in 2018. Quarter to date earnings represented $0.22 per diluted share.
FREE LEGAL HELP COMING TO CAPE CORAL
Cape Coral residents will now have access to free legal advice for civil lawsuits, bankruptcy, evictions and more. The new service is made possible through collaboration between Lee County Clerk Linda Doggett, the Lee County Legal Aid Society, and the United Way House of Cape Coral. Citizens who wish to represent themselves in court can schedule a 15-minute meeting with an attorney starting Aug. 1. The legal consultations will be held the first Thursday of each month from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and the first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to noon. All sessions will be held at the Cape Coral United Way House at 1105 Cultural Park Blvd. Assistance with small claims, family law matters, and probate cases will also be provided. To schedule an appointment, call the Lee County Clerk's Self-Help Center at (239) 533-2835. The free legal consultations are being provided by Lee County Legal Aid Society attorneys, led by executive director Andrew Banyai.
Michael Lehnert
LEHNERT NAMES PRESIDENT OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA REAL ESTATE COUNCIL
Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt P.A. Attorney Michael Lehnert has been named president of the Southwest Florida Real Estate Council. In association with The Fund, the council is comprised of attorneys to help all professionals involved in the real estate industry thrive. The next educational and networking opportunity is a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) event held on Aug. 6 at the Collaboratory in downtown Fort Myers. The event will feature a discussion on "Recent Real Property Case Law and its Impact on Your Practice." Lehnert is a member of the Real Estate Investment Society, Urban Land Institute, and the Young Lawyers Division of the Lee County Bar Association. Lehnert received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and law degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.
MNMW WELCOMES TWO
Alisha Fernandez and Caitlin Thompson have joined Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & Co. P.A. (MNMW). Fernandez helps with the day-to-day office operations for the firm, while Thompson works with the tax division to assist client managers with tax and consulting services. Fernandez assists in front office with daily operations and client engagement Thompson's role at MNMW includes processing income tax returns, payroll, bookkeeping, sales tax, 1099's, and the electronic filing of returns and extensions with the IRS. She previously worked in the medical field.
MILLENNIAL BREWING FEATURED IN BOOK
Millennial Brewing Co. is the only brewery in Southwest Florida—and one of four breweries throughout the state—to be featured in a best-selling hardcover book that is now available for purchase at BarnesandNoble.com. Jim Dent, the author of "Hops and History: American History and Folklore as Remembered by American Breweries and Beers," (HopsHistory.com) pays tribute to the Downtown Fort Myers business' American Revolution Pale Ale with a one-page, two-column history on the American Revolution and Florida's role in it. Dent, an Idaho-based author, approached Millennial Brewing Founder and CEO Kyle Cebull during his two-year book-writing journey as research for one of 275 stories, all of which were inspired by breweries and beers that cover every state in the U.S. The result is a 336-page, full-color book. It's available for purchase here.
WILSON CREATIVE GROUP NAMES PR DIRECTOR
Wilson Creative Group (WCG) has named Jama Dock as its new public relations director. Dock is an award-winning public relations and communications strategist with more than 25 years of experience in luxury real estate development, financial services, education, golf, hospitality, and other industries. Her clients are featured in regional and national publications such as Coastal Living, Southern Living, and The Wall Street Journal. A founding member and past president of the Public Relations Society of America's Gulf Coast Chapter, she has represented the highest-profile developers in the southwest Florida market, overseeing the launch publicity and subsequent promotions of more than 40 high-rise luxury towers and master-planned communities from Marco Island to Sarasota.
CLINIC ACHIEVES PLATINUM RATING
The Neighborhood Health Clinic has received GuideStar's 2019 Platinum Level Seal of Transparency for demonstrating progress and results in meeting the charity's mission of providing hope and healing for those in need. GuideStar is the world's largest source of information on nonprofit organizations, a press release states. Of the 50,000 adults in Collier County who potentially qualify, if sick, for services, 11,000 uninsured working women and men received more than 27,095 procedures offered by 250 physicians, 35 dentists and 100 nurses who volunteer their time to meet community need. The recently expanded Clinic campus offers a variety of specialties and includes radiology equipment and dental operatories, Additionally, the charity provides patient education, research projects and referrals as needed to ensure patient needs are met, including an on-site Medication Room that administered more than $5.5 million in retail cost in medications.
REAL ESTATE FIRM EXPANDS TO CAPE CORAL
Southwest Florida R.E. Group, is opening an office in Cape Coral at 1205 Cape Coral Pkwy. E. Headquartered in Bonita Springs, Southwest Florida R.E. Group team has grown the number of transactions and agents by more than 300 percent from 2017 to 2018. The firm is renovating the space and the office will be open for business by the middle of August. For more information, visit https://www.swflregroup.com/ or contact Zach Katkin at marketing@southwestfloridaregroup.com or 239-273-4113.
Bluemercury Naples store interior.
BLUEMERCURY OPENS IN NAPLES
Bluemercury, a nationwide luxury cosmetics retailer and cosmetics brand developer, has opened its first Naples location on Fifth Avenue South. Bluemercury was founded in 1999 by Marla and Barry Beck and is the nation's largest and fastest-growing luxury beauty and spa retail chain, according to a press release. Bluemercury has more than 186 specialty stores nationwide. The company was acquired by Macy's in 2015 for $210 million. Bluemercury Naples is located at 505 5th Avenue South, Suite A. For more information, call (239) 231-1144 or visit https://bluemercury.com/.
PRIORITY MARKETING RELOCATES
Priority Marketing has relocated to a new office located within Six Mile Corporate Park at 12140 Carissa Commerce Court, Suite 201, approximately one mile north of Daniels Parkway off Six Mile Cypress Parkway. Priority Marketing currently employs a team of 35 professionals including in-house graphic designers, web developers, social media and digital marketing specialists, public relations professionals, traditional and digital media buyers, account managers and production managers.
CULLINAN EARNS FLORIDA DENTAL ASSOCIATION LEADERSHIP AWARD
Dr. Leo Cullinan of Naples has received the Leadership Award at the 2019 Florida Dental Convention in Orlando, according to The Florida Dental Association (FDA). Cullinan has served as president of the Collier County Dental Association and the West Coast District Dental Association and as a board member of the FDA Foundation. Cullinan also served as co-chair of the inaugural Florida Mission of Mercy event in Tampa and as statewide Florida Mission of Mercy committee co-chair during subsequent events in Jacksonville, Pensacola, Fort Myers and Orlando. The Florida Mission of Mercy is the FDA Foundation's annual two-day dental clinic event, which has provided more than 9,000 Floridians with donated dental care valued at more than $9 million. Cullinan runs a private orthodontic practice in Naples and is a graduate of the Washington University Saint Louis orthodontic program and Creighton University dental program.
Baby Basics of Collier County Named Angel Fund Recipient
Baby Basics of Collier County has received $15,000 supported by a grant from the Angel Fund for Small Nonprofits of the Community Foundation of Collier County. Baby Basics of Collier County was founded in 2004 and has impacted more than 1,600 families in Collier County and Bonita Springs by providing over 9 million diapers since its inception. Baby Basics is a 100-percent volunteer organization, and all donations and sponsorship funds, except those specifically earmarked for administrative costs, are used to purchase diapers.
The Party with A Purpose Foundation Inc. hosts sixth annual fundraiser
The Party with A Purpose Foundation Inc. is hosting its sixth annual fundraising event from 5-9:30 p.m. on Oct. 24 at Hilton Naples. This year's event will benefit Wounded Warriors of Collier County. The event will include dinner, a cash bar, live entertainment, dancing, auctions, special guests and more. Tickets to attend are $150 per person or $1,500 for a table of 10 and can be purchased at https://thepartywithapurposefoundation.org/events/. Sponsorships are available for this event through Oct. 1st. For more information, contact Daniel and Barbara Melvin at (239) 248-8474 or (239) 218-4863, or email thepartywithapurposefoundation@gmail.com.
Cypress Cove awards scholarships
Cypress Cove at HealthPark Florida's staff scholarship committee recently awarded 15 educational scholarships for the fall 2019 academic term to employees and dependents of the South Fort Myers Life Plan community. With the recent scholar selections, 32 employees have been chosen as scholarship recipients since the program began in fall 2017. Of those 32 Cypress Cove scholars, 12 employees have since graduated from their higher education studies. The recent awards included six legal dependents of Cypress Cove employees. Earlier this year, the resident-led employee scholarship committee approved the eligibility of qualified employee dependents for scholarship award consideration. First-time scholarship recipients receive $2,000 toward their education while employees having previously received scholarship program assistance were awarded $1,000.
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Q: Java 8: Interface with static methods instead of static util class What is best practice in Java 8 when I need a bunch of stateless utility methods. Is it right to have an interface that will not be implemented by anyone i.e. public interface Signatures and public interface Environments, or is it better to do it the old way - have public final class Signatures and public final class Environments with private constructors || enums?

A: I would use the final class. Communicates to me better that it is a helper class with some utility methods. An interface definition is something I would expect to be implemented and the methods to be there to assist someone implement the interface.

A: The main purpose of interfaces is to provide a type and a vocabulary of operations (methods) on that type. They're useful and flexible because they allow multiple implementations, and indeed they are designed to allow implementations that are otherwise unrelated in the class hierarchy.
The question asks,

Is it right to have an interface that will not be implemented by anyone...?

This seems to me to cut against the grain of interfaces. One would have to look around the API to determine that there are no classes that implement this interface, and that there are no producers or consumers of this interface. Somebody might be confused and try to create an implementation of the interface, but of course they wouldn't get very far. While it's possible to have a "utility interface" with all static methods, this isn't as clear as the old unconstructible final class idiom. The advantage of the latter is that the class can enforce that no instances can ever be created.
If you look at the new Java 8 APIs, you'll see that the final class idiom is still used despite the ability to add static methods on interfaces.
Static methods on interfaces have been used for things like factory methods to create instances of those interfaces, or for utility methods that have general applicability across all instances of those interfaces. For example, see the Stream and Collector interfaces in java.util.stream. Each has static factories: Stream.of(), Stream.empty(), and Collector.of().
But also note that each has companion utility classes StreamSupport and Collectors. These are pure utility classes, containing only static methods. Arguably they could be merged into the corresponding interfaces, but that would clutter the interfaces, and would blur the relationship of the methods contained in the classes. For example, StreamSupport contains a family of related static methods that are all adapters between Spliterator and Stream. Merging these into Stream would probably make things confusing.

A: Static methods in interfaces were added with two primary purposes:

*

*In case of poor implementation in subclasses static interface methods can be used to provide checks (e.g. if a value is null).

*Avoid using general utility classes (like Collections) and calling static methods through their proper interface.
So, it is a very good practice if you intend to share functionality to the corresponding classes.
update:
If you wish to build a pure collection of functions then you may want to use the abstract class with static methods and a private constructor.

A: In a good object oriented design, there are not many (if any) stateless utility methods.
The best technique I've come to deal with is to use state (Objects) to deal with the function.
So instead of doing
 Temperature.farenheitFromCelcius(...);

I do
 public class FarenheitFromCelcius implements Function<Celcius, Farenheit> {

    public Farenheit apply(Celcius celcius) {
      return new Farenheit(5 * celcius.getValue() / 9 + 32);
    }

 }

This has a few advantages.  One being that it can be unloaded from memory much more easily.  Another being that you can save on the number of type identifying interfaces, you can pass utility methods between methods, and a final being that you can leverage the Java type hierarchy.
The costs are minimal.  Basically you have to alter how the method is applied.
 public <T> R convertTemp(T temp, Function<T, R> conversion) {
   return conversion.apply(temp);
 }

Naturally you'd never write a full method to encapsulate an object oriented function, but I had to show an example...

A: in your case I would go for the final class instead of getting the fatigue that someone might implement or inherent this. For use-cases where you want a static util interface. I guess we need a final interface for that...
public final class Util {

      private Util {
          throw new AssertionError("Please don't invoke me");
       }

    public static someUtilMethod() {}

    private static someHelperUtilMethod() {}

    }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Removing from list NOTE: In the example above, I cannot override equals method because it's already used for another purpose.
I have the following classes:
public class A{ }

and
public class B{
    private A a;
    //GET, SET
}

Now, I have the following controller:
public class ControllerOfMine{

    private List<B> bs;

    public List<B> remove(List<A> as){
        if(as.isEmpty()){  //1, Dumb if
            return bs;
        }
        List<B> result = new ArrayList<B>();
        for(B item : bs){
            for(A aItem : as){
                if(item.getA().equals(aItem)){
                    continue;
                } else {
                    result.add(item);
                    continue;
                }
            }
        }
        return result;
    }
}

Now, my question is how to avoid that dumb checking for as.isEmpty(). I think my algroithm is not too good.

A: You could replace the inner loop by an O(1) lookup operation.
Something along these lines:
public class ControllerOfMine{

    private List<B> bs;

    public List<B> remove(List<A> as){
        if (as.isEmpty()) return bs;

        HashSet<A> quickLookup = new HashSet<A>();
        quickLookup.addAll(as);
        List<B> result = new ArrayList<B>();
        for (B b: bs) {
          if (!quickLookup.contains(b.getA())) {
            result.add(b);
          }
        }
        return result;
    }
}

The single line at the beginning of the method costs almost nothing, it's O(1). The translation into a HashSet is O(n), but all subsequent contains queries are amortized O(1). This could run faster under certain circumstances (iterating through lists is actually pretty fast, they must have certain length before a HashSet begins to outperform them in lookup operations).


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Back by popular demand and due to the success of last year - we are pleased to announce we will again be running our Winter Servicing Offers!
We like to make sure our customers always get the best deal with Triumph Glasgow, so you can now get your bike serviced between November 1st, 2018 and 28th February 2019 for less, saving you time and money!
Reduced labour rate: from £70 per hour to £60 per hour!
We believe that Winter is the best time to maintain, service, repair and accessorise your motorcycle as you will beat the spring-time rush, have added value and save money! And just to ensure your bike is in peak condition for you again in the spring, we can also perform a 'pre season check' which lets us test all the necessary components before you head out on the road again.
To find out more call us on 0141 406 3414, email us at info@triumphglasgow.co.uk or fill out this Service Enquiry Form.
Between November 1st, 2018 and 28th February 2019, we will be reducing the labour rate of our Factory-Trained technicians from £70 per hour to £60 per hour. We only charge for the allocated time the manufacturer recommends that the required task should take, even if we have to work on your bike for longer than expected to ensure the job has been done to our high standards.
As we work on every make and model of motorcycle, and there are a number of different repairs, requests and maintenance operations that we can perform, we recommend that you call us on 0141 406 3415 to receive a provisional quote for the work you require. Alternatively, fill out our Service Enquiry Form here or email info@triumphglasgow.co.uk and we will get back to you within 48 hours with an estimated quote. With reduced rates, it's definitely worth enquiring, but please book early, as Winter Servicing Spaces quickly fill up!
Between November 1st, 2018 and 28th February 2018, if within a 50-mile radius, you can have your motorcycle collected from your home or office and returned to you for free. For each mile after that there is just a small fee of £1 per mile + VAT each way. Ideal if you live further afield from Glasgow. Why not share the cost with a friend who is looking for their bike to be serviced to save even more time and money! This pick-up and delivery offer is only available to those booked in for servicing, and can be used in conjunction with our reduced labour rate offer!
As a complimentary gift to our service customers this Winter, we will include essential checks, analysis and advice on your bike's fundamental components, including checks for leakages, damage and all fluid levels will be checked completely free of charge.
Front and rear brake discs and pads.
We love a festive gift; therefore we're packaging up something special for you or your friends this winter! You can now find discounted Winter Accessory / Cleaning Kits in store, specially selected and put together for less by our Parts and Accessories Team, or you can custom build a Winter Kit which suits you! All contents are subject to availability and change, so we advise you to contact Scott from our Parts Team directly on 0141 406 3415 or info@triumphglasgow.co.uk to find out what you'd like in your stocking this Winter!
Winter Accessory / Cleaning kits are ideal gifts for any biker and as a treat for you and your bike as a special gift set this winter. They won't be around for long so order now!
All of these fantastic offers can be run in conjunction with each other so you could have your bike collected, delivered and Winter Health Checked for free, serviced with £10 per hour off the labour rate, and you could pick up a Winter Accessory / Cleaning Kit to customise and clean your bike, and pick up one for a friend as a gift - all at the same time!
Lots of boxes ticked and money saved there!
The free Winter Health Check does not include any work required to improve or repair any of the items listed. Pick-up and delivery offer is only valid for customers who have their motorcycle booked in for a service and only destinations within a 50-mile radius are free of charge. £1 each way + VAT includes to and from the collection point and to and from the drop off destination. Any quotations given are estimates and not the final price.
Please note we will be closed for the festive period from 4pm on Saturday 22rd December 2018 and will re-open for business on Friday 4th January 2019 at 8.30am. Our Service department is open Tuesday: 8.30am - 5.30pm, Wednesday: 8.30am - 5.30pm, Thursday: 8.30am - 5.30pm, Friday: 8.30am - 5.30pm, Saturday: 8.30am - 5.00pm.


text:
Press Releases Ebben campaign: Right Women PAC endorses Jessi Ebben for Congress
Ebben campaign: Right Women PAC endorses Jessi Ebben for Congress
WASHINGTON, DC – Right Women PAC announced Friday its endorsement of Jessi Ebben, candidate for Wisconsin's 3rd District. She will be on the ballot in the August 11th GOP primary in Wisconsin. Right Women PAC is led by Debbie Meadows, wife of White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
Jessi Ebben is committed to conservative values and Right Women's positions. She is a defender of the Second Amendment and our other cherished Constitutional rights. Jessi is also an enthusiastic advocate for the unborn, and will be a strong voice for pro-life policies. Jessi will also prioritize the rule of law and she supports President Trump's law-and-order agenda.
"Jessi Ebben has a solid background as a communications specialist who helps translate the public's concerns into actionable reforms for local governments," said Debbie Meadows, Executive Director of Right Women PAC. "Throughout her career, Jessi has helped make government more responsive and accessible to constituents. She understands the importance of limited government and federalism, and she will be an advocate for both."
"Jessi is a champion for all of Right Women's core principles," said Right Women Board Member Amy Kate Budd. "We are looking forward to her victory in the August primary."
"It is an absolute honor to be endorsed by Right Women PAC. Their core values align with the issues Americans want prioritized in Washington, D.C. and the pillars of my campaign platform, which I'm proud to say was built by the people of Wisconsin's 3rd District," stated Ebben. "The national influence that Debbie Meadows and Amy Kate Budd bring with their support in my race has not been seen in 24 years of attempts to flip this seat. With these strong leaders of the conservative movement behind us, our campaign will have the power and momentum to defeat Ron Kind and advance President Trump's America First agenda."
Right Women PAC's mission is simple and strategic: to help elect genuinely conservative women to Congress. Right Women only endorses women candidates who demonstrate they are: pro-Constitution, pro-life, supportive of President Trump's Make America Great Again agenda, staunch defenders of the Second Amendment and law enforcement agents, and advocates for border security, religious freedom, Israel, and our veterans.
For more information about Jessi Ebben and Right Women's other endorsed candidates, visit www.RightWomen.com.
Jessi Ebben is a Republican candidate in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District and a public relations professional from Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Rep. Duchow: Sends letter to the governor addressing poor vaccine distribution choices
Protect Our Care: Applauds President-Elect Biden's selection of Andrea Palm as deputy secretary of HHS
Wis. National Guard: Continues Covid-19 testing throughout the state


SAN JOSE, Calif.,– April 20, 2015 – Cavium, Inc. (NASDAQ: CAVM), a leading provider of products that enable secure and intelligent processing for enterprise, data center, wired and wireless networking, today announced the LiquidSecurity™ Hardware Security Module (HSM) Family, a complete Hardware Based Transaction Security Solution. The LiquidSecurity™ HSM family provides a FIPS 140-2 level 2 and 3 partitioned, centralized and elastic key management solution with the highest transaction/sec performance. It addresses the high performance security requirements for private key management and administration while also addressing elastic performance per virtual / network domain for the virtualized cloud environment. This product family is available as a PCI Express adapter with complete software and also as a HSM appliance for evaluation or deployment. It offers a no compromise, fully secure and cost efficient solution that addresses the stringent security requirements of SaaS applications, Ecommerce payment systems and Enterprise, Banking and Government security applications especially as they migrate to the Public or Private cloud. Major applications for this product family include Key Management as-a-Service, Database as-a-Service, Crypto as-a-service, Secure DNS, SaaS Applications, Virtual Private Clouds in the Public Cloud and Payment systems.
High Security Modules (HSMs) need to be certified to various standards depending on the applications and target markets. These include FIPS 140-2, Common Criteria EAL 4 and Payment Card Industry (PCI) HSM standards. FIPS 140-2 is a Federal Information Processing standard for Hardware Secure Modules that includes the need for tamper evidence / detection and to keep security keys within the physical boundary of the FIPS 140-2 certified product.
There are 3 major trends driving the need for FIPS certified Transaction Security in Cloud data centers. Ecommerce, Healthcare and Government applications that traditionally used FIPS level security in private data centers are migrating to the virtualized/SDN capable, multi-domain, multi-tenant cloud infrastructure. They need a secure and elastic FIPS solution as they migrate to the Cloud.
Enterprise applications that use private keys but did not need FIPS based security because they were deployed in private datacenters which were physically located within the enterprise are now migrating to geographically dispersed Public and Private Cloud where they could be co-located and share resources with multiple tenants. They now need FIPS level security for the private keys with high performance key operation and management in the Cloud environment. Additionally, in the Cloud Data Center there is a move towards software only version of various networking appliances running on virtual-machines (VM) on data center servers. However these have low TPS (transactions per second) due to a lack of optimized hardware acceleration for the numerous security protocols and algorithms. Application Delivery Controllers, Routers and Firewalls are few examples of these virtual appliances. These virtual appliances need elastic performance and elastic / centralized key storage to reach the needed performance. Current FIPS solutions have limited capabilities to address the emerging requirements of the transaction security market. They offer low performance, low key storage, minimum elasticity, no SDN features and have a high cost.
Fully secure and authenticated deployments in the cloud require a high performance FIPS 140-2 solution with storage for large number of keys, flexible support for large number of domains, ease of management and migration, and high bandwidth connectivity with SDN features. Cavium's LiquidSecurity HSM family is the first solution in the market that offers a no-compromise solution that effectively addresses the performance, cost, multi domain and comprehensive feature requirements of the Transaction Security market. It offers 10-30x higher performance and 10x greater storage when compared to existing solutions.
LiquidSecurity HSM Family is a FIPS 140-2 Level 2 and 3 certified product family from Cavium. The LiquidSecurity Solution is available as a PCIe adapter family as well as an Appliance. Both product families include the highly innovative LiquidSecurity Server and Client software.
LiquidSecurity HSM PCI Express Adapter Family is a standard PCI Express adapter family bundled with LiquidSecurity HSM software.
LiquidSecurity HSM Appliance Family – This is a 1U Appliance which includes the full suite of LiquidSecurity HSM software along with 2 x 10G Ethernet Ports for evaluation or deployment. This appliance family has the added capability of providing standard or custom SDN support with an optional LiquidIO Server Adapter from Cavium.
The LiquidSecurity family of products includes a comprehensive suite of HSM Family Software consisting of various components that enable easy customer integration. The software solution includes the LiquidSecurity Client which supports cryptographic APIs such as PKCS11, Java JCA, OpenSSL and Microsoft CNG. These APIs enable applications such as Crypto As-A-Service, Database encryption, Document signing and many others. LiquidSecurity software management tools, High Availability and Load balancing features and restful APIs enable customers to easily integrate the PCI card or appliance within their existing management environment. The robust feature set enables deployment in all locations including Public Cloud, Colocation facilities & Private Cloud.
Cavium has worked with several market leading solution providers to enable a robust ecosystem of solutions that can seamlessly interoperate with the LiquidSecurity HSM Family. This ecosystem will enable customers to seamlessly integrate the new LiquidSecurity Family of products into their existing Data Center application environment. The early partners include F5 Networks, A10 Networks & Kemp Technologies for Application Delivery Controllers and Extrahop Networks for Application analysis and Performance Monitoring. Additional partners will be added over the coming quarters.
LiquidSecurity HSM Family is now available from Cavium in both the PCI Express Adapter and appliance form factors.


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Plus, on this accelerated MCSA: Cloud Platform course, you'll sit exams 70-532 and 70-533at the Firebrand Training Centre. Covered by your Certification Guarantee.
Achieving the MCSA: Cloud Platform will fulfill your prerequisite requirement to attempt the MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure certification.
Passing exams 70-532 and 70-533 previously resulted in achieving multiple Microsoft Specialist Certifications. Microsoft retired the Specialist credential on 31 March, 2017. The exams remain available and where applicable will count towards the relevant existing MCSA, MCSE or MCSD certification.
Good training but very intense. You need to be up for the challenge and have lots of stamina. The instructor is great.


text:
by Connor Nolan '19
Student Congress Publicity
This past Tuesday, Father Brian Shanley, O.P., came to speak to the Congress and field any questions or concerns from its members. He began by speaking about construction projects on campus now and in the future. He spoke of his relief in the fact that the new sciences building is developing on time, but still has a long road ahead of it. If the new additions are ready by next fall, they can begin "phase two" which includes renovating the badly outdated portions of the building. The Ruane Friar Development Center's steel work is almost completed, and they hope that the basketball team will be able to utilize it by next September, according to Fr. Shanley.
After that is completed, they plan on creating some sort of atrium between Slavin and Alumni as well as renovating '64 Hall. Providence College is also looking into adding a second story to Slavin in order to give Career Services more space to expand. Fr. Shanley then shifted his focus to the question, "what next?"
Apparently, the College has set its sights on improvements to residential housing for the next building plan. A firm is in the process of being hired to come in and evaluate the housing currently on campus. Fr. Shanley assumes that Aquinas Hall and other underclassmen dorms will be the main focus of any projects as well as the area "behind the business school," which is very outdated.
Fr. Shanley then opened the floor to questions. Students asked who would be allowed to use the Friar Development Center, and if tuition money is going to it if we are unable to utilize its facilities. Fr. Shanley was unsure of the numbers as far as the tuition question was concerned, but the facility will be solely utilized by athletics and predominantly the basketball team. However, Fr. Shanley believes this will allow Alumni's facilities to be more available to the student body for club or intramural sports.
Fr. Shanley also hinted at the school attempting to cover a field for rainy days so that sports practices and other activities can still take place. One student asked if the school planned on making changes to food options on campus in any upcoming plans, but Fr. Shanley believed changes to Ray and alumni to not be as important as some of the plans he had previously discussed. Another member stated that as the College makes residential changes, more study areas should be added as the library and Ryan Center are often full of students and it can be tough to find an area to work. Father Shanley then spoke briefly about his upcoming sabbatical and talked about Father Kenneth Siccard, O.P., taking over his duties while he is away.
One student talked about having spoken to trustees who were unhappy with the College's work in completing its Catholic mission statement. He answered that it took many years to rework the current mission statement. Also, there are people who believe the College is doing too little, and some who think they are doing too much. According to Fr. Shanley, this is a sign that a middle ground has been found. He was also asked about the school increasing its environmental practices utilized on campus. He said that in the last few days they have made an agreement to use more solar energy on campus. Many questions followed regarding the increase in tuition and room and board implemented by the College.
Some students suggested implementing a freeze program so a student pays the same price all four years, and some thought more of the money should be going to financial aid. Also, a student wondered if the school could allow more financial aid rather than the loans offered.
The questions then shifted to a more academic focus. Fr. Shanley was asked about ways to improve the standing of the business school and stated that changes may be made to quell the number of students allowed into the school. One student suggested having a class that is required for all majors to help with this or a GPA requirement.
He then said the school may not be doing a good enough job of encouraging students to choose majors they enjoy or are good at rather than preparing to get a job. Courses are being looked into to help better prepare freshmen for these major decisions. Fr. Shanley was also asked why classes were not cancelled to allow students to attend Dr. Bernice King's Convocation speech, and he stated he wished he could have but the preparations for the event happened too late. The Congress would like to thank Fr. Shanley for attending and fielding the student bodies questions.
The first piece of old business at this week's meeting regarded the clarification of Board of Programmers as a passive member within congress. The wording was changed slightly to show their representative will no longer have a vote. The BOP representative spoke to this making sense, and the piece was put to a vote. It was passed by all present members.
The second piece of old business regarded asking the dean's office to hire an outside group to come in and evaluate the campus' accessibility for students with disabilities. Students seemed very receptive to this idea, and the vote was passed unanimously.
The first piece of new business presented before the club regarded the formation of a Cooking Club on campus. The club was very prepared with a slideshow and explanation for their future plans if approved by the Congress. They also brought up how this can help diversity and inclusion, by including students of many cultures and cooking dishes from these cultures. They have been utilizing the Campus Ministry kitchen with Father Peter Martyr Yungwirth, O.P. They have some need for money and supplies in order to get certain cooking utensils. When asked if these numbers would go down following the purchase of reusable items, they agreed that was the case. They currently have over one hundred members and have come up with safety waivers, as well as schedules to sign up and cook. Students in the Congress spoke to the merits of the club, and it should be voted upon at the next general meeting.
The next piece of new business regarded the formal recognition of Astronomy Club. The presenters seemed very prepared, and even had multiple professors who were aiding the club through use of equipment such as telescopes. They claimed to not require much funding other than to maybe take trips to the Brown University observatory. They claimed the school does not provide many of the opportunities that they wish to. The club will more than likely be voted upon next week.
The final piece of new business regarded the posting of professors' office hours on a master list that would be available to all on Sakai. The presenter said this would be a streamlined way to view office hours and that it had the support of at least one prominent professor on campus. It will fall to the administrative assistants in each department to deal with this and could be a great help to many students of different majors. A member wondered if this was necessary due to their locations on Sakai and in syllabi for specific classes, but the presenter stated that this would be helpful for all students. The presenter went on to explain that for instance, if a student is looking to meet with an advisor or a teacher they do not currently have to see if they want to take their class or are interested in the major they teach in. This piece should be voted upon at the next general meeting of congress.
Student Congress Updates
Kaitlyn Hladik '25


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Q: Create Extension Method TryGetValue(TKey, out TValue) of Enumerable> just like of Dictionary I have a Enumerable<KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue>>. I want to create a bool TryGetValue(TKey, out TValue) extension method of it just like it is available in Dictionary<TKey, TValue>.
I tried
public static bool TryGetValue<TKey, TValue>
(this Enumerable<KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue>> mapping, TKey key, out TValue value)
{
    bool retVal = false;

    KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue> kvp;

    kvp = mapping.First(x => x.Key.Equals(key));

    if(kvp.Key == null && kvp.Value == null)
    {
        retVal = false;
        value = default(TValue);
    }
    else
    {
        retVal = true;
        value = kvp.Value;
    }

    return retval;
}

Is this correct way? If not please suggest one.
Note:
I cannot use a Dictionary because Keys are repeated. Moreover it will only return the first matching value?
What happens to the rest?
We can leave them. I am sending KeyValuePair created from a DataTable. I am creating that DataTable using order by columnname in its query.

A: Why not just use a simple foreach loop?

Example:
public static bool TryGetValue<TKey, TValue>
(this KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue>[] mapping, TKey key, out TValue value)
{
    foreach(var kvp in mapping)
        if (kvp.Key.Equals(key))
        {
            value = kvp.Value;
            return true;
        }

    value = default(TValue);
    return false;
}

Your implementation will throw an exception if the key doesn't exists due to .First(), and FirstOrDefault() would be ugly since KeyValuePair is a struct and hence you can't just compare it to null.

Sidenote:
Instead of extending KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue>[], you probably want to use IEnumerable<KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue>> instead to be more flexible.