Deciphering the 60+ Assembly proposals and reports before the meeting is a challenge even for the Assembly's members. Check out some of the highlights here and get the jump on the meeting.
The new Pastoral Relations team has made great strides under its new name, Pastoral Relations and Mission Planning, since its launch in March. If you haven't heard about this new team, then this article is for you.
Moderator Dr Deidre Palmer has officially launched the 2016 UnitingWomen conference, announcing opening speaker Khadija Gbla.
Rev Prof Andrew Dutney and Rev Elenie Poulos have welcomed Pope Francis's encyclical letter on the environment, Laudato Si.
Uniting College for Leadership & Theology is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Uniting Church SA Historical Society.
Hang it up for Poverty raises awareness about homelessness in South Australia and provides practical ways for people to help.
Refugee Week is an opportunity to recognise the great contributions that so many refugees have made to the vibrant and diverse Australian community.
UnitingWorld shares an important update on giving this month – your donations will have six times the usual impact!
Ben Clarke from TEAR Australia talks about an Adelaide pilgrimage on country held in May this year.
The June 2015 edition of New Times is now available to view online or pick up in churches. The theme for the edition is "Tradition".
My thinking about ecotheology has brought me to a deep sense of "r and r" – not rest and recreation, but reverence and respect. It wasn't always that way for me.
In 2015, the Effective Living Centre has invited Tanya Hosch, the Joint Campaign Director for the Recognise campaign, to give the Wilks Oration on Friday 12 June.
Life for Than and the many others like him is tough. Confined to the refugee camp without an official way to earn a living, he relies on food rations to survive.
Live Life Loud, the ecumenical youth worship evening run annually in SA, continues to grow each year. On Friday 12 June young people will gather across six venues.
Raising children can be tricky at the best of times. The challenge is to recognise that conflict is inevitable in any relationship and to teach our children to be peacemakers. Here are some ways to parent for peace.
Dollars & Sense is a quarterly newsletter produced by the Uniting Church SA Resources team and seeks to provide helpful articles to congregations and church office bearers. The June 2015 edition of the newsletter is now available online.
The Uniting Church SA's Pilgrimage of Healing will be held during Reconciliation Week (27 May to 3 June) again this year.
The stories that we hear about places and people are frequently told from only one perspective – the perspective of those in positions of power.
The last several years have seen an influx of films about the intricacies of show business. Clouds of Sils Maria is the most recent addition to this genre and provides an intimate study of character and relationship.


text:
Пебергольм (, , в перекладі «перцевий острівець») — штучний острів в протоці Ересунн (Зунд) між Данією і Швецією. Належить Данії, адміністративно входить до складу муніципалітету Торнбю. Острів було побудовано в рамках проекту Ересуннського мосту, який з'єднав дві країни. Насправді міст перетинає лише половину протоки, а на Пебергольмі опускається під землю в Ересуннський тунель; острів було насипано з ґрунту, вийнятого зі дна протоки під час будівництва. Неподалік від нього на півночі знаходиться природний острів Сальтгольм (в перекладі — «соляний острівець»), і Пебергольм було названо «на додаток» до нього, щоб уникнути банальніших варіантів на зразок «Малий Сальтгольм» чи «Новий Сальтгольм».

Будівництво
Початкові варіанти проекту будівництва транспортного перетину через Ересунн передбачали інтенсивне використання данського острова Сальтгольм, який розташований майже посередині протоки. Планувалося прокласти шосейну автостраду і залізничну лінію або навпростець через сам острів, або з цією метою штучно його розширити. Але обидва варіанти були потім відкинуті з міркувань захисту екології Сальтгольма; датські і шведські політики вирішили замість цього збудувати окремий острівець в безпосередній близькості від південного краю Сальтгольма, але не з'єднаний з ним. Розташування і форма штучного острівця були обрані такими, щоб якомога менше заважати вільному плину морської води через протоку, позаяк це був один з головних аргументів екологів, які протестували проти будівництва мосту.

Пебергольм має 4 км завдовжки, його площа 1,3 км². Для його будівництва було використано 1,6 млн м³ каміння і 7,5 млн м³ піску і донного ґрунту, вийнятого під час будівництва мосту і тунелю. Спочатку контури майбутнього острова були викладені камінням, яке зсередини було покрито геотекстильним матеріалом і глиною, щоб запобігти просочуванню води; потім створений таким чином резервуар було розділено на менші басейни, які поодинці заповнювалися ґрунтом. Будівництво острова і тунелю було завершене 26 квітня 2000 року; крізний рух між Данією і Швецією було урочисто відкрито 1 липня того же року.

На острові знаходиться перехідний віадук з мосту до Ересуннського тунелю; шосейна магістраль і залізниця, які на мості пролягають одна над одною, входять у тунель паралельно.

Екологічний експеримент
Екологія Пебергольма охороняється суворими законами. Доступ на острів за межами автостради і залізничної лінії заборонено всім, окрім науковців під час щорічних інспекційних візитів. Острів вважається зоною своєрідного біологічного експерименту. Біологи сподівалися, що штучно створений острів буде колонізований флорою і фауною у природний спосіб без будь-якого втручання людей, і збиралися детально простежити цей процес. З цією метою на острові удовж дороги не висаджувалися дерева і не висіювалася трава — вчені хотіли визначити, які види наземних рослин і тварин першими дістануться до острова.

Зараз на острові росте близько 300 видів рослин, в тому числі такі, що у сусідніх Данії і Швеції зустрічаються рідко, як, наприклад, . На острові почали гніздитися біля десяти видів птахів; деякі з них також рідкісні на довколишніх територіях: наприклад, колонія малого крячка () на Пебергольмі чисельністю близько 70 пар — одна з найкрупніших популяцій цього птаха в Данії і Швеції. Окрім крячка на острові гніздяться лучні чекани (), горихвістки і кам'янки (). Також тут були знайдені деякі рідкісні види земноводних, метеликів і павуків.

Посилання
 Øresundsbro Konsortiet — історія будівництва (англійською мовою)
 Øresundsbro Konsortiet — екологія (англійською мовою)

Острови Данії
Балтійське море

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I thought I'd make the first post of the year showcasing a few images captured here in the Heber Valley of Utah where I live and "work". Most of these photographs are of the Heber Valley and were taken during the private photography lessons and tours which I offer here in the Wasatch Mountains.
The past two years I've been offering my photography lessons and tours during the winter months and that will continue. I'm finding many clients need a break from their Park City skiing trips, perhaps as a chance to give their knees a rest. If you are coming to ski Utah and the wonderful snow conditions we have here, or perhaps are checking out the Sundance Film Festival and need a rest, this might be for you.
Typically these are a 1/2 day photography lessons, one-on-one, geared towards your skill level, interest, and the equipment you have or might be considering to purchase. I can also come to your location for hands on Photoshop or Lightroom instruction at any level.


text:
Josephine (1870-1871), tweede dochter van Filips van België
Josephine (1872-1958), derde dochter van Filips van België


DeLisle, Mississippi native Jesmyn Ward writes with a power and depth of feeling that is rare and exhilarating. Her novel about twelve days in the life of a poor black family living on the Mississippi coast as a hurricane gathers in the gulf displays the gifts of a writer with exceptional skill and no fear. The characters seem almost to claw their way off the pages, so vividly has Ms. Ward created them. This is a novel of flesh and blood, heart and soul, dreams and terrors that I will not soon forget.


