The Undercover Adventure (Part 1): Being a user is hard!
After 3 years of being part of an open source software development team (amongst other things) I decided to do something unusual. I decided it was time to experience life on the other side of the fence. I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the, at times, chaos and conflict I was experiencing as a test analyst (and later manager) when dealing with the business. I realized, after many attempts to talk to a client over a phone (we supported clients in UK directly from South Africa) that not a lot of business knowledge makes it way into the software development team. Documentation is one thing, but with challenges around accuracy, maintainability and timeliness, it isn't a useful insightful way of understanding a clients business.
I wanted to know more. Much more. I wanted to migrate across the fence and just be a user for a while. I do mean user in the truest sense. I didn't want to have access to IT directly in anyway. I wanted to experience business process and attempt to verbally stroll through organization layers to find answers. I wanted to understand first hand what it is like to be a business person dealing with systems everyday and what they face in just trying to get to their work.
It's not greener on the other side.
So, it has been 2 months (3 days and a few hours) and I am deeply frustrated. No wait, let me be more accurate and less nice about it. I want to rip the phone out of its socket, walk over to the software development department and ask them in a tight lipped tone why they are being so myopic, somewhat annoying and you know, perhaps even stupid. I want to shout at them for their indifference and their lack of response. I want to ask for where their source code repository is, print out every line of code and burn it. While explaining to them that this is what a business user feels every time they encounter a bad implementation of functionality.
I want to put in a disclaimer here before I continue as I know that at times limited situational and premise context are provided in a short article. There isn't a way that I can give you full detail about the last 2 months in their entirety here, so I want to say this. The descriptions and opinions displayed here are based on my experiences and are not a reflection of what lies beyond the bounds of this context. I know that there are amazing teams out there. I have had the privilege to work with them and going through this makes me appreciate them more and how critical it is to have good, solid, well understood software development practices and involved, active and interested business sponsorship and support. It is the stuff that makes the process of building something sweet and the end result sublime.
Taking a stroll through a seemingly solid structure.
Now, to give some detail, I work as a maintenance clerk for an oil company that is in the process of starting up its mine. I am there to build up a reference archive, amongst other things, and generally be a runner and helper of sorts for the planners. The planners are responsible for the coordination and facilitation of all information that relates to any and all maintenance that has to happen on the mine. Oil mines by nature are heavily structured and regulated by the government so everything has an associated paper and approval structure. The process is outlined and you can see the workflow diagram on the walls and in the meetings room. Everyone here takes their job seriously because if something isn't done, and everything here is critical, it affects production and that is very, very bad for business.
Being a clerk has a lot of benefits when it comes to understanding a business. All that is required of me is to listen and learn. I am not distracted by having to manage people or systems (not that I mind those things, but it wouldn't have worked well in this situation). I spend a lot of time just sitting and watching what happens and noting what worked and what didn't. Within the first month a few hiccups immediately became apparent. The team (on both sides, both business and IT) are making really simple mistakes (which would be fine if they were small, but they happen to choose the most costly ones).
There are serious cracks under the surface and certain things creak.
For a week I watched one of the planners struggle with the project management/ scheduling application they use to schedule the work that needs to happen. She struggled for an entire day to get all the data together and after much effort finally managed to get the schedule together. The next day she opened up the schedule and noted that something didn't look right. The data was different. She changed everything and saved and sent it out for review. Halfway through the day she opened it for final additions and again, the data had changed.
I had a look at what had changed and immediately two words leapt into my mind and skidded to a sudden halt. Like a board with florescent lights it read "Test Data". I told her to phone the system development team lead and indeed, I was right. Someone had forgotten (a complete shocker actually) to move the database connection to the production instance and had been using her data the whole week as test data. Now this wouldn't have been too much of an issue had the schedule been for a small team to do simple tasks with no real dependence on each other. However, this is not the case. That schedule feeds several teams that within themselves keep around 29 different plants running.
After that, and a few other experiences that I will blog about later (I don't have enough space to cover all of it here), the planning team now circumvents the system as much as possible so that they can get the work through the door. Something that should have assisted them, facilitated away the silly stuff has just completely failed them. The system is badly designed, badly implemented, clumsy and always a frustrating experience.
Things are swaying on its foundation, but I don't think people realize it.
I spent a lot of time thinking about how it got to this case. I am sure that there are a lot of people working on this. You can't tell me that someone didn't raise their hand and ask loudly why they are deploying something so bad. Then something occurred to me when I started bumping into other parts of the business and I started learning about how things are decided, who makes those decisions and I realized how fluid the business is and how unclear and fuzzy the details are. Most of what has been built here has arrived out of a crises mode approach. It all "had to be done now" thinking meant that investment into the long term, such as having proper codes, proper data entry of assets, proper workflow development, proper system integration never happened. If anything, the system that is in place is a clear reflection of the state of the organization (both including the business and IT).
Systems are meant to promote and assist business value growth and be a pleasure to use. I realize even more than before how deeply critical it is have a full picture of which the end user is and what the purpose of the system is. Systems, when they are badly designed and implemented cause immense amount of frustration and indirectly encourages bad business practice and any long term advantage that could have been gained through it is eroded with each release.
Originally from South Africa, Anne Botha is an independent consultant that now resides in Canada. She has deep interests in quality of software and works with teams to build quality into their software development mindset. Anne is a regular writer and her recent articles include Data Quality is More than the Sum of One Part, and Making Sense of the Terrain. She is currently undertaking a self-motivated experiment to understand the life of a user sitting on the receiving end of a software development team. In the next part Anne will discuss her initial experience and observations about the challenges and frustrations that arise when working within a company where a large mismatch exists between critical business activities and the software that is ultimately put in place to serve them.


These boots are seriously the comfiest shoes are I have. They are by a brand called El Naturalista, I am in love with their designs.
This is their ethos - The world is a permanent miracle. Life is wonderfully simple, every flower is deliciously complicated. Textures, colours, lines, aromas. It all helps to live in harmony. Everything serves for feeling in a different way. There is still magic. There are still people prepared to rediscover it in every daily gesture. Serious, smiling, reflective, invented, foolish, fresh, ephemeral and eternal. Simple designs, sophisticated ideas. Who makes it and who uses it.
Their shoes are made from all recycled materials and they work together with third world countries to provide fair trade eco goodness! I have to admit their prices are well..a little pricey! My boots were bought when I worked for a local boutique about four years ago and helped that I got staff discount! But they really are so well made and despite the heel I can actually run in them!


text:
package com.itude.mobile.mobbl.core.configuration.resources;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;

import com.itude.mobile.mobbl.core.configuration.MBConfigurationParser;
import com.itude.mobile.mobbl.core.configuration.MBDefinition;
import com.itude.mobile.mobbl.core.util.MBBundleDefinition;

/**
 * {@link MBConfigurationParser} Class to parse a resource configuration file
 *
 */
public class MBResourceConfigurationParser extends MBConfigurationParser
{
  private List<String> _resourceAttributes;
  private List<String> _bundleAttributes;

  @Override
  public MBDefinition parseData(byte[] data, String documentName)
  {
    if (_resourceAttributes == null)
    {
      _resourceAttributes = new ArrayList<String>();
      _resourceAttributes.add("xmlns");
      _resourceAttributes.add("id");
      _resourceAttributes.add("url");
      _resourceAttributes.add("cacheable");
      _resourceAttributes.add("ttl");
    }
    if (_bundleAttributes == null)
    {
      _bundleAttributes = new ArrayList<String>();
      _bundleAttributes.add("xmlns");
      _bundleAttributes.add("languageCode");
      _bundleAttributes.add("url");
    }

    return super.parseData(data, documentName);
  }

  public List<String> getResourceAttributes()
  {
    return _resourceAttributes;
  }

  public void setResourceAttributes(List<String> resourceAttributes)
  {
    _resourceAttributes = resourceAttributes;
  }

  public List<String> getBundleAttributes()
  {
    return _bundleAttributes;
  }

  public void setBundleAttributes(List<String> bundleAttributes)
  {
    _bundleAttributes = bundleAttributes;
  }

  @Override
  public boolean processElement(String elementName, Map<String, String> attributeDict)
  {
    if (elementName.equals("Resources"))
    {
      MBResourceConfiguration confDef = new MBResourceConfiguration();
      getStack().push(confDef);
    }
    else if (elementName.equals("Resource"))
    {
      checkAttributesForElement(elementName, attributeDict, _resourceAttributes);

      MBResourceDefinition resourceDef = new MBResourceDefinition();
      resourceDef.setResourceId(attributeDict.get("id"));
      resourceDef.setUrl(attributeDict.get("url"));
      resourceDef.setCacheable(Boolean.parseBoolean(attributeDict.get("cacheable")));
      if (attributeDict.containsKey("ttl"))
      {
        resourceDef.setTtl(Integer.parseInt(attributeDict.get("ttl")));
      }

      ((MBResourceConfiguration) getStack().peek()).addResource(resourceDef);
      getStack().add(resourceDef);
    }
    else if (elementName.equals("Bundle"))
    {
      checkAttributesForElement(elementName, attributeDict, _bundleAttributes);

      MBBundleDefinition bundleDef = new MBBundleDefinition();
      bundleDef.setUrl(attributeDict.get("url"));
      bundleDef.setLanguageCode(attributeDict.get("languageCode"));

      ((MBResourceConfiguration) getStack().peek()).addBundle(bundleDef);
      getStack().push(bundleDef);
    }
    else
    {
      return false;
    }

    return true;
  }

  @Override
  public void didProcessElement(String elementName)
  {
    if (!elementName.equals("Resources"))
    {
      getStack().pop();
    }
  }

  @Override
  public boolean isConcreteElement(String element)
  {
    return element.equals("Resource") || element.equals("Bundle") || element.equals("Resources");
  }

  @Override
  public boolean isIgnoredElement(String element)
  {
    return false;
  }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
HomeNewsGB Women's Olympic dream to start in Nottingham
GB Women's Olympic dream to start in Nottingham
3rd September 2021 Craig Anderson News, Team GB 0
Nottingham will host the women's Olympic qualifiers next month (PHOTO: Ice Hockey UK)
Nottingham's National Ice Centre will host next month's Winter Qualifying featuring the Great Britain's Women's team after Korea opted not to host it.
The tournament, featuring Mike Clancy's team along with the Koreans, Slovenia and Iceland takes place from Thursday 7th October until Sunday 10th October.
The group winners will enter the final qualifying stage, taking place in November for a spot at next year's Winter Olympics in Beijing.
It's a second Olympic Qualifying event in the UK in less than two years after the National Ice Centre hosted the men's qualifying event in February 2020.
Ice Hockey UK Chair, Clifton Wrottesley, said: "We are really excited to be hosting one of the groups in the latest round of Olympic Qualifying.
The Women's Olympic Pre-Qualification Round 2 Group F originally planned in Gangneung (Korea) will take place at the @Nat_Ice_Centre in Nottingham (Great Britain).
Teams:@KIHAICEHOCKEY 🇰🇷@IceHockeyUK 🇬🇧@lovehokej 🇸🇮@icelandhockey 🇮🇸
Read more: https://t.co/ZBmS3tOleu
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) September 3, 2021
"I'd like to sincerely thank the National Ice Centre for their support in getting this confirmed in such a short space of time. They've really gone above and beyond – and pulled out all the stops to turn this around in such a short space of time.
"This is a massive opportunity to showcase the women's game and we are thrilled to be hosting it in such a fantastic venue.
"What a fantastic prospect – being able to support our women on their quest towards the Olympics in Beijing next year and being able to do it on home ice.
"I really hope that every ice hockey fan out there in the UK will be able to come to the arena in Nottingham and cheer on the GB ladies, who I know will be giving it their all to qualify for the next round next month."
Full schedule and ticket prices will be announced very shortly.
GB Women
Mike Clancy
National Ice Centre
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3rd February 2020 Craig Anderson 0
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GB Olympic dreams fade as Hungary take win
9th February 2020 Craig Anderson 0
GREAT BRITAIN 4 HUNGARY 1 Great Britain are out of the Winter Olympics after a 4-1 defeat to Hungary in their final game of qualifying [Read more…]
2022 Winter Olympics: Who's in, who's out?
15th September 2021 Craig Anderson 0
by Georgia McCann The qualifiers are over and the NHL have finally agreed to release players for the Olympics. This can only mean one thing: [Read more…]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Tinder co-founders swipe left on valuation and sue current owners
15 Aug 2018221 Views
Tinder apps. Image: Alex Ruhl/Shutterstock
Tinder co-founders allege they are owed money.
The co-founders of Tinder as well as former and current executives are suing the hook-up app's current owners, alleging they have been denied billions of dollars they are due.
They say they were promised a big payday if they achieved the goal of bringing the company to a certain value. However, they allege they were deliberately prevented from cashing in stock options.
The suit, filed in a court in New York, is seeking at least $2bn in damages from Match Group and its parent company, InterActiveCorp (IAC).
They are basing their dispute on stock options received by Tinder co-founder and former CEO, Sean Rad.
The plaintiffs allege that despite contractual agreements, when it came to being paid, they were effectively stood up through various corporate jigs and reels.
The group includes Rad, Justin Mateen and Jonathan Badeen as well as several executives given stock options in the dating app company as part of their compensation in 2014. Combined, the stock options accounted for 20pc of Tinder.
They allege that they were only allowed to exercise their options and sell only to IAC and Match on specific dates in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021.
The plaintiffs claim that incomplete financial information valued Tinder at $3bn in 2017, below what they believe the company was worth.
Tinder is expected to bring in about $800m in revenue this year, valuing the company at 75pc higher than the revenue number used to calculate its value in 2017.
IAC and Match merged the platform into Match and cancelled the future dates for exercising options, with the plaintiffs alleging they did so without the consent of Tinder's board of directors.
"Through deception, bullying and outright lies, IAC-Match stole billions of dollars from the Tinder employees," the plaintiffs said in a statement.
IAC and Match said the allegations in the complaint were "meritless", adding: "We intend to vigorously defend against them."
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2 Jul 2019135 Views


text:
Music Monday: The Spaceape RIP
Stephen Gordon, who recorded as the Spaceape, died earlier this month after living with cancer for several years.
This is from Melissa Bradshaw's obituary of him in the Guardian (24 October 2014):
'The Spaceape, who has died of cancer aged 44, was a poet, vocalist and MC from London who took the Jamaican dub poetry tradition into a new and experimental age. Born Stephen Gordon, he made a series of recordings as The Spaceape – both in his own right and with others including the pioneering DJ, producer and academic Kode9 and the Mercury Prize-nominated electronic artist Burial – that defined "dubstep", the bass-heavy soundtrack to much of 21st-century youth culture...
His longest-term collaboration was with Kode9 (Steve Goodman), the founder of the Hyperdub record label that became synonymous with the rise of dubstep in the early 2000s. Gordon had never performed or recorded music until Goodman, his flatmate, suggested that they should try doing a track together. Gordon chose a cover version of the Prince song Sign O'The Times, and the result, Sine of the Dub, became the first single to be released on Hyperdub in 2006...
Gordon was born in Peckham, south London, to Joyce, a healthcare worker, who died when he was 12, and Hubert, who worked for Ford. He attended the William Penn secondary school [now Charter School] in Dulwich. After leaving school aged 17, he worked in clothes retail, and did an access course at the London College of Fashion, followed by a degree at Goldsmiths, University of London. His father returned to Jamaica when Gordon was 21, but he stayed in London, working at the British Film Institute, and then as an image researcher at the BBC, leaving shortly after being diagnosed with cancer in 2009.
He is survived by his wife, Luciana, their daughter, Cleo, and his father. Stephen Samuel Gordon (The Spaceape), poet and MC, born 17 June 1970; died 2 October 2014'
His final EP with Kode9 The Killing Season, has just been released.
Hyperdub's 5th birthday at Corsica Studios, Elephant & Castle, 2009
- I saw Kode9and The Spaceape there
Labels: grime/garage/dubstep/house, Hyperdub, Kode9, Music Monday, Steve Gordon, the Spaceape
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text:
Artificial intelligence, bias and clinical safety
Narrative review
Robert Challen EPSRC Centre for Predictive Modelling in Healthcare, University of Exeter College of Engineering Mathematics and Physical Sciences, Exeter, UK Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Taunton, UK PubMed articlesGoogle scholar articles
Joshua Denny Departments of Biomedical Informatics and Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA PubMed articlesGoogle scholar articles
Martin Pitt NIHR CLAHRC for the South West Peninsula, St Luke's Campus, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK PubMed articlesGoogle scholar articles
Luke Gompels Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Taunton, UK PubMed articlesGoogle scholar articles
Tom Edwards Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Taunton, UK PubMed articlesGoogle scholar articles
Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova EPSRC Centre for Predictive Modelling in Healthcare, University of Exeter College of Engineering Mathematics and Physical Sciences, Exeter, UK PubMed articlesGoogle scholar articles
Correspondence to Dr Robert Challen, EPSRC Centre for Predictive Modelling in Healthcare, University of Exeter College of Engineering Mathematics and Physical Sciences, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK; rc538{at}exeter.ac.uk
Challen R, Denny J, Pitt M, et al
Received May 23, 2018
Revised November 23, 2018
Accepted December 6, 2018
First published January 12, 2019.
Previous version (12 January 2019).
You are viewing the most recent version of this article.
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ. This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon this work for any purpose, provided the original work is properly cited, a link to the licence is given, and indication of whether changes were made. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0


text:
New contracts with supermarket chain
Asda stocks up on £300,000 Scottish drinks deal
Terry Murden, Editor | May 10, 2016
Edinburgh Gin, Valt Vodka and Tullibardine Distillery have launched three products in deals worth £300,000 with supermarket chain Asda.
Tullibardine will supply its new Highland single malt sherry finish whisky to 50 stores across the country. The deal follows a major investment in a new warehouse, bottling plant and visitors centre at its Perthshire distillery.
Valt Vodka's single malt Scottish vodka, produced by Strathleven distillers will be stocked in 40 Scottish stores. The brand is the world's first single malt Scottish vodka which uses 100% Scottish malt barley and mountain water from the River Spey in its distilling process. The vodka has been in production since 2006 and its recipe has been produced using specially designed bespoke copper still.
Edinburgh Gin is now on sale at 55 Scottish stores, as well as Edinburgh Rhubarb and Ginger Gin Liqueur, which is exclusive to Asda.
Heather Turnbull, regional buyer for Asda Scotland, said: "With sales of gin predicted to reach over £1bn by the end of 2016 and the whisky and vodka sectors continuing to perform well, it's clear that consumers' taste palates are becoming increasingly sophisticated."
Alex Nicol, co-founder of Edinburgh Gin, added: "The gin and spirits industry has seen significant growth which we have experienced for ourselves at Edinburgh Gin. We have been crafting the gin renaissance from our distillery in Scotland's capital since 2010, aiding people's modern-day discovery of gin.
"Whether new to gin or a connoisseur, this deal is testament to the fact that people are enjoying spirits like gin in new ways and a great example of Asda's commitment to supporting Scottish suppliers."
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text:
…and Related Subjects
Steampunk Fortnight
Steampunk Fortnight Giveaway: New Books From Tor
Tue Nov 2, 2010 3:31pm 373 comments Favorite This
And with tears in our eyes—and, presumably, yours—we have come to our final Steampunk Fortnight giveaway: another cache of books-glorious-books from our compatriots at Tor Books.
Dreadnought by Cherie Priest: "Nurse Mercy Lynch is elbows deep in bloody laundry at a war hospital in Richmond, Virginia, when Clara Barton comes bearing bad news: Mercy's husband has died in a POW camp. On top of that, a telegram from the west coast declares that her estranged father is gravely injured, and he wishes to see her. Mercy sets out toward the Mississippi River. Once there, she'll catch a train over the Rockies and—if the telegram can be believed—be greeted in Washington Territory by the sheriff, who will take her to see her father in Seattle." (Read an excerpt here.)
The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman: "The world is only half made. What exists has been carved out amidst a war between two rival factions: the Line, paving the world with industry and claiming its residents as slaves; and the Gun, a cult of terror and violence that cripples the population with fear. The only hope at stopping them has seemingly disappeared—the Red Republic that once battled the Gun and the Line, and almost won. Now they're just a myth, a bedtime story parents tell their children, of hope." (Read an excerpt here.)
The Rise of the Iron Moon by Stephen Hunt: "From the author of The Court of the Air and The Kingdom Beyond the Waves comes a thrilling new adventure set in the same Victorian-style world. Perfect for fans of Philip Pullman and Susanna Clarke. Born into captivity as a product of the Royal Breeding House, friendless orphan Purity Drake suddenly finds herself on the run with a foreign vagrant after accidentally killing one of her guards. Her strange rescuer claims he is on the run himself from terrible forces who mean to enslave the Kingdom of Jackals as they conquered his own nation. Purity doubts his story, until reports begin to filter through from Jackals' neighbours of the terrible Army of Shadows, marching across the continent and sweeping all before them. But there's more to Purity than meets the eye. As Jackals girds itself for war against an army of near-unkillable beasts serving an ancient evil with a terrible secret, it soon becomes clear that their only hope is a strange little royalist girl and the last, desperate plan of an escaped slave." [ETA: Whoops. The copies of Rise of the Iron Moon will actually be galleys, not finished books. We meant to mention this, but my original version of the post crashed and Chris recreated it but didn't know that. Sorry for any confusion.]
The Osiris Ritual by George Mann: "Sir Maurice Newbury, Gentleman Investigator for the Crown, imagines life will be a little quieter after his dual successes solving The Affinity Bridge affair. But he hasn't banked on his villainous predecessor, Knox, who is hell-bent on achieving immortality, not to mention a secret agent who isn't quite what he seems….So continues an adventure quite unlike any other, a thrilling steampunk mystery and the second in the series of Newbury & Hobbes investigations."
Not Less Than Gods by Kage Baker: "Recently returned from war, young Edward Anton Bell-Fairfax is grateful to be taken under the wing of the Gentleman's Speculative Society. At the Society, Edward soon learns that a secret world flourishes beneath the surface of London's society, a world of wondrous and terrible inventions and devices used to tip the balance of power in a long-running game of high-stakes intrigue. Through his intensive training Edward Anton Bell-Fairfax, unwanted and lonely boy, becomes Edward Anton Bell-Fairfax, Victorian super-assassin, fleeing across the Turkish countryside in steam-powered coaches and honing his fighting skills against clockwork opponents."
[Also edited to add: In case it wasn't clear from the official rules: we have five Tor prize packs. We'll be giving away three right here and one each on Facebook and Twitter, so please feel free to stop by our other outposts on the web to increase your chances of winning.
The Official Rules: To enter, leave one comment on this post—duplicates won't count—by noon EST on Thursday, November 4th, leave a comment in Facebook, or reply on Twitter. The five winners—three from this post, one on Facebook and one on Twitter—will be chosen randomly. Please check your email on November 4th and 5th; if we don't hear back from the winner in 24 hours, another winner will be chosen.
...and Related SubjectsbooksCherie PriestDreadnoughtFelix GilmanGeorge ManngiveawaysKage BakerNot Less Than GodsSteampunkSteampunk FortnightStephen HuntThe Half-Made WorldThe Osiris RitualThe Rise of the Iron MoonTor Bookswritten word
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Merrii Technologies introduced the Hummingbird development kit powered by AllWinner A20 last year. Since then they've sold 10,000 pieces, and have been working on another development board based on AllWinner A31 with lots of different ports and options, including an optional 7″ capacitive touch screen.
Audio I/O – HDMI, 3.5mm jack for stereo audio, 3.5mm jack for Line IN (Same as TV IN). 2x 15w amplifier on-board.
USB – 2x USB host port, 1x micro USB OTG, and 3 internal USB headers.
Detailed information is not available for this board, but thanks to Charbax video below we know the board will be compatible with the same 7″ display (800×600) support by Hummingbird A20, and the company can provide Android 4.4 and Linux 3.3 + Qt SDKs with full source code for the board. Compared to the previous versions, Hummingbird A31 adds supports for 3G Modules, a VGA interface, and more accessible pins.
@xxiao The A20 Hummingbird has wifi/BT combo. The module in the lower left of the A31 board looks identical to the one on the A20 board, but the photo isn't clear enough to know for sure.
@xxiao In the video you can see that it is an AP6210. That is SDIO 2.4Ghz / BT 4.0 combo modules. Same module that is on the Cubietruck. There is chip antenna on edge of board labeled ANT1.
is this wifi module same as the one on cs868 because that was the only good thing on that device.
Yes, some products are specs like that. GMAC = Gigabit Ethernet, EMAC = 10/100Mbps Ethernet.
CS868 has a Wi-Fi module based on Realtek RTL8188EUS with a chip antenna. (No cable inside).
Hummingbird, Hummingboard – no wonder I was confused!
So this one has a socket for a sim card because 3G modem modules (as opposed to cased devices) don't?
What other IOs it has in these two long headers on its back?
Yes and yes. It's in the post.
For the other, they don't even have a product page for the board… You could try to chat on Aliexpress to get that information.
Ok, I missed the small uart connector at the bottom of the picture. Perhaps the uboot key is the fex?
I still wonder if anyone knows what gpios those 2×30 headers offer. Must be most of what the a31 can offer..
Where do i place an order for the Hummingbird A31 Development Board?
Is there an fel button on the board?
How do you load OS onto this board?
It should boot from flash or micro SD card. The company should have the images and source code for their board.
Yes, there's a VGA port, so it should be able to output to VGA.
Is this board community supported ? where are the wiki's, userguides any forums for interacting with other developers ?
There's very little community support for AllWinner A31 is general. The company making the hummingbird should provide you with the documentation and source code, but it's not available publicly AFAIK.
I'm thinking if change from rockchip to allwinner. I planed to buy some development boards for a team project and I thought maybe the Radxa is a very good option for my guys to learn. After find this A31 I though it's really wanderful, but I don't see any support or documentation. I probably will need MIPI display output and this one (from their aliexpress shop) looks like have it, the Radxa does not have. I'll try to contact them tomorrow, if they have documentation maybe I try to work in AllWinner products.
The board looks really good, but even Radxa community looks 1000 times better.
Radxa and Rockchip support don't seem to be working towards submitting their code to mainline Linux. Their Linux support is for 3.0 which is a couple of years old. It is easy to hack old kernels, just look up the published exploits that have been fixed in later kernels. Sony lost millions when their Play Station network got hacked because of old kernels.
The sunxi group is working towards mainline submission of the Allwinner code. A lot of it is already in mainline. Hopefully Allwinner will start participating in this process more directly since they have joined Linaro.
So for playing around a 3.0 kernel is fine. Just don't ship any Internet connected products using it.
That's wrong. Rockchip even contributes directly to the kernel.
I have a project in my hands related to a basic board (quad core) with a small high quality display. It must run Android.
The Radxa has HDMI, A/V and RGB (in same LCD line than A/V). There is not MIPI there or LVDS, so it's a problem for me now.
But also that's true, Radxa people has some instructions about LCD manage, MERRII does not have anything!
It will be good if a development board based in a CHINESE SoC is well documented as the SoC manufacturer is even more closed than them.
I will need around 4″ LCD ~ 720p (or near). Any way to learn about LCD control managed by Android?
Today I could speak in english with a sales. They said will provide documentation in english after buying. They asked why don't go to visit their office here in Shenzhen… maybe I can go.
Graham :How do you load OS onto this board?
Unable to boot the microSd.
Domingos – Juazeiro-Ba – BRASIL.
Anybody already use this board???
its always says as invalid password.


Margaret (Martha) Hannegan (Hanegan)'s father. She was the wife of George Elmore Northrop.
1868 map of Westport shows Mrs. Hannegan on what looks like the current Bulkley Avenue. John was discharged in 1865, but the data for maps is often a year or two behind the printing date.
Sad to consider that a family separated by service in Civil War would come to be known as "Mrs. Hannegan" rather than "the Hannegans". With the record of the 14th C. V. and limited communication, it is possible there were times Sarah would have believed he was lost.
Sarah Hannegan (b. ~ 1826) died in September 1869 in Westport. She was only age 43 and died of cancer. I have not found her resting place. NEED TO CHECK FAIRFIELD EAST.
Between July or August, 1862 and June 1865, Sarah had been without her husband.
They had just a little over 4 years together after his return and it's quite possible that she was suffering from the effects of her illness for the last year or more.
Sarah died sometime before April 13, '1878. That is the date of John's admission to Civil War Hospital at Hampton, VA where he is listed as a widower.
Mom's notes say "Last known address 70 Poplar Street, Brooklyn (prob NY), born in Ireland." but I have not verified this information. Here is that block on Poplar Street.
Very interesting if this is correct address. It is adjacent to the Irish area of Brooklyn called Vinegar Hill.
"The Vinegar Hill Historic District... a residential remnant of the early nineteenth-century neighborhood that occupied the blocks between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. By the late nineteenth century, the large number of Irish residents had given the neighborhood the popular name "Irishtown," although other ethnic groups also lived in the area [Germans, Norwegians, Swedes, Poles, Italians, and Eastern European Jews]. ... The groups of houses that survive within the Vinegar Hill Historic District retain their historic architectural character and create a distinct sense of place, recalling a significant era in Brooklyn's history.
Area lots " were developed individually or in small groups in the 1840s and 1850s with houses that have Greek Revival and Italianate characteristics. Further residential construction occurred on a few remaining vacant lots on Hudson Avenue, Water Street, and Front Street in the years following the Civil War. By the late nineteenth century, the Vinegar Hill area had become a dense residential and industrial neighborhood. Hudson Avenue was a busy commercial strip, as evidenced by surviving ground-story shopfronts. .... Most of the residents worked on the waterfront, in the Navy Yard, or in neighborhood industries. By 1903, major changes began to occur in the area as a result of the building of the Manhattan Bridge and industrial expansion in the decade following the consolidation of the City of New York in 1898. Hundreds of small dwellings were replaced with large industrial buildings. More houses were razed in the 1920s and 1930s for truck storage facilities, parking lots, and warehouses, a pattern which continued after World War II.
This is from a wonderful blog post on NY Irish Roots.
This shows a home from Vinegar Hill. Click to see the entire blog.
Also from mom's notes: "Birth record Margaret HannAgan With the A circled -- 23 Park Row".
Must be NYC, there's no Park Row found in Brooklyn. It is just across from Brooklyn.
It looks like 23 Park Row is just across the street from the area usually shown as the notorious Five Points area. It is just a couple of blocks from City Hall, then identified as Tammany Hall on the 1831 map.
...Five Points is alleged to have sustained the highest murder rate of any slum in the world. According to an old New York urban legend, the Old Brewery, an overcrowded tenement on Cross Street housing 1,000 poor, is said to have had a murder a night for 15 years, until its demolition in 1852.
There are a number of letters from "Hattie" to Mrs. George E. Northrop -- I think this may be Maggie's sister.
Also from mom's notes Margaret Hannagan Northrop's brother nephew-- William Hennry Hannagan, b July 18, 1907. Mother Gracia A. Phillips ( 36 in 1907 North Adams, MA.)Father William H. Hannigan, Wspt. Tinsmith, Westport.
I think Margaret was born New York despite the conflicting entries.
With the Civil War documentation, I'm confident John was born in Ireland. It's quite possible it was advisable to obscure the Irish heritage in the earlier census years.
The information on Maggie's mother may be another story. Disparate data may support the notion that there was a second marriage -- that her birth mother was Irish and her step mother was vorn in NY or CT.
Is wife Sarah a Bunnell? Is she the first wife.
The Bunnell name is found early in Connecticut history- in Litchfield County, in the New Haven area and in the Fairfield Westport area.
Henry A. Lambert and Rufus W. Bunnell were a Bridgeport architectural firm who designed buildings in Southport during the 1860s and 70s.
There are several Bunnell families in Westport.
Margaret E. Hannigan and George Northrop were married January 17, 1865 in Port Chester, NY by Valentine A Lewis, minister.
"United States Famine Irish Passenger Index, 1846-1851," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KDX6-BP4 : 27 December 2014), M. Hannegan, 12 Jul 1847; from "Famine Irish Passenger Record Data File (FIPAS), 1/12/1846 - 12/31/1851," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (http://aad.archives.gov : accessed 2012); citing "Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies. Center for Immigration Research 1976-2002."
Margaret's sister, Sarah, married George Hale of Greens Farms. My father, Alvin, could remember "Uncle George Hale" as he was growing up.
There is also a possible New Haven Naturalization record.
1860 Census Michael could he be the son of Michael below? --born the year they arrived? They are the only Hannegan of any spelling who specified Connecticut as their destination -- leading one to believe they know someone already or had a position in advance. Makes me think he is related to John Hannegan. So I'd speculate that John was here first. I'm not sure on the Margaret/Martha born in Connecticut -- if so , John and family were here by ~ 1846.
This shows sister Sarah who married George Hale and apparently a younger brother, John.
5' 8" tall Light skin, Light eyes, Light hair.
"Perhaps the most famous and hardest-hit regiment was the Connecticut 14th, which arrived at Antietam (September 17, 1862), the single bloodiest battle of the war, after only a few weeks of training."
" The regiment suffered again only a few months later in Virginia at Fredericksburg (December 11-15, 1862)."
Finally, at Gettysburg, the 14th gained some degree of redemption. Protecting one of the most important points of the Union line, the men withstood Confederate Major General George Pickett's famous charge on July 3, 1863, leaped over a stone wall, and captured six enemy battle flags. Three men from the regiment (Elijah W. Bacon, Christopher Flynn, and William B. Hincks) received the Congressional Medal of Honor for valor."
The name Hannegan in Ireland is derived from the native Gaelic O'hAnnagain Sept that was located in Counties Waterford and Tyrone(not really sure on this -- ej). It is in these Counties that the majority of descendants bearing this name can still today be found. Hannigan is a variant.
The following are possible Hannigan family crests that have been assigned to my ancestor's in Ireland. I will continue to add crests until such time as I can find the direct link to my ancestors.
In 2003 - the gravestone for Patrick Joseph Hannigan was found at St. Raymond's Cemetery, Bronx, NY. It indicates he was from County Limerick, which limits the Family Heraldry Crest to an origin of Limerick or one of the neighboring counties.
The Irish name Hannon has derived from a number of distinct native Gaelic Septs including O'hAnnain and O'hAinchin of County Galway, and O'hAnnachain of County Limerick. Hanneen, Hanahan and Hannan are among those chosen as an alternative anglicized form of the native name.
The Irish name Hennigan is derived from the native Gaelic O'hEineachain and O'hEanachain Septs that were located in County Mayo in the West of the country. It is in the Western Counties that the majority of descendants can still today be found. These Sept names were also anglicized as Heneghan and Henihan.
The name Hannegan in Ireland is derived from the native Gaelic O'hAnnagain Sept that was located in Counties Waterford and Tyrone. It is in these Counties that the majority of descendants bearing this name can still today be found. Hannigan is a variant.


If it is determined that your unit must be sent to a Service center, you will be issued an SRO Number (Service Request Order).
We need to have all details such as serial number, model number, description of problem, and approximate shipping date.
You will be given the address to ship your instrument to one of our Global Service Centers.
Please make sure the the SRO# appears on the shipping documents and also on the outside of the Shipping Box.


text:
#include "systemGenerator.h"

#include <qrutils/stringUtils.h>
#include <generatorBase/generatorCustomizer.h>

using namespace trik::simple;
using namespace generatorBase::simple;

SystemGenerator::SystemGenerator(const qrRepo::RepoApi &repo
		, generatorBase::GeneratorCustomizer &customizer
		, const qReal::Id &id
		, QObject *parent)
	: BindingGenerator(repo, customizer, id
			, repo.property(id, "Code").toBool() ? "nativeCode.t" : "system.t"
			, { repo.property(id, "Code").toBool()
					? Binding::createStatic("@@COMMAND@@"
							, utils::StringUtils::dequote(repo.property(id, "Command").toString()))
					: Binding::createConverting("@@COMMAND@@", "Command"
							, customizer.factory()->stringPropertyConverter(id, "Command"))
			}
			, parent)
{
}


The University of Lynchburg School of Business and Economics (SOBE) will host a simulcast of one of the world's premier leadership conferences on March 30 and 31. The conference will give LC students, as well as members of the Central Virginia community, an opportunity to learn about leadership from internationally known speakers.
LEAD2015 is a two-day leadership conference featuring stories and talks by 22 world thought leaders from government, business ventures, and nonprofit organizations. Produced by HR.com, the program is designed to inspire leadership in people from all walks of life and encourage education, collaboration and ethical leadership. The event will be held in Dallas, but it will be streamed live to locations around the world—including LC.
The culmination of the conference is the 2015 Leadership Excellence Awards Ceremony where the latest Leadership Excellence rankings will be unveiled. Although the awards ceremony will not be simulcast, the LC community looks forward to learning about the rankings soon thereafter; the SOBE was ranked number 10 in the Educational Institution category in 2014, and has been placed in the top 30 since 2011.
Former President Bill Clinton will deliver the keynote address for LEAD2015. Other speakers include Craig Kileburger, founder of the nonprofit Free the Children; Erin Gruwell, founder of the Freedom Writers Foundation; and Ken Blanchard, a business consultant and coauthor of the bestselling One Minute Manager. Visit www.lead2015.com for the complete list of speakers.
The conference includes time scheduled for a live, local talk. Dr. Ira Kaufman, assistant professor of marketing, will present "Leadership in the Digital Age" at 9 a.m. March 31. Kaufman is the president of the marketing firm Entwine Digital and author of the book Digital Marketing: Integrating Strategy and Tactics with Values.
To register for the conference, purchase tickets on the LC simulcast EventBrite page, using the password lead2015lynchburg. Tickets may be purchased for both days of the conference or only one day.


text:
Public Health Advisory Council
COVID-19 Credentials Initiative
Search LFPH
Sharing Health Data while Preserving Privacy: The Cardea Project
Posted on June 21, 2022 By Trevor Butterworth
In a new white paper, the Cardea Project at Linux Foundation Public Health demonstrates a complete, decentralized, open source system for sharing medical data in a privacy-preserving way with machine readable governance for establishing trust
The Cardea Project began as a response to the global Covid-19 pandemic and the need for countries and airlines to admit travelers. As Covid shut down air travel and presented an existential threat to countries whose economies depended on tourism, SITA Aero, the largest provider of IT technology to the air transport sector, saw decentralized identity technology as the ideal solution to manage a proof of Covid test status for travel.
With a verifiable credential, a traveler could hold their health data and not only prove they had a specific test at a specific time, they could use it—or a derivative credential—to prove their test status to enter hotels and hospitality spaces without having to divulge any personal information. Entities that needed to verify a traveler's test status could, in turn, avoid the complexity of direct integrations with healthcare providers and the challenge of complying with onerous health data privacy law.
Developed by Indicio with SITA and the government of Aruba, the technology was successfully trialed in 2021 and the code specifically developed for the project was donated to Linux Foundation Public Health (LFPH) as a way for any public health authority to implement an open source, privacy-preserving way to manage Covid test and vaccination data. The Cardea codebase continues to develop at LFPH as Indicio, SITA, and the Cardea Community Group extend its features and applications beyond Covid-related data.
On May 22, 2022 at the 15th KuppingerCole European Identity and Cloud Conference in Berlin, SITA won the Verifiable Credentials and Decentralized Identity Award for its implementation of decentralized identity in Aruba.
The new white paper from the Cardea Project provides an in-depth examination of the background to Cardea, the transformational power of decentralized identity technology, how it works, the implementation in Aruba, and how it can be deployed to authenticate and share multiple kinds of health data in privacy-preserving ways. As the white paper notes,
"…Cardea is more than a solution for managing COVID-19 testing; it is a way to manage any health-related process where critical and personal information needs to be shared and verified in a way that enables privacy and enhances security. It is able to meet the requirements of the 21st Century Cures Act and Europe's General Data Protection Regulation, and in doing so enable use cases that range from simple proof of identity to interoperating ecosystems encompassing multiple cloud services, organizations, and sectors, where data needs to be, and can be, shared in immediately actionable ways.
Open source, interoperable decentralized identity technology is the only viable way to manage both the challenges of the present—where entire health systems can be held at ransom through identity-based breaches—and the opportunities presented by a digital future where digital twins, smart hospitals, and spatial web applications will reshape how healthcare is managed and delivered."
The white paper is available here. The community development group meets weekly on Thursdays at 9:00am PST—please join us!
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Awhile back I wanted to build my own chaise lounge chair, since a large majority of the store bought one's are cheaply made from plastic. One day I was searching the internet for plans/idea's for building my chaise lounge chair, when I ran into to an article titled "Build a Lounge Chair from Pallets". Well this was my inspiration.
I decided to do a nice looking modern streamlined lounge chair from wood mainly from pallets. Where I work we have at least 100-150 pallets out back. So at the beginning of this past summer (for about a month) I started collecting certain pallets, which were nicely made compared to the norm. Once I had enough good pieces of wood the project was on.
I used a router, rounded the ends of the slats. Lots of sanding was involved with this project (about 30$ in sandpaper), and a lot of TLC. Please note that the 2 main side rails were not from pallets, they were purchased from HomeDepot for 1$ each (scrap pieces). All together I spent close too 100$ for supplies (sandpaper, stain, varathane, deck screws, and ECT).
Please forgive me for taking so long to update this instructable, Most of the build pictures I had taken were on my cell phone. Cell phone crashed awhile back, I was able to recover some of the pictures. These pictures show some of the details for the back rest support. The pivot is kind of unique, it came from an x-y adjusting table that was being scrapped at work. For Staining I found it was easier to use gel stain (color honey) if I remember correctly. I ended up putting on 4 coats of varithane, lightly sanding with 320 grit between coats. One thing I learned was water based varithane still clouds up, when chair gets really wet, this is after 3 months. Next time I will make sure to use an oil base product. You can put the chair out in the rain 3 hours after your done applying it, and it stay's perfectly sealed.
Well it has been two summers, coming up on the third summer since I built the chaise lounge. This is what it looks like now. I just started disassembling the lounge chair for refinishing. After two summers it looks like hell. While I am refinishing the chair, I have been taking pictures. So this time I will be able to show the frame and pivot details. Soon I will be updating the Instructable. Here are a first few pictures for now.
Could you post the instuctables please??? i love this chair! and I cannot afford a premium membership and i want to build this!!
I can send all the pictures I have, showing all the details. I don't really have a good instructable.
Gorgeous chaise! This is the prettiest piece of found wood furniture. Thank you for you I'ble.
nice work. This louger might cost 600$ in the market.
Any chance you could take a picture from behind pivot? Beautiful chair!
Very nice chair. Warm honey color really makes it pop. Good idea to router the edges of the slats- adds a finished look and probably more comfortable too.
Could you send me the link of the detailed instructable? (if you were able to make it)..


Maxim Ibadov is this month's Junior of the Month! He loves attending FDR, because it provides him with great opportunities; there are lots of amazing teachers and peers. Maxim has joined the Theater Guild and the Mock Trial Team. He wants to do Peer Mediation and the Key Club next year, because he will have more time to participate in these activities. He thinks he is doing well for a person relatively new to the United States. Maxim's favorite class is AP American History with Mr. Sullivan, because Maxim finds history very interesting. His favorite teachers are Mr. Catalano and Ms. Olshausky, because he knows he can always get help from them. They are professionals who know how to teach. Maxim's advice to upcoming juniors is to find a balance between your classes, afterschool actives, and SAT/ACT prep. According to Maxim, school should be the number one priority in your life. Maxims believes he was selected to be the Junior of the Month, because he has a very high average in all his classes and participated in FDR's Theatre Guild production. Way to go Maxim!


text:
Works by John Bishop
( view other items matching `John Bishop`, view all matches )
Disambiguations Disambiguations:
John Mark Bishop [5] John Bishop [3]
John Bishop
John Mark Bishop
Goldsmiths College, University of London
Natural Agency: An Essay on the Causal Theory of Action.John Bishop - 1989 - Cambridge University Press.details
From a moral point of view we think of ourselves as capable of responsible actions. From a scientific point of view we think of ourselves as animals whose behaviour, however highly evolved, conforms to natural scientific laws. Natural Agency argues that these different perspectives can be reconciled, despite the scepticism of many philosophers who have argued that 'free will' is impossible under 'scientific determinism'. This scepticism is best overcome, according to the author, by defending a causal theory of action, that (...) is by establishing that actions are constituted by behavourial events with the appropriate kind of mental causal history. He sets out a rich and subtle argument for such a theory and defends it against its critics. Thus the book demonstrates the importance of philosophical work in action theory for the central metaphysical task of understanding our place in nature. (shrink)
Bookmark 79 citations
A Cognitive Computation Fallacy? Cognition, Computations and Panpsychism.John Mark Bishop - 2009 - Cognitive Computation 1 (3):221-233.details
The journal of Cognitive Computation is defined in part by the notion that biologically inspired computational accounts are at the heart of cognitive processes in both natural and artificial systems. Many studies of various important aspects of cognition (memory, observational learning, decision making, reward prediction learning, attention control, etc.) have been made by modelling the various experimental results using ever-more sophisticated computer programs. In this manner progressive inroads have been made into gaining a better understanding of the many components of (...) cognition. Concomitantly in both science and science fiction the hope is periodically re-ignited that a manmade system can be engineered to be fully cognitive and conscious purely in virtue of its execution of an appropriate computer program. However, whilst the usefulness of the computational metaphor in many areas of psychology and neuroscience is clear, it has not gone unchallenged and in this article I will review a group of philosophical arguments that suggest either such unequivocal optimism in computationalism is misplaced—computation is neither necessary nor sufficient for cognition—or panpsychism (the belief that the physical universe is fundamentally composed of elements each of which is conscious) is true. I conclude by highlighting an alternative metaphor for cognitive processes based on communication and interaction. (shrink)
Why computers can't feel pain.John Mark Bishop - 2009 - Minds and Machines 19 (4):507-516.details
The most cursory examination of the history of artificial intelligence highlights numerous egregious claims of its researchers, especially in relation to a populist form of 'strong' computationalism which holds that any suitably programmed computer instantiates genuine conscious mental states purely in virtue of carrying out a specific series of computations. The argument presented herein is a simple development of that originally presented in Putnam's (Representation & Reality, Bradford Books, Cambridge in 1988 ) monograph, "Representation & Reality", which if correct, has (...) important implications for turing machine functionalism and the prospect of 'conscious' machines. In the paper, instead of seeking to develop Putnam's claim that, "everything implements every finite state automata", I will try to establish the weaker result that, "everything implements the specific machine Q on a particular input set ( x )". Then, equating Q ( x ) to any putative AI program, I will show that conceding the 'strong AI' thesis for Q (crediting it with mental states and consciousness) opens the door to a vicious form of panpsychism whereby all open systems, (e.g. grass, rocks etc.), must instantiate conscious experience and hence that disembodied minds lurk everywhere. (shrink)
Counterfactuals cannot count: A rejoinder to David Chalmers.John Mark Bishop - 2002 - Consciousness and Cognition 11 (4):642-652.details
The initial argument presented herein is not significantly original—it is a simple reflection upon a notion of computation originally developed by Putnam and criticised by Chalmers et al. . In what follows, instead of seeking to justify Putnam's conclusion that every open system implements every Finite State Automaton and hence that psychological states of the brain cannot be functional states of a computer, I will establish the weaker result that, over a finite time window every open system implements the trace (...) of FSA Q, as it executes program on input . If correct the resulting bold philosophical claim is that phenomenal states—such as feelings and visual experiences—can never be understood or explained functionally. (shrink)
Bookmark 9 citations
Dancing with pixies: strong artificial intelligence and panpsychism.John Mark Bishop - 2002 - In John M. Preston & John Mark Bishop (eds.), Views into the Chinese Room: New Essays on Searle and Artificial Intelligence. Oxford University Press. pp. 360-379.details
The argument presented in this paper is not a direct attack or defence of the Chinese Room Argument (CRA), but relates to the premise at its heart, that syntax is not sufficient for semantics, via the closely associated propositions that semantics is not intrinsic to syntax and that syntax is not intrinsic to physics. However, in contrast to the CRA's critique of the link between syntax and semantics, this paper will explore the associated link between syntax and physics. The main (...) argument presented here is not significantly original – it is a simple reflection upon that originally given by Hilary Putnam (Putnam 1988) and criticised by David Chalmers and others: instead of seeking to justify Putnam's claim that, "every open system implements every Finite State Automaton (FSA)", and hence that psychological states of the brain cannot be functional states of a computer, I will seek to establish the weaker result that, over a finite time window every open system implements the trace of a particular FSA Q, as it executes program (p) on input (x). That this result leads to panpsychism is clear as, equating Q (p, x) to a specific Strong AI program that is claimed to instantiate phenomenal states as it executes, and following Putnam's procedure, identical computational (and ex hypothesi phenomenal) states (ubiquitous little 'pixies') can be found in every open physical system. (shrink)
In Quest of Authentic Divinity: Critical Notice of Mark Johnston's 'Saving God: Religion after Idolatry'.John Bishop - 2012 - European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 4 (4):175--191.details
The Imitation Game.John Mark Bishop - 2010 - Kybernetes 39 (3):398-402.details
This issue of the Kybernetes journal is concerned with the philosophical question- Can a Machine Think? Famously, in his 1950 paper `Computing Machinery andIntelligence' [9], the British mathematician Alan Turing suggested replacing this question - which he found \too meaningless to deserve discussion" - with a simple -behavioural - test based on an imagined `Victorianesque' pastime he entitled the`imitation game'. In this special issue of Kybernetes a selection of authors with a special interest in Turing's work (including those who participated (...) in the 2008 AISB Turing Symposium) have been invited to explore and clarify issues arising from Turing's 1950 paper on the Imitation Game; now more widely known as the Turing test. (shrink)
What Theological Explanation Could and Could Not Be.John Bishop - 2018 - European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 10 (4):141-160.details
The worldview of theism proposes an ultimate and global explanation of existence itself. What could such "theological explanation" possibly amount to? I shall consider what is unsatisfactory about a widely accepted answer–namely that existence is to be explained as produced and sustained by a supernatural personal agent of unsurpassably great power and goodness. I will suggest an alternative way in which existence could be open to a genuinely ultimate explanation, namely in terms of its being inherently directed upon a supremely (...) good end or telos and existing just because that telos is concretely realized. On this "euteleological" view, theological explanation, though it may need to be compatible with our best scientific theoretical explanations, operates in a clearly distinct explanatory dimension. (shrink)


In a railroad reorganization under § 5 of the Interstate Commerce Act, as amended by the Transportation Act of 1940, a Virginia corporation, with the approval of the Interstate Commerce Commission, succeeded to the ownership and operation of a unitary railroad system in six states, including South Carolina. In granting its approval, the Commission found that, for the corporation to comply with the laws of South Carolina forbidding the ownership and operation of railroads in the State by foreign corporations would result in "substantial delay and needless expense," and "would not be consistent with the public interest." The corporation sued in the Supreme Court of South Carolina to enjoin the State Attorney General from enforcing these state laws against it or collecting the heavy statutory penalties for noncompliance.
1. The State Supreme Court had jurisdiction of the suit, with power to determine whether the Commission's order exempted the corporation from compliance with the state railroad corporation laws and, if so, whether the Commission had transcended its statutory authority in making the order. Pp. 333 U. S. 122-123.
2. The Commission's order was intended to exempt the corporation from obedience to the State's laws forbidding foreign corporations to own or operate railroads in the State. P. 333 U. S. 124.
3. The Commission was authorized to issue such an order by § 5 of the Interstate Commerce Act, as amended by the Transportation Act of 1940. Texas v. United States, 292 U. S. 522. Pp. 333 U. S. 124-126.
4. It was not prevented from doing so by § 5(11), which forbids creation of a federal corporation but authorizes a state railroad corporation to exercise the powers therein granted in addition to those bestowed upon it by the state of its creation. Pp. 333 U. S. 126-127.
5. The corporation is entitled to the injunction it sought. P. 333 U. S. 127.
211 S.C. 122, 43 S.E.2d 839, reversed.
The Supreme Court of South Carolina dismissed a suit brought therein by a Virginia railroad corporation to enjoin the Attorney General of South Carolina from enforcing against it certain state laws forbidding foreign corporations to own or operate railroads in the State. 211 S.C. 122, 43 S.E.2d 839. On appeal to this Court, reversed and remanded, p. 333 U. S. 127.
In 1946, the appellant, Seaboard Air Line Railroad Company, with the approval of the Interstate Commerce Commission, succeeded to the ownership and operation of a unitary railroad system with 4,200 railway miles in six southern states. Seven hundred and thirty-six miles of its lines traverse South Carolina Connecting with its lines in adjoining states. Appellant is a Virginia-created corporation, has no South Carolina subsidiary, and has effected no consolidation with a South Carolina-created corporation. It is therefore subject to the penalties provided by South Carolina law if that law can validly be applied to it.
The answer to the complaint did not challenge the constitutional power of Congress to relieve appellant of compliance with South Carolina's requirements of state incorporation. It took the position that, insofar as the Commission order could be interpreted as an attempt to override state laws in this respect, it was void because outside the scope of the Commission's statutory authority.
The appellant then filed a demurrer on the ground that the answer, as a matter of law, constituted neither a defense nor a counterclaim, since it admitted all allegations of fact in the complaint, and advanced nothing more than erroneous legal conclusions as asserted reasons why appellant should not be granted the relief for which it prayed.
No evidence was taken, and the State Supreme Court decided the case on the pleadings. That court construed the Commission's order as relieving appellant from compliance with the statutory and constitutional provisions in issue, but it agreed with the respondents that the Commission lacked power under § 5 to enter such an order. Accordingly, the State Supreme Court revoked the temporary restraining order it had previously issued, denied the requested injunction, and dismissed the complaint. 43 S.E.2d 839. The case is properly here on appeal under § 237(a) of the Judicial Code, as amended, 28 U.S.C. § 344(a).
First. The complaint largely relied on an order of the Interstate Commerce Commission as a basis for the relief sought. The answer questioned the validity and scope of that order, but did not seek a decree to set it aside or suspend it. Federal district courts have exclusive jurisdiction of suits to enjoin, set aside, annul, or suspend an order of the Commission. In such suits, the United States is an indispensable Party. 28 U.S.C. § 46. Although the jurisdiction of the South Carolina Supreme Court was there conceded, and is not here challenged, we think it appropriate to pass upon it.
or annulment. Nor did the answer seek to have the enforcement of the order enjoined, although it did question its validity as a basis for the relief sought in the complaint.
The appellant was in this dilemma. Federal law required it to obey the order so long as it remained in effect; for a failure to abide by its terms, serious federal penalties could be imposed on it. 49 U.S.C. §§ 10(1), 16(7), (8), (9), (10). On the other hand, South Carolina statutes provided penalties for obedience to the order which South Carolina officials asserted were enforceable against appellant despite the Commission's order. There was thus a bona fide controversy between appellant and the state officials over the validity of the order. Appellant wanted to obey the order; the state officials insisted appellant must obey their statutes instead. Federal district courts have not been granted special jurisdiction to review and confirm orders of the Commission at the suit of railroads wishing to obey such orders.
Under the foregoing circumstances, appellant was not compelled to wait until someone who had standing to attack the Commission's order might decide to seek its annulment in a federal district court. It properly sought relief from a court which could obtain jurisdiction of the parties whose refusal to recognize the order gave rise to its predicament. And the state court then had power, because of the issues raised by the complaint and because of the relief requested, to determine whether the order, properly interpreted, did exempt appellant from compliance with the state railroad corporation laws, and, if so, whether the Commission had transcended its statutory authority in making the order. Illinois Cent. R. Co. v. Public Utilities Commission, 245 U. S. 493, 245 U. S. 502-505. See Lambert Run Coal Co. v. Baltimore & Ohio R. Co., 258 U. S. 377, 258 U. S. 381-382; Central New England R. Co. v. Boston & A. R. Co., 279 U. S. 415, 279 U. S. 420-421.
Second. It is here contended that the Commission's order did not manifest a clear purpose to authorize the exemption of appellant from obedience to the state's domestic corporation policy. We have no doubt that the Commission intended its order to have this effect. Its final order expressly stated that, subject to a condition not here relevant, it approved and authorized "the purchase . . . and the operation" by the appellant of the South Carolina and other railroad properties. Furthermore, the Commission discussed the South Carolina requirements in its report, and therein made findings that compliance by appellant with them "would not be consistent with the public interest." These references were made to the South Carolina provisions, according to the Commission's report, in response to the appellant's suggestion that it would "avoid complications" if the Commission's report showed "on its face that our order is intended to override them."
Third. Respondents contend that the Commission lacked statutory authority to enter an order which would permit a Virginia corporation to operate these railroad lines in and through South Carolina, contrary to that state's constitutional and legislative policy. They point to the broad powers states have always exercised in excluding foreign corporations and in admitting them within their borders upon conditions. They also emphasize the importance of this regulatory power to the states, and urge that, in the absence of express language requiring it, § 5 should be construed neither to restrict that state power nor to authorize the Commission to override state enactments. Recognizing the force of these arguments in general, we note the following circumstances which render them inapplicable in case.
read with this purpose in mind. In keeping with this purpose, Congress has often recognized that the nation's railroads should have sound corporate and financial structures, and has taken appropriate steps to this end. The purchase of this very railroad by appellant resulted from extensive reorganization proceedings conducted by the Interstate Commerce Commission and federal district courts in accordance with congressional enactments applicable to railroads. In furtherance of this congressional policy, these agencies approved reorganization plans which called for the purchase and operation of these properties, including the portion in South Carolina, by appellant, as a Virginia corporation.
"relieved from the operation of the antitrust laws and of all other restraints, limitations, and prohibitions of law, Federal, State, or municipal, insofar as may be necessary to enable them to carry into effect the transaction so approved . . . and to hold, maintain, and operate any properties . . . acquired through such transaction."
"Nothing in this section shall be construed to create or provide for the creation, directly or indirectly, of a Federal corporation, but any power granted by this section to any carrier or other corporation shall be deemed to be in addition to and in modification of its powers under its corporate charter or under the laws of any State."
South Carolina, so can this Virginia corporation exercise its federally granted power to operate in that state.
Other arguments of respondent have been considered and found to be without merit. Appellant is entitled to the injunction it sought.
The judgment of the South Carolina Supreme Court denying the injunction and dismissing the complaint is reversed, and the cause is remanded to that court for proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.
S.C.Const. Art. 9, § 8; S.C.Code Ann. § 7784 (1942). Violations are punishable by fines of $500 for each county in which the railroad operates. Apparently, each day's operation of the railroad constitutes a separate offense. The appellant in this suit operates in 30 South Carolina counties.
S.C.Const. Art. 9, § 8; S.C.Code Ann. §§ 7777, 7778, 7779, 7785, 7789 (1942). See Geraty v. Atlantic Coast Line R. Co., 80 S.C. 355, 361, 60 S.E. 936, 937.
The appellant also prayed for a mandamus to compel the Secretary of State to accept and file papers and documents tendered by appellant seeking authority to do business in the state as a foreign corporation under other South Carolina statutes. That phase of the case is not pressed here.
The complaint also alleged, and it is argued here, that the state constitutional and statutory provisions imposed burdens on this interstate railroad in violation of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution of the United States, Art. 1, § 8, cl. 3. The view we take makes it unnecessary for us to pass on this contention.


PayPal is one of the world leaders in electronic e-wallet deposit and withdrawal services, and is renowned among online gaming operators.
A PayPal Casino is an online gaming site which utilises the PayPal solution as a payment method for deposits and withdrawal method when retrieving winnings.
PayPal Casinos are quite common and most reputable online casino sites will have PayPal available as an option for all their players.
This is quite simple and straight forward. One must first have a PayPal account, and then one can then select the PayPal option when depositing or withdrawing. Just follow the easy instructions on the screen, and the transaction will be completed in a matter of seconds.
PayPal is available at most Live Casinos, and one only has to notice the PayPal logo or option to confirm the operator is accepting PayPal for real time online transactions.
Yes - most online casinos will have the option to access and play via any recent mobile device, like a tablet or smartphone.
Safe & Secure - PayPal is like having a completely separate cash account for online transactions. This ensures that all personal banking information, associated with one's credit or debit cards, is not at risk.
Instant - Transactions occur in real time and are instantaneous, whether it maybe deposits or withdrawals.
Bonuses - Select PayPal online casinos will often provide incentives for players who use the PayPal solution.
Reputable Partners - PayPal is one of the most recognised online e-wallets in the world. The company has built its reputation on their transactions being as safe and secure as possible. As a result, PayPal has strict rules as to who and how their wallet is used, so that only the most respected and trusted online casinos will be a PayPal Casino.


Being in the insurance business this long, we've heard every misconception that our clients and consumers can have when it comes to the facts about life insurance products. These misunderstandings include what each product does, how they should be used, and the best decisions to make when purchasing a product. However, the most important fact everyone should know is: having a life insurance policy is vital to a good quality of life now, after we've left this earth, and apart of a strong financial portfolio.
Because concepts like living our life, how we take care of our personal health, and dying are main subjects of discussion, it can be difficult for people to think clearly about how they will protect themselves with a life insurance policy or if they can afford one at all. Insuraty is dedicated to educating consumers and helping them to see the best route forward in their lives in regards to purchasing a life insurance policy.
Life insurance is only for when I die, and burials aren't that expensive….
This is just not true, there are many many reasons why and how a life insurance policy can help you grow and thrive financially! Keep reading the points below to learn more. Yes, many consumers use life insurance policies to handle the cost of their funeral and burial costs. However, even these events can run thousands of dollars depending on what you or your family have planned. Having the right conversations with your insurance broker will make sure you have the appropriate life insurance coverage for what you want when you pass.
I dont have the money now….
There are several kinds of life insurance policies you can purchase, Term tends to be cheaper than Universal and Whole Life coverage, so there are options. The younger and healthier you are, the lower your premiums can be. Some people have been able to have policies with premiums as low as $1 a day! As you get older and your life habits/health change, premiums stand a chance of increasing. Let a trained Insuraty agent or broker explain it all to you today!
My loved ones will be inheriting other assets when I pass, I don't need a life insurance policy….
You may be planning to pass on a variety of assets to your loved ones when you pass like that vintage Porsche sitting in the garage, your house, or other family heirlooms. However, depending on the assets, many are taxable when they are passed from the deceased to a family member. Life insurance policies can be used to help pay the cost of these taxes and ensure you are giving your family exactly what you intended. Life insurance policies Generally speaking, when the beneficiary of a life insurance policy receives the death benefit, this money is not counted as taxable income, and the beneficiary does not have to pay taxes on it. However, a few situations exist in which the beneficiary is taxed on some or all of a policy's proceeds.
I plan to pass on my personal business to my family when I die….
If you own a personal business, or part of one in a relationship with one or more owners it is vital that you secure a life insurance policy. You may think that your company holds X amount of value, but there are often a variety of un-seen costs to maintaining and growing a business. Your family members may not have the ability to maintain your business while also coping with your loss. Additionally, by having a life insurance policy when multiple owners are involved, this gives your beneficiary the financial freedom to do what is right with your share, and even potentially buy other owners out, etc.
I have plenty of investments….
The common sage advice regarding investing is diversify, diversify, diversify! It is not that strange to think that a life insurance policy is just another vehicle to do just that. When you understand the products you are looking at and how they can be accessed, using a life insurance policy can actually be a smart tool to add to your investment game and reach your intended portfolio!
Life insurance policies can also be used for financial planning including college planning, paying off debts, and more. There is much more we could go into today that would exceed this blog. Whatever the reason you choose to secure a life insurance policy, we at Insuarty believe it is a vital insurance coverage that everyone should hold.
Call or email us today to schedule a free consultation and learn how life insurance can help you be stronger financially and smarter in this life, and the next!
Believe it or not, there are studies that show the color of our environment can affect our thinking patterns and moods! Green has been proven to increase creativity and put us in a relaxed mind state. Experts suggest painting your workplace a bright, light sea-foam green or sage to feel the benefits. If you can't paint your office space, use a green backdrop in your cubicle or add green items to your workspace.
Insuraty is a benefits brokerage and human resources outsourcing firm that supports many aspects of positive expansion and growth with its clients and their businesses. If you have questions in regards to your human resources, health insurance, life, 401k retirement savings or other benefits coverage please don't hesitate to contact us today.


text:
#define TRUE       1
#define FALSE      0

#define MAX_RANGE  50       // Maximale Anzahl von Filter-Bereichen
#define RANGE_MIN  0        // Minimaler Wert für eine Bereichsgrenze
#define MAX_UINT   0xFFFF   // Maximaler Wert für eine Bereichsgrenze
#define RANGE_MAX  0x1FFFFFFF    // Maximaler Wert für eine Message ID des
			// Signalgenerators (0X1FFFFFFF ist der größte für
			// random(RANGE_MAX) zulässige Wert

#define MAX_LEN_PARA_STRING 256  // Zulässige Länge eines Parameterstrings
#define ERROR_FILTERPARAMETER "\n\rFilterparameter fehlerhaft!\n\r"

extern int debug;	/* global debug flag */

void f_array_h(void);           // Ausgabe Filterarray
int filter(unsigned int id);    // Filterroutine
int read_fp_string(char *fp_string);  // Routine zur Auswertung des Parameter-
				// strings -f...
void u_char_cpy(char *res,char *sc,char seek_char);    // Stringroutine


Regulation (EU) no. 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and Council of 18 December 2006 on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of CHemicals (REACH).
The REACH regulations for the chemical industry play an important role in the field of environmental protection. Since 1 June 2007, these regulations have covered the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemical substances.
Such substances can now be registered or preregistered by the manufacturer or importer. Our products all involve the preparation of raw materials only in accordance with clearly defined recipes, so svt Brandschutz GmbH does not require its own registration.
Working in close cooperation with out suppliers, we only order pre-registered raw materials.
This means that products from svt Brandschutz GmbH can all be supplied in the previous form.


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The white Peace, Surf, Golf design by Scotty is one of the great California themed designs. These Scotty Cameron white Pins & Playtime headcovers are very hard to find and is a most have for any avid Scotty Cameron Collector. It is a perfect cover to add to your collection!


Join Balloon Aloft and Canon Collective ambassador, Scott Stramyk, for a morning of Aerial photography at sunrise above the Captial.
This is a great opportunity to be a part of an amazing festival of Balloons and photograph this stunning landscape from the air as you float over Canberra's most spectacular landscape. We will be focusing on aerial photography, working with semi-automatic and manual settings and capturing the festival of the Balloons as we float across the city.
A limited selection of Canon photographic gear will be supplied for each ticketed participant.


AIMIA PROPRIETARY LOYALTY CANADA INC. · FIDÉLISATION PROPRIÉTAIRE AIMIA CANADA INC.
AIMIA PROPRIETARY LOYALTY CANADA INC. · FIDÉLISATION PROPRIÉTAIRE AIMIA CANADA INC. (Corporation# 4536614) is a federal corporation entity registered with Corporations Canada. The incorporation date is October 29, 2009.
Corporation Name AIMIA PROPRIETARY LOYALTY CANADA INC.
FIDÉLISATION PROPRIÉTAIRE AIMIA CANADA INC.
2009-10-29 - 2009-12-07 4536614 CANADA INC.
2009-12-07 - 2012-03-15 CARLSON MARKETING LTD.
2012-03-15 - 2019-04-24 AIMIA PROPRIETARY LOYALTY CANADA INC.
2012-03-15 - 2019-04-24 FIDÉLISATION PROPRIÉTAIRE AIMIA CANADA INC.


text:
FLUID TREATMENT FOR METAL CASTING AND MILLING AND FOR GLASS MANUFACTURING AND FINISHING
METALCASTING AND METAL MILLING APPLICATIONS
Sheet stock The extruding of angles, channel stock, and framing is a control of extruding dies and feed rates. The dies are cooled with a "milk" (water lubricant mixture). The parts are extruded and then drop press formed. The presses are also cooled. the hydraulic saws are "milk cooled and lubricated. Triangular Wave Deposit Control Systems control scale deposits on the "milk nozzles, pipes, and pumps. In addition, the Triangular Wave system helps keep the "milk" well mixed with the lubricant dispersed in the water.
Steel / iron foundry Triangular Wave system controls deposits in the cooling waters for the cooling of the molds. Production rates are governed by temperature controls.
Aluminum foundry Aluminum is less tolerant of water temperature variations. Cooling is critical. Triangular Wave system controls deposit in the cooling waters for the cooling of the molds. Production rates are governed by temperature controls.
Machine shops The processes involved are: drop forge, compression sizing, boring, broaching, milling, grinding, turning, and polishing. All of these procedures require coolants, lubricants, and temperature controls. Triangular Wave systems have a place for all functions as a deposit control device, which will descale and extend the service life of the tooling.
Machine tool coolants Coolants are a mixture of lubricants and water. The lubricants can become contaminated with bacteria and cause upsets in the systems which in turn can cause off grade product. The calcium ions in the water can form scale that can occlude pipes, spray nozzles, orifices, journals, passage ways, flutes, and other surfaces needing to be both cooled and lubricated.
One of the highest costs of this type of operation is tooling. the set-up man must tear down the machine and retool on a fairly frequent basis. Triangular Wave systems can cut costs of man/hours and tooling and keep the quality control at a high level of performances.
Energy savings Better lubricant action with Triangular Wave treatment means less waste heat to be dissipated, and less scale on heat exchange surfaces means lower coolant pumping costs.
Aluminum machining Aluminum is machined for use in transmissions and other drive train components. Aluminum must be machined more carefully than steel. It easier to sprawl and debris from tooling can the foul the surface easier. The importance of a clean surface is critical. Triangular Wave systems can extend the tooling life and help control the difficult machining tasks.
GLASS FINISHING APPLICATIONS
Flat glass production
Other types of glass production benefit equally as well Flat glass is produced by melting sand together with other inorganic ingredients and then forming the molten material into a flat sheet. The most common type of flat glass produced uses the soda-lime method with the main ingredient being sand (silica) and other constituents including soda ash, limestone, dolomite and cullet (broken glass, recycled in the process). The manufacturing steps include batching (the mixing of raw materials); melting; forming; annealing (to remove internal stresses); grinding and polishing (to achieve flat and parallel surface); washing; and cooling.
Removal of the silicas, lime, metals, oils, acids, abrasives, and pollutants used in the production and finishing processes can be greatly enhanced by use of TWT Deposit Control Systems. Enhanced end-product quality, reduced production costs, as well as protection of process equipment investment is achieved. The addition of TWT Filtration Systems aid further in the management of the wastewater stream and effluent discharge issues.
Water supply and wastewater management Sources of process and potable water - municipal, abstraction wells, boreholes (quality of water is important, pre-treatment may be required depending upon initial quality and intended use). Large volumes of water needed for cooling and production purposes.
Main wastewater sources from glass finishing processes - washing, quenching, grinding, polishing, direct contact with glass. Some processes may include machine cutting, alkali washing, acid polishing, acid etching. Major pollutants of concern: suspended solids, oil, pH, BOD5, total phosphorus, temperature. Also fluorides, and lead.
Main wastewater sources from glass wool production: heating and curing. Major pollutants of concern: suspended solids, organics, binders, lubricants, coupling agents, pH control agents: pollution abatement if wet scrubbing devices used.
Colored glass production may produce wastewater streams contaminated with heavy metals, e.g., vanadium, chromium and barium/lead etc.
Contact TWT for details on how we can help with problems like these, enhance your production process, save natural resources, and improve your bottom line.
Metalcasting and Glass Manufacturing are two of the nine vital "Industries of the Future" designated by The US EPA Office of Industrial Technologies. According to the OIT, these nine industries necessarily use large amounts of heat and energy* to physically or chemically transform materials. Collectively, they supply 90% of the materials vital to our economy, produce $1 trillion in annual shipments, directly employ over 3 million people, and indirectly provide an additional 12 million jobs at all skill levels.
The U.S. metalcasting industry's annual energy use is estimated to be about 250 trillion Btus. Most of the energy is used for major operations such as melting, molding, and heat treating. The major fuels used are electricity and natural gas. Energy costs account for an estimated nearly 25% of the cost of diecasting products; for other industry segments, energy is estimated to account for 15% of total product cost. The energy efficiency of equipment used in U.S. foundries has been estimated at less than 45%. Cupola furnaces, still used by some iron casters, are less than 35% efficient.
The U.S. glass industry primarily uses energy to supply heat to the glass melting furnaces in which the raw materials are melted and refined, with downstream processing used to ultimately form and finish glass. According to the most recent Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey (MECS), the U.S. glass industry consumed 249 trillion Btu of energy in 1994, excluding energy used in manufacturing products from purchased glass. Energy purchases cost the industry $1.4 billion in 1997, about 5% of the value of shipments that year. Excluding the much less energy-intensive products of purchased glass segment, energy purchases accounted for about 7% of shipments. Two-thirds of the energy used within the glass industry is used for process heating -- primarily to heat the raw materials to transform them into the glass melt. Electricity is used to power equipment, as well as to light facilities. Energy generally accounts for approximately 8% to 12% of glass production costs. Energy efficiency is considered a critical priority of the glass production sector, and improving thermal efficiency in the production process is considered a critical core of this effort.
To learn more about energy and cost savings using TWT fluid management systems, click here. TWT Deposit Control Systems and comprehensive integrated treatment solutions provide the metal casting, milling, and finishing and glass manufacturing sectors with extensive benefits and significant return on investment in a cost-effective and environmentally responsible manner.


disgraced investment titan Bernard Madoff. The couple are the latest Hollywood figures known to have suffered heavy losses to the alleged Ponzi scheme run by Madoff. Bacon's publicist acknowledged the pair's investments with Madoff, but declined to tell AP how much was lost by Bacon (Frost/Nixon), 50, and Sedgwick (The Closer), 43.
A similar story appeared in New York magazine by Jessica Pressler.


Abstract: The question of inviting international election observers to monitor an election is one of the most controversial issues in Africa. Most of the time, the presence of international election monitors in emerging democracies is important to measure whether or not an election is conducted in a free and fair manner. But, sometimes it is regarded as the violation of a nation's sovereignty.