Lone (Lo-na) Odgers is a registered acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine practitioner and has been practising since 2008. She has a general family practice, treating men, women and children of all ages. Her treatments include acupuncture, acupressure, cupping, moxibustion, herbal prescription, food as medicine and house calls.
and follow her on Facebook at Seeds of Health Acupuncture.


Bristol Township School District will prepare and empower our students to be productive, competitive members in an ever-changing global society.
We believe all individuals can learn and achieve.
We believe understanding and respecting diversity strengthens our educational community.
We believe a safe and healthy learning environment for all is essential for success.
We believe in providing high-quality, standards-based instruction for all students.
We believe an effective partnership of families, staff and community will improve opportunities for student success.
We believe students will be empowered to become life-long learners and effective members of society.
We believe all successes should be acknowledged and celebrated.


ethix derives its existence from a fascination with the rapid changes of our time. The lab for innovation ethics provides a structure that enables a dialog about the opportunities and risks that these changes bring to our society.
Johan is guided by his deep-rooted belief that the right answer is never found by working alone, but always through the exchange of different viewpoints and the interaction of diverse knowledge. When he began his philosophy degree, he did not expect that he would devote his time to jurisprudence as well. Today, he is committed to bringing the two disciplines together, with his particular passion being the search for philosophy within the law. In this context, the question of values and the question 'why' crop up again and again, and this impels him to seek debate everywhere and to take ethical topics into the public sphere, in community halls and the meeting rooms of far-flung restaurants. His aim in these engagements is to set up spaces and well-laid tables in readiness for real discussions, in which the arguments of all those who participate are carried forward into a shared debate. In the ethics lab, Johan is concerned with innovation, but he also works energetically on the issues of migration, integration and international politics. Occasionally, he hears his partner and two children say jokingly: "Papa's job is holding drinks receptions and chatting with people." And they are not entirely wrong.
Early on in life, Jean-Daniel was transplanted from the edge of the city to the edge of the woods, resulting in a long journey to school that offered him ample opportunity to practice the art of examining ideas thoroughly. Even at that time, however, he was struck by the experience that engaging in this alone is less productive and exciting than doing so together with others. Time and again, his parents had to track him down at friends who lived somewhere along the way. Many years later, working as a bike courier in the city of Geneva, he discovered that contrary to certain fears, analog technology and human strength is not necessarily suppressed by digital technology, and in fact we should aspire to a productive interaction between them. Spurred on by many years of academic discussion on topics of political and medical ethics, and strengthened by several years of work in institutional science policy, the question of the social implications of innovation came up repeatedly. Because one thing's for sure: innovation is always dealing with the world of tomorrow. And as the father of two daughters who will live out their lives in tomorrow's world, he wants to play an active role in shaping it. This is why he his heart is not only with his family, but also in the local politics of Zurich – because in many respects cities are laboratories, where innovation find a way to shape how we live together.
Sarah has been interested in the big questions of life since childhood. Already her primary teacher predicted her a future as a thinker - with a pronounced sense of justice. She hasn't lost either of these since then; this now comes into play in ethix's discussion of ethical aspects of innovation. During her studies in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Lucerne, she dealt in depth with participatory forms of democracy. It is therefore of great concern to her to conduct the discourse on the social implications of innovation in a participatory and low-threshold way. The topic seems too important to her to leave the word to experts only. As a feminist, it is also close to her heart to diversify the male domain around the topic of social digitalisation and mechanization. In her free time, she tries to calm her critical and erratic thinking machine through yoga and long walks in nature.
As a philosopher, Pascal wants to contribute to the unfinished project of human freedom in the future. He understands freedom as an ethical attitude of continuous questioning of the present. Everything could as well be different. But to conduct this critical dialogue with oneself is only the ticket to a constructive arena of different perspectives. Only in the common exchange does he see the possibility of actually making innovative ideas fruitful for the good of society. There are many ideas - which he witnessed during his studies at the University of St. Gallen -, but just as numerous are the dangers they entail. In his business studies, he would grab any course that had anything to do with philosophy to add a critical stance to his enthusiasm for innovation. The passion with which he finally dedicated himself to his bachelor thesis on current economic trends such as Holacracy or Conscious Capitalism gave him the hoped-for green light to actually take the philosophers' path. With ethix, there could not be a more interesting environment for him to grow personally and commit himself with passion.
ethix aims to encourage active participation from all those who are interested in the ethics of innovation. This is why ethix wants to build up a network of people who work in the field of innovation ethics. In this way, ethix hopes initially to bring together numerous specialists who deal with these questions in Switzerland, to form a unique multidisciplinary network in order that the expertise gathered can be made available to interested groups.
Are you one of these people? Get in contact!
ethix is an association under Swiss law. ethix has been made possible thanks to support from Engagement Migros, the development fund of the Migros Group.
Furthermore, ethix is financed through collaboration with partners from the private sector, foundations and public institutions.
Interested in collaborating? We look forward to hearing from you!


text:
Drake Tears Through Hits, Teases New Album and Summer Tour at Career-Spanning Apollo Show
Drake took New York City on a "journey" through his career at the historic Apollo Theater Saturday night, with help from 21 Savage and Harlem legends the Diplomats.
The Toronto rapper tore through his biggest hits and deep cuts (does Drake even have deep cuts?), transforming the stage from his childhood bedroom to a record label boardroom to a New York City bodega.
Drake kicked off the show paying homage to his roots, sporting a "Degrassi" jersey and sitting on a replica of his childhood bed, where he told he crowd he "wrote a lot of these songs." This concert was "about gratitude," he said, performing in front of his closest family and friends, including his mom and OVO co-founder Noah "40" Shebib, who has produced all of Drake's albums.
The first act of the show was decidedly downtempo, with Drake pulling out less radio-friendly ballads "Over My Dead Body" and "Trust Issues," as well as the fan-favorite feeler "Marvin's Room." No time was wasted, with Drake sliding out of most songs after just one verse and a chorus.
Early on, the rapper found himself repeatedly urging the crowd to up the energy. "We're going there tonight, I promise you," he assured an audience that, at least in the back of the room, was surprisingly tame. "Don't play shy with me."
But when the set changed from his mom's basement to a boardroom – where Drake rapped to a man in a suit representing the labels that passed on him early in his career – he hit the Apollo with a much-needed triple shot of espresso: "Best I Ever Had," "Headlines" and "HYFR (Hell Ya Fucking Right)."
In fact, there were entire stretches of the show packed with No. 1 songs, from "God's Plan" to "One Dance" to "In My Feelings." It's easy to forget how many hits Drake has until you see a crowd sing back nearly every word to a 40-song set that didn't even bother to include "Nice for What," "Hotline Bling," "Toosie Slide" or "Popstar."
With a guest list of industry figures and celebrities from Kevin Durant to Ice Spice, the show had an air of exclusivity. The entire stretch of 125th St., from Frederick Douglass Blvd. to Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., was closed off, with swaths of onlookers taking pictures of the Apollo marquee and trying to land last-minute passes. Of the dozens of cell phones propped in the air at all times during the show, many were not recording video but rather on FaceTime with people who couldn't snag a ticket. Those lucky enough to be inside the Apollo were each given a free commemorative T-shirt and treated to complimentary drinks.
After a second interlude, the set turned into a Harlem street corner, with none other than the Diplomats entering onstage through a bodega door. Dressed in Cam'ron's famous pink mink, Drake performed "I Really Mean It," "Dipset Anthem" and "We Fly High (Ballin)" with Cam'ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana and Freekey Zekey. Before they left the stage, Drake praised the influential New York rap collective, who then gifted him with a custom OVO x Dipset bracelet. "These guys right here from Harlem made us dress different, talk different, walk different, rap different all the way in Canada," he said.
Then, blasting from the past to the present, Drake brought out 21 Savage for a slew of songs from their 2022 collaborative effort "Her Loss." Standing in front of a giant neon Apollo sign, the duo traded verses on "Rich Flex," "Privileged Rappers," "Knife Talk" and "Jimmy Cooks." In between songs, they teased a joint tour this year, with Drake saying, "We're gonna be out on the road this summer." He also assured fans that he's not going away any time soon, hinting at a 2023 solo album.
Toward the end of the set, Drake shared heartfelt gratitude for his fans: "I appreciate all of those people that stick by me. I know it's like a cool thing … to be like 'fuck Drake' … but I deeply appreciate everybody for continuing to support us."
He added, "I've thought about a bunch of things in life, but at this moment in time none of those things are stopping making music for you, so I'll be here for you for a little bit at least. And I hope I can strike up more emotions for you, maybe this year. I might get bored and make another one, who knows!"
After closing the show with "Legend," Drake cut the music and once again thanked those in the audience. "I don't know how the fuck we made it here, but we did."
For as braggadocious as his rap persona is, Drake was sincerely humbled by the magnitude of this career milestone. Capping off a 90-minute celebration of his journey from mixtape peddler to one of the world's most successful hitmakers, he told the crowd, "My name's Drake, I'm from Toronto," as if he were right back in that boardroom introducing himself for the first time.
View the full setlist below:
Wu-Tang Forever
Marvins Room
Feel No Ways
Best I Ever Had
HYFR (Hell Ya Fucking Right)
I'm on One
No New Friends
God's Plan
Laugh Now Cry Later
Hold On, We're Going Home
Controlla
One Dance
Way 2 Sexy
Calling My Name
Yebba's Heartbreak
I Really Mean It (with The Diplomats)
Dipset Anthem (with The Diplomats)
We Fly High (Ballin) (with The Diplomats)
Rich Flex
Privileged Rappers (with 21 Savage)
Spin Bout You (with 21 Savage)
Jimmy Cooks (with 21 Savage)
Knife Talk (with 21 Savage)
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: read pdf from server write to new pdf file In this code I am trying to hit a server to get the pdf files, and read those pdf files and trying to write them into a new pdf file.
URL vConcreteUrl = new URL(Globals.c_Retrieve_Url_Equals.replace("{BD_ID}", vBdId));
PDDocument p = PDDocument.load(vConcreteUrl.openStream());
PDDocument c = new PDDocument();
PDPage page = p.getPage(1);
PDPageContentStream contentStream = new PDPageContentStream(p, page);
contentStream.beginText();
String text = vBdId;
contentStream.showText(vBdId);
contentStream.endText();
System.out.println("content added");
contentStream.close();
p.save(new File("U:/pdf" + vBdId + ".pdf"));

p.close();

But I'm getting the following error.
java.io.IOException: Error: End-of-File, expected line
at org.apache.pdfbox.pdfparser.BaseParser.readLine(BaseParser.java:1119)
at org.apache.pdfbox.pdfparser.COSParser.parseHeader(COSParser.java:2017)
at org.apache.pdfbox.pdfparser.COSParser.parsePDFHeader(COSParser.java:1988)
at org.apache.pdfbox.pdfparser.PDFParser.parse(PDFParser.java:269)
at org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.PDDocument.load(PDDocument.java:1143)
at org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.PDDocument.load(PDDocument.java:1040)
at com.ikea.stebu.od.util.pdf.DownloadPDFFromOndemand.execute

Why I am getting this error?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Use this statement to create a permanent procedure in the current database or a temporary procedure in the tempdb database.
The name of the schema to which the procedure belongs. Procedures are schema-bound. If a schema name is not specified when the procedure is created, the default schema of the user who is creating the procedure is automatically assigned.
The name of the procedure. Procedure names must comply with the rules for identifiers and must be unique within the schema.
Avoid the use of the sp_ prefix when naming procedures. This prefix is used by SQL Server to designate system procedures. Using the prefix can cause application code to break if there is a system procedure with the same name.
Local or global temporary procedures can be created by using one number sign (#) before procedure_name (#procedure_name) for local temporary procedures, and two number signs for global temporary procedures (##procedure_name). A local temporary procedure is visible only to the connection that created it and is dropped when that connection is closed. A global temporary procedure is available to all connections and is dropped at the end of the last session using the procedure. Temporary names cannot be specified for CLR procedures.
The complete name for a procedure or a global temporary procedure, including ##, cannot exceed 128 characters. The complete name for a local temporary procedure, including #, cannot exceed 116 characters.
An optional integer that is used to group procedures of the same name. These grouped procedures can be dropped together by using one DROP PROCEDURE statement.
Numbered procedures cannot use the xml or CLR user-defined types and cannot be used in a plan guide.
A parameter declared in the procedure. Specify a parameter name by using the at sign (@) as the first character. The parameter name must comply with the rules for identifiers. Parameters are local to the procedure; the same parameter names can be used in other procedures.
One or more parameters can be declared; the maximum is 2,100. The value of each declared parameter must be supplied by the user when the procedure is called unless a default value for the parameter is defined or the value is set to equal another parameter. If a procedure contains table-valued parameters, and the parameter is missing in the call, an empty table is passed in. Parameters can take the place only of constant expressions; they cannot be used instead of table names, column names, or the names of other database objects. For more information, see EXECUTE (Transact-SQL).
The data type of the parameter and the schema to which the data type belongs.
All Transact-SQL data types can be used as parameters.
cursor data types can only be OUTPUT parameters and must be accompanied by the VARYING keyword.
All of the native SQL Server data types that have an equivalent in managed code can be used as parameters. For more information about the correspondence between CLR types and SQL Server system data types, see Mapping CLR Parameter Data. For more information about SQL Server system data types and their syntax, see Data Types (Transact-SQL).
Table-valued or cursor data types cannot be used as parameters.
Specifies the result set supported as an output parameter. This parameter is dynamically constructed by the procedure and its contents may vary. Applies only to cursor parameters. This option is not valid for CLR procedures.
A default value for a parameter. If a default value is defined for a parameter, the procedure can be executed without specifying a value for that parameter. The default value must be a constant or it can be NULL. The constant value can be in the form of a wildcard, making it possible to use the LIKE keyword when passing the parameter into the procedure. See Example C below.
Indicates that the parameter is an output parameter. Use OUTPUT parameters to return values to the caller of the procedure. text, ntext, and image parameters cannot be used as OUTPUT parameters, unless the procedure is a CLR procedure. An output parameter can be a cursor placeholder, unless the procedure is a CLR procedure. A table-value data type cannot be specified as an OUTPUT parameter of a procedure.
Indicates that the parameter cannot be updated or modified within the body of the procedure. If the parameter type is a table-value type, READONLY must be specified.
Indicates that the Database Engine does not cache a query plan for this procedure, forcing it to be compiled each time it is executed. For more information regarding the reasons for forcing a recompile, see Recompile a Stored Procedure. This option cannot be used when FOR REPLICATION is specified or for CLR procedures.
To instruct the Database Engine to discard query plans for individual queries inside a procedure, use the RECOMPILE query hint in the definition of the query. For more information, see Query Hints (Transact-SQL).
Indicates that SQL Server will convert the original text of the CREATE PROCEDURE statement to an obfuscated format. The output of the obfuscation is not directly visible in any of the catalog views in SQL Server. Users who have no access to system tables or database files cannot retrieve the obfuscated text. However, the text will be available to privileged users who can either access system tables over the DAC port or directly access database files. Also, users who can attach a debugger to the server process can retrieve the decrypted procedure from memory at runtime. For more information about accessing system metadata, see Metadata Visibility Configuration.
This option is not valid for CLR procedures.
Procedures created with this option cannot be published as part of SQL Server replication.
Specifies the security context under which to execute the procedure.
Specifies that the procedure is created for replication. Consequently, it cannot be executed on the Subscriber. A procedure created with the FOR REPLICATION option is used as a procedure filter and is executed only during replication. Parameters cannot be declared if FOR REPLICATION is specified. FOR REPLICATION cannot be specified for CLR procedures. The RECOMPILE option is ignored for procedures created with FOR REPLICATION.
One or more Transact-SQL statements comprising the body of the procedure. You can use the optional BEGIN and END keywords to enclose the statements. For information, see the Best Practices, General Remarks, and Limitations and Restrictions sections that follow.
Specifies the method of a .NET Framework assembly for a CLR procedure to reference. class_name must be a valid SQL Server identifier and must exist as a class in the assembly. If the class has a namespace-qualified name that uses a period (.) to separate namespace parts, the class name must be delimited by using brackets ([** ]) or quotation marks (" "). The specified method must be a static method of the class.
CLR procedures are not supported in a contained database.
Although this is not an exhaustive list of best practices, these suggestions may improve procedure performance.
Use the SET NOCOUNT ON statement as the first statement in the body of the procedure. That is, place it just after the AS keyword. This turns off messages that SQL Server sends back to the client after any SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, MERGE, and DELETE statements are executed. Overall performance of the database and application is improved by eliminating this unnecessary network overhead. For information, see SET NOCOUNT (Transact-SQL).
Use schema names when creating or referencing database objects in the procedure. It will take less processing time for the Database Engine to resolve object names if it does not have to search multiple schemas. It will also prevent permission and access problems caused by a user's default schema being assigned when objects are created without specifying the schema.
Avoid wrapping functions around columns specified in the WHERE and JOIN clauses. Doing so makes the columns non-deterministic and prevents the query processor from using indexes.
Avoid using scalar functions in SELECT statements that return many rows of data. Because the scalar function must be applied to every row, the resulting behavior is like row-based processing and degrades performance.
Avoid the use of SELECT *. Instead, specify the required column names. This can prevent some Database Engine errors that stop procedure execution. For example, a SELECT * statement that returns data from a 12 column table and then inserts that data into a 12 column temporary table will succeed until the number or order of columns in either table is changed.
Avoid processing or returning too much data. Narrow the results as early as possible in the procedure code so that any subsequent operations performed by the procedure are done using the smallest data set possible. Send just the essential data to the client application. It is more efficient than sending extra data across the network and forcing the client application to work through unnecessarily large result sets.
Use explicit transactions by using BEGIN/END TRANSACTION and keep transactions as short as possible. Longer transactions mean longer record locking and a greater potential for deadlocking.
Use the Transact-SQL TRY…CATCH feature for error handling inside a procedure. TRY…CATCH can encapsulate an entire block of Transact-SQL statements. This not only creates less performance overhead, it also makes error reporting more accurate with significantly less programming.
Use the DEFAULT keyword on all table columns that are referenced by CREATE TABLE or ALTER TABLE Transact-SQL statements in the body of the procedure. This will prevent passing NULL to columns that do not allow null values.
Use NULL or NOT NULL for each column in a temporary table. The ANSI_DFLT_ON and ANSI_DFLT_OFF options control the way the Database Engine assigns the NULL or NOT NULL attributes to columns when these attributes are not specified in a CREATE TABLE or ALTER TABLE statement. If a connection executes a procedure with different settings for these options than the connection that created the procedure, the columns of the table created for the second connection can have different nullability and exhibit different behavior. If NULL or NOT NULL is explicitly stated for each column, the temporary tables are created by using the same nullability for all connections that execute the procedure.
Use modification statements that convert nulls and include logic that eliminates rows with null values from queries. Be aware that in Transact-SQL, NULL is not an empty or "nothing" value. It is a placeholder for an unknown value and can cause unexpected behavior, especially when querying for result sets or using AGGREGATE functions.
Use the UNION ALL operator instead of the UNION or OR operators, unless there is a specific need for distinct values. The UNION ALL operator requires less processing overhead because duplicates are not filtered out of the result set.
There is no predefined maximum size of a procedure.
Variables specified in the procedure can be user-defined or system variables, such as @@SPID.
When a procedure is executed for the first time, it is compiled to determine an optimal access plan to retrieve the data. Subsequent executions of the procedure may reuse the plan already generated if it still remains in the plan cache of the Database Engine.
One or more procedures can execute automatically when SQL Server starts. The procedures must be created by the system administrator in the master database and executed under the sysadmin fixed server role as a background process. The procedures cannot have any input or output parameters. For more information, see Execute a Stored Procedure.
Procedures are nested when one procedure call another or executes managed code by referencing a CLR routine, type, or aggregate. Procedures and managed code references can be nested up to 32 levels. The nesting level increases by one when the called procedure or managed code reference begins execution and decreases by one when the called procedure or managed code reference completes execution. Methods invoked from within the managed code do not count against the nesting level limit. However, when a CLR stored procedure performs data access operations through the SQL Server managed provider, an additional nesting level is added in the transition from managed code to SQL.
Attempting to exceed the maximum nesting level causes the entire calling chain to fail. You can use the @@NESTLEVEL function to return the nesting level of the current stored procedure execution.
The Database Engine saves the settings of both SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER and SET ANSI_NULLS when a Transact-SQL procedure is created or modified. These original settings are used when the procedure is executed. Therefore, any client session settings for SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER and SET ANSI_NULLS are ignored when the procedure is running.
Other SET options, such as SET ARITHABORT, SET ANSI_WARNINGS, or SET ANSI_PADDINGS are not saved when a procedure is created or modified. If the logic of the procedure depends on a particular setting, include a SET statement at the start of the procedure to guarantee the appropriate setting. When a SET statement is executed from a procedure, the setting remains in effect only until the procedure has finished running. The setting is then restored to the value the procedure had when it was called. This enables individual clients to set the options they want without affecting the logic of the procedure.
Any SET statement can be specified inside a procedure, except SET SHOWPLAN_TEXT and SET SHOWPLAN_ALL. These must be the only statements in the batch. The SET option chosen remains in effect during the execution of the procedure and then reverts to its former setting.
SET ANSI_WARNINGS is not honored when passing parameters in a procedure, user-defined function, or when declaring and setting variables in a batch statement. For example, if a variable is defined as char(3), and then set to a value larger than three characters, the data is truncated to the defined size and the INSERT or UPDATE statement succeeds.
The following statements cannot be used anywhere in the body of a stored procedure.
A procedure can reference tables that do not yet exist. At creation time, only syntax checking is performed. The procedure is not compiled until it is executed for the first time. Only during compilation are all objects referenced in the procedure resolved. Therefore, a syntactically correct procedure that references tables that do not exist can be created successfully; however, the procedure will fail at execution time if the referenced tables do not exist.
You cannot specify a function name as a parameter default value or as the value passed to a parameter when executing a procedure. However, you can pass a function as a variable as shown in the following example.
-- Passing the function value as a variable.
If the procedure makes changes on a remote instance of SQL Server, the changes cannot be rolled back. Remote procedures do not take part in transactions.
The following table lists the catalog views and dynamic management views that you can use to return information about stored procedures.
Returns the definition of a Transact-SQL procedure. The text of a procedure created with the ENCRYPTION option cannot be viewed by using the sys.sql_modules catalog view.
Returns information about a CLR procedure.
Returns the objects that are referenced by a procedure.
To estimate the size of a compiled procedure, use the following Performance Monitor Counters.
*These counters are available for various categories of cache objects including ad hoc Transact-SQL, prepared Transact-SQL, procedures, triggers, and so on. For more information, see SQL Server, Plan Cache Object.
Requires CREATE PROCEDURE permission in the database and ALTER permission on the schema in which the procedure is being created, or requires membership in the db_ddladmin fixed database role.
For CLR stored procedures, requires ownership of the assembly referenced in the EXTERNAL NAME clause, or REFERENCES permission on that assembly.
Examples in this section demonstrate the basic functionality of the CREATE PROCEDURE statement using the minimum required syntax.
The following example creates a stored procedure that returns all employees (first and last names supplied), their job titles, and their department names from a view. This procedure does not use any parameters. The example then demonstrates three methods of executing the procedure.
The following procedure returns two result sets.
The following example creates the GetPhotoFromDB procedure that references the GetPhotoFromDB method of the LargeObjectBinary class in the HandlingLOBUsingCLR assembly. Before the procedure is created, the HandlingLOBUsingCLR assembly is registered in the local database.
Examples in this section demonstrate how to use input and output parameters to pass values to and from a stored procedure.
The following example creates a stored procedure that returns information for a specific employee by passing values for the employee's first name and last name. This procedure accepts only exact matches for the parameters passed.
The following example creates a stored procedure that returns information for employees by passing full or partial values for the employee's first name and last name. This procedure pattern matches the parameters passed or, if not supplied, uses the preset default (last names that start with the letter D).
The uspGetEmployees2 procedure can be executed in many combinations. Only a few possible combinations are shown here.
The following example uses a table-valued parameter type to insert multiple rows into a table. The example creates the parameter type, declares a table variable to reference it, fills the parameter list, and then passes the values to a stored procedure. The stored procedure uses the values to insert multiple rows into a table.
The following example uses the OUTPUT cursor parameter to pass a cursor that is local to a procedure back to the calling batch, procedure, or trigger.
Examples in this section demonstrate how to insert or modify data in tables or views by including a Data Manipulation Language (DML) statement in the definition of the procedure.
The following example uses an UPDATE statement in a stored procedure. The procedure takes one input parameter, @NewHours and one output parameter @RowCount. The @NewHours parameter value is used in the UPDATE statement to update the column VacationHours in the table HumanResources.Employee. The @RowCount output parameter is used to return the number of rows affected to a local variable. A CASE expression is used in the SET clause to conditionally determine the value that is set for VacationHours. When the employee is paid hourly (SalariedFlag = 0), VacationHours is set to the current number of hours plus the value specified in @NewHours; otherwise, VacationHours is set to the value specified in @NewHours.
Examples in this section demonstrate methods to handle errors that might occur when the stored procedure is executed.
The following example using the TRY…CATCH construct to return error information caught during the execution of a stored procedure.
-- Delete rows from the child table, WorkOrderRouting, for the specified work order.
-- Delete the rows from the parent table, WorkOrder, for the specified work order.
-- Determine if an error occurred.
-- Return the error information.
definition is altered, but produces an error when the procedure is executed.
-- Execute the altered procedure.
Examples in this section show how to obfuscate the definition of the stored procedure.
The following example creates the HumanResources.uspEncryptThis procedure.
The WITH ENCRYPTION option obfuscates the definition of the procedure when querying the system catalog or using metadata functions, as shown by the following examples.
Examples in this section use the WITH RECOMPILE clause to force the procedure to recompile every time it is executed.
Examples in this section use the EXECUTE AS clause to set the security context in which the stored procedure executes.
The following example shows using the EXECUTE AS clause to specify the security context in which a procedure can be executed. In the example, the option CALLER specifies that the procedure can be executed in the context of the user that calls it.
The following example uses EXECUTE AS to create custom permissions for a database operation. Some operations such as TRUNCATE TABLE, do not have grantable permissions. By incorporating the TRUNCATE TABLE statement within a stored procedure and specifying that procedure execute as a user that has permissions to modify the table, you can extend the permissions to truncate the table to the user that you grant EXECUTE permissions on the procedure.


The World Cup welcomes the worlds best teams, and some World Class talent. We have the intriguing rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to look forward to, and also the likes of Franck Ribéry, Neymar, Wayne Rooney amongst other big names, but one of the most attractive things this time around is the amount of amazing young talent from around the globe, with some already stars at a young age and others just starting their promising careers.
FIFA created the World Cup Best Young Player Award in 2006, rewarding the best talent at the tournament under the age of 21. In 2006 Lukas Podolski won, ahead of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. In South Africa 2010 the winner was another German, Thomas Müller, with an impressive return of 5 goals that made him the joint top scorer.
During a whole month the entire world will be paralysed by football and we have the opportunity to see loads of talent, and for this occasion I've made a list of the players with the best chances to win the Best Young Player Award. I'll analyse their game, influence during their career, style, possibilities to advance as far as possible and their role in their respective squads. So here we go….
Paul Pogba (France): This youngster plays for Juventus in Seria A, where he has become influential in their midfield, making great partnerships with Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal and clinching the Scudetto but failing to make an impact in Europe's elite competition. Pogba has a very good passing ability and he has flourished with his long range shots. With the France national team he is part of a Trivote that usually includes Yohan Cabaye and Blaise Matuidi, which makes the French midfield a unit of strength and tenacity but also good technical ability. Pogba can dominate the opposition and can make a great impact in France's aspirations. You can see more of Pogba in this video.
Raphaël Varane (France): Another member of the France squad is defender Raphaël Varane, who plays for Real Madrid and comes fresh from winning La Décima for the club. Sadly Varane didn't get as much playing time as he would have hoped this season because of some troublesome injuries, but that didn't stop Varane making an impact in the final games of the season and in the Champions League Final itself. In the national team he's well prepared with his partners in defence to cope with pressure, and has some type of understanding with Laurent Koscielny – one of the best defenders in Premier League – and they make a tandem with the forces of the midfield. Varane possesses a great vision to tackle and great aerial power, he's a strong runner and tackler and can help to take the pressure out of a match, he's a ball-winning defender and has a very impressive composure for his age. You can see more of Varane here: video.
Romelu Lukaku (Belgium): Since his early days Romelu Lukaku was a diamond waiting to explode, when he was in Belgium at the young age of 16, Lukaku was part of Anderlecht's Champions League and Europa League squads and was starting some key games. Lukaku's next move was signing for Chelsea two years ago, where he has gone on loan to West Brom and Everton and become a real threat in the Premier League. Lukaku now has enough experience to lead the front line but can also play alongside another frontman. At Everton he had the help of Belgium team-mate Kevin Mirallas and is very close to other Belgians Hazard and Vermaelen. This World Cup is the opportunity for Lukaku to establish himself as a world class level talent and show what he's made of. See more in this video.
Julian Draxler (Germany): The nation of the two previous World Cup Best Young Player Award winners now has several other young talents who will compete for the award, but the player with the most realistic possibility is Julian Draxler. The Schalke man is well equipped with some brilliant skills and movement, can play anywhere across the front three and can also play the number 10 role. Draxler has the advantage that he plays with a fantastic team with a real chance of winning the World Cup, and his rivals for the left-wing spot in the team have been playing below their expected level, namely Chelsea man Andre Schürrle and previous Young Player Award winner Lukas Podolski, so all the bets are on Draxler to make a big contribution for his nation. Here's an introductory video.
William Carvalho (Portugal) There's little doubt that one of the most anticipated performances of the World Cup will come from Cristiano Ronaldo, but there were signs in previous tournaments that his team wasn't good enough to win and the World Cup clearly isn't easy to win by a solo-effort, so this time Portugal has formed a unit to help CR7 win the World Cup. One of these players is William Carvalho, the defensive midfielder who plays for Sporting Lisboa, coming off a wonderful season that has attracted interest across Europe, now is the time to show what he can bring at the highest level. Carvalho has similarities to previous world-cup winner Gilberto Silva, but has better composure with the ball. Carvalho also will rejuvenate the midfield of Portugal, perhaps winning his spot over the ageing Miguel Veloso (Editor – Veloso's only 28!). You can see more of Carvalho's style of play here: video.
Joel Campbell (Costa Rica): This left-footed player is a great talent who has spent successful loan spells at Lorient and Real Betis. Alongside some work permit problems, this season Arsenal thought he needed some European level experience, so Campbell went out on loan once more to Olympiakos, where he had a great campaign in which Olympiakos made it to the Champions League round of 16. Campbell really shone in the 1st leg against Manchester United, scoring a great goal past David de Gea's far post – that was surely the highlight of the season for Joel, but he made great performances with his national team and helped them get to Brazil. Joel Campbell has had a phenomenal season and has been increasingly consistent over the past couple of years, but sadly for him, his team have a very slim chance of advancing from the group stage – they share Group D with England, Italy and Uruguay. Bad luck this time for Joel, see more in this video.
Marco Verratti (Italy) : Italy were an ageing side screaming for renovation, when a boy appeared in Pescara making the transition easier. Verrati moved to Paris Saint-Germain where his performances have forced everyone to take notice. Marco Verratti, the young midfielder has appeared like a miracle to an old Italy side, he's part of the new guard alongside Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne, of whom, Verratti is the only one who is young enough for the Young Player Award. The problem with Marco Verratti has frequently been his fiery behaviour, and he was accused of indiscipline by ex-coach Carlo Ancelotti. Perhaps Verrati has improved in that respect but it remains to be seen if he will start for Italy, and we will see what the tournament holds for him. More from Marco in this video.
Juan Fernando Quintero (Colombia): South America always has loads of talents waiting to make the big step to Europe. One player who has already trodden this path is Juan Fernando Quintero, whose skills and passing ability is often compared to compatriot James Rodriguez, while the latter is too old for this award. Quintero had a slow start at Porto and the adaptation process to living outside his country appeared to be too much for him, but this season he made a good contribution to his team although they expected more from him. In the Colombian team his role is secondary to James Rodriguez, but they are capable of playing together. This golden boy's chances of winning this award depends on Colombia going as far as possible and him making a significant impact. See Quintero's skills here: video.
Josip Drmić (Switzerland) : While the new star signing of Bayer Leverkusen is yet to make any special contribution to his national team, Drmić was sensational this past season, giving hopes to Nuremberg fans but sadly unable to stop the team from being relegated from the Bundesliga. Josip Drmić's move to Leverkusen will allow him to start again with new challenges at the other end of the table. Drmić has only recently forced his way into the Switzerland team, but he's already becoming a key figure for the Swiss, and needs to prove himself at the highest level, where Switzerland's hopes are very much dependent on his performances. See more in this video.
Mateo Kovačić (Croatia): The inaugural match of the World Cup will be played between the hosts Brazil and Croatia, and Croatia will be looking for big performances from midfielders Luka Modrić and Ivan Rakitić, but their young number 10 from Inter Milan Mateo Kovačić will need to be on form if Croatia are to stand a chance. The youngster lead the midfield to an exemplary play-off win over Iceland. In the first leg, Kovačić didn't feature and Croatia could only manage a 0-0 draw. Croatia's new coach Niko Kovač took a gamble for the second leg and resolved his midfield dilemma by putting Modrić and Rakitić together and moving Kovacic from deep to the number 10 role behind Mandžukić, Croatia qualifying for the World Cup with a 2-0 victory. In the shadows of a terrible season with Inter, Kovačić well be looking to change that with Croatia, who have difficult group matches against Brazil, Mexico, and Cameroon. Croatia will be relying on Kovačić to be influential if they are to make it through the group. This is a video of Kovačić.
I hope this World Cup and this group of young players don't disappoint us, because I've already placed a bet for one of them to win the World Cup Young Player Award, but there are others players who deserves a mention and you should keep an eye on during the tournament, the list includes: Memphis Depay (Netherlands), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Luke Shaw and Ross Barkley (all England), Bernard (Brazil), Granit Xhaka (Switzerland), Ogenyi Onazi (Nigeria), Heung-Min Son (South Korea), and Adnan Januzaj (Belgium).
The ball is in their court, now sit and enjoy yourself watching the most promising World Cup ever, and take a look at the amount of incredible young talent, and maybe a new world star can make his claim for glory.


It's too early in the year to predict the best novels of 2016, but The Night Bell, Inger Ash Wolfe's latest in the wonderful Hazel Micallef series, sets the bar as high as it goes. This fourth novel under Toronto author Michael Redhill's pen name is the best in what's been an unbroken string of winners. It has character, setting, plot and suspense that keeps you reading to the last page. We are, of course, in the town of Port Dundas where Sheriff Micallef has old unsolved deaths on her hands. Bones of children have been discovered on the site of an abandoned foster home. The case of murdered children raises all kinds of spectres. The land is part of a new subdivision of homes whose residents are already raising questions about corruption and cover-up. Hazel has hardly begun the investigation into the dead children when three very new and very obviously related murders occur. In the midst of all the furore, Hazel finds herself recalling a very different crime, one that happened in 1959 when her adopted brother was accused of abducting a local girl. Could there be a connection to that disappearance? It seems that if Hazel can find the answer to these crimes, she may be able to finally clear his name. Save this one for a weekend when you don't have to put it down. It's irresistible.


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text:
Right on the Money
By Michael Pickard
La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) is a certified phenomenon after Netflix revealed it was the streamer's biggest non-English-language series ever. DQ hears from creator Alex Pina and writer Esther Martinez Lobato about making the Spanish heist drama.
When Netflix published its earnings statement for the first quarter of 2018, there were plenty of headline figures. Revenue growth of 43% year-on-year, the fastest in its streaming history; more than seven million new subscribers worldwide; and confirmation of a US$8bn content budget for the year ahead that would be spent on a dizzying array of series, films, unscripted series, documentaries and comedy specials.
The same period also saw the launch of new series including The End of the F****** World and Altered Carbon, plus the return of shows such as Marvel's Jessica Jones, Santa Clarita Diet and A Series of Unfortunate Events.
And while Netflix continues to expand its production line of international originals, among them Brazil's O Mecanismo (The Mechanism) from Narcos creator José Padilha, the report also noted, with little fanfare, that Spanish drama El Casa de Papel (Money Heist) had become the most watched non-English-language series on Netflix. Quite a feat when you consider Narcos, Babylon Berlin, Fauda, Suburra, Generation War and Rita are among the slew of international shows available on the streaming platform.
The series, one story split across two seasons (or 'parts'), first aired on Spain's Antena 3 in May 2017. It tells the story of the mysterious Professor, played by Álvaro Morte, who assembles a crack team of criminals with one goal – to break into the Royal Mint of Spain in Madrid and print €2.4bn (US$2.8bn).
Alex Pina
Creator Alex Pina says he was keen to bring the heist genre, a constant in the big-screen world, to television but admits getting the project off the ground was a bumpy road.
"The TV channel wasn't convinced," he says. "And we were producing so many chapters with only one heist, which takes place in the 15th minute of the first chapter. There were 1,000 minutes of fiction, 137 hours of action, and we wanted to make it very fluid, so the only solution was to use flashbacks.
"With all these flashbacks, we wanted to tell the story and make it authentic, with lots of action and events one after the other, twists and turns. This is something that made it unique and such an addictive TV show."
Another problem was that the heist genre is largely aimed at male cinema-goers – so how did the writers look to draw female viewers to the series? The answer lay in telling the story largely from a female perspective.
"Last year we saw an explosion of female narratives," says Esther Martinez Lobato, screenwriter and executive producer. "More TV shows are having female main characters. The most difficult decision we had to make was to find the perfect protagonist, which we found in Tokyo [played by Úrsula Corberó]. She's a very important character. She's a loser at the beginning and had nothing to lose, and then she meets the Professor. That's how we wanted to approach the male presence. But the female characters go beyond Tokyo."
The other most notable female characters are Raquel (Itziar Ituño), the police officer who leads the investigation into the heist and unwittingly becomes close to the Professor; and Monica, an employee at the Royal Mint who is initially held among the hostages but becomes involved with one of her captors, Denver (Jaime Lorente).
Álvaro Morte as the Professor, mastermind of the heist at the centre of the show
"We have the perfect heist, that's the motive of the series, but it's something very masculine so we wanted to provide feminine perspective," Pina says. "Raquel's story is very powerful, very romantic. She controls the heist from the police point of view and she deals with gender violence in her life [following an abusive relationship with her ex-husband]. On the other hand, we have Tokyo. We also have Monica. She has a lot of male-related problems and all of this takes place within the perfect heist. There are four main female characters [including fellow gang member Nairobi] and it works very well. We also intended to enhance the genre with some hybrids. One of most powerful romantic stories could happen between the Professor and the inspector, the mastermind of the police operation. It was something we wanted to exploit and it has worked."
Those who struggle to put pen to paper should take heart when Lobato admits it took a month to write the first five lines of the series. The writer, who was already working with Pina on Spanish prison drama Vis a Vis (Locked Up), says El Casa de Papel was "a leap into the unknown."
"We didn't know what we were embarking on," she says. "We started to work on a small thing, we ended it, the actors went home. All the sets were destroyed. Then Netflix picked up the series and, starting from a very small TV show, we saw how it was growing exponentially. Everything we did, we did with love. We were just trying to make something entertaining and good to watch."
Throughout its 15 chapters (re-edited into 22 on Netflix), the series is notable for its fast-paced twists and turns as it juggles competing – and rising – tensions inside and outside the Royal Mint, where the robbers and the police both face a race against time to achieve their aims. Pina says his ambition was to create a "frantic" TV show, noting: "We didn't want it to get boring, so we wanted to give reasons for the audience to stay with us and keep watching the show. That's why every five or 10 minutes, lots of powerful things happen. We wanted to open up the series and the plot, even though it was developing in a closed space."
Úrsula Corberó as Tokyo, one of several prominent female characters
More important than the plot, however, is the band of morally ambiguous characters – all given city codenames, like Tokyo – at the centre of the story. While on the surface this appears to be a story of good versus evil, pitting the police against a group of career criminals, characters on both sides of the fence are not as you initially perceive them to be.
"All the characters, they are anti-heroes, antagonists. And as the plot develops, the audience realises they are very relatable," says Pina. "That's how the audience becomes addicted to the characters, because of the way they are developed. There's no good or bad; it's up to the audience to decide. Taking the audience from one side of the moral spectrum to another also marks the success of the series."
It is arguably Berlin (Pedro Alonso), in particular, who changes the most, shifting from the crazed ringleader inside the Royal Mint and the Professor's right-hand man to become one of the series' most loved characters.
"People ask me how can you create a character who is so likeable but who started being so oppressing," Lobato says, noting the character's initial treatment of the hostages. "The audience can understand depth of character because it develops over a number of episodes. We're trying to cover the whole moral spectrum and turn good people evil and vice versa. Tokyo starts as an anti-hero and becomes a lovely girl. Monica starts as a secretary and by the end she has a gun in her hand. That's what makes the series so entertaining."
The drama was originally ordered by Spain's Antena 3
It's an approach that is employed for every character in the series, with shades of light and dark applied to each so they are both relatable and immoral at various moments of the series, from the scheming yet charismatic Professor and the strong yet vulnerable Raquel to each member of the gang holed up inside the Royal Mint.
"We spent a lot of time to find how Nairobi [Alba Flores] speaks and Berlin walks – all those details that construct the identity and DNA of the show," Pina says. "They're multi-dimensional characters, they're always changing and are complementary to one another. That's what makes the audience stay with the characters and why we present them in another light. We provide a poetic dimension to allow them to develop throughout the plot. If we have a violent character, we want to add some tenderness."
Lobato picks up: "One of the things we kept in mind when we started work every day was the audience. They are smart and are consuming more fiction. They are becoming experts. Before, we were asking ourselves if the audience was watching TV, but now the question has changed. They choose what to see, so that has affected our choices as well."
The show's two-part structure was born out of financial necessity, Pina reveals, admitting "we didn't have a lot of money." Production was split between shooting scenes featuring the Professor and the police with one unit and events inside the Royal Mint with another.
The show's third season will air next year
"That's how it was viable," Pina says. "It was created in five months. We started writing and each week we delivered the script. Production was a race against the clock."
While seasons one and two make up one complete story – earning a Golden Nymph award for best drama TV series at the Monte Carlo Television Festival earlier this month – with a solid resolution to the events that have taken place during the series, Netflix has ordered a third season that will see the Professor develop new heists. It is set to air in 2019.
And when it comes to potential spin-offs, Pina says that's for the streamer to discuss. "They're very happy with it and believe it has lots of possibilities," he says. "They believe that either Berlin or Tokyo can have their own universe, but I don't have any more information. It could possibly work back in time; it could be a prequel.
"Berlin is going to appear in the third season," Pina adds. "Berlin will have a big universe before the heist because he was already a professional robber. La Casa de Papel is the end of his story but we have lots to tell about him."
tagged in: Alex Pina, Esther Martinez Lobato, La Casa de Papel (Money Heist)


text:
How not to lose all
NEXT BLOG ❯
By Sunita Narain
Last Updated: Thursday 11 June 2015
The proposed deal in Cancun had to be rejected. What was proposed at the World Trade Organization talks would have been a deadly price for developing countries to pay. Therefore, for once, our leaders did well. They were prepared to negotiate together. They held together in the face of the disgraceful, utterly indefensible positions of the subsidised North. Cancun failed because the rich nations of the world failed us all.
But I am not cheering loudly. I believe the failure of Cancun is a victory, not for the world's poor, but for the machiavellian strategies of the world's richest, the US. Because, as against a multilateral framework based on rules and regulations for all, Cancun's failure is a boost to bilateralism.
That's what the US wants. It has been busy making bilateral trade agreements -- Jordan, Chile, Singapore, Mexico, Canada and Israel are in its pocket, so to say. Now it says it will "aggressively pursue bilateral and regional trade agreements with countries committed to opening markets and undertaking economic reform". In other words, it will use its enormous economic and political clout to squeeze countries into trade agreements of its convenience.
This is a well-heeled foreign policy objective of the US. Take climate change. The US walked out of the Kyoto Protocol. It walked out of a multilateral agreement to limit luxury emissions, so that the poor would get ecological space, and the earth's climate system would recover. But, the US did not merely reject the protocol; it said it would work overtime to kill it off. The US says it will prove its strategies for "voluntary measures" -- to switch to cleaner technologies -- and "bilateral agreements" (selling energy efficient technologies to developing countries) will be more effective than a multilateral rule-bound agreement. Forget the rules now. What the US is promising is that instead of the 5.2 per cent cut in emissions at 1990 levels, as the protocol requires, it will increase its emissions by over 30 per cent in the agreement period.
The US is certainly aggressive about its ideology. Its diplomatic cohorts go around the world wrapping up deals -- on hydrogen technologies, carbon sequestration plans, or clean coal. Earlier this year, a US climate delegation neatly stitched up the so-called hero of the developing world, India. It wowed our politicians and business leaders with a grandiose and futuristic hydrogen energy plan, in which fuel will be generated using fossil fuels -- oil from Iraq? -- as the source. This week, a delegation visited Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam to push its plan.
But in a clear coup, this climate-renegade nation has signed an agreement with the forthcoming presidency of the European Union (EU) -- Italy. US President George Bush and his Italian counterpart, Silvio Berlusconi, have agreed on a joint programme on so-called climate change mitigation strategies. Just two months before the next climate conference -- which the Italians are hosting -- the two have thumbed their noses at the multilateral world with public advertisements of this marriage.
Where is the EU in all this? Its leaders never miss a chance to extol multilateralism and consensus. But its negotiators do the exact opposite. They ensure, repetitively, that developing countries are left with no choice but to accept the bilateral fare the US offers. At the last climate change convention, EU negotiators obnoxiously pushed developing countries to take on legally binding commitments on emission reductions, instead of focussing on the effective implementation of the convention and sidelining the US. As a result, developing countries found merit in the US proposal to reject the Kyoto way. At Cancun, the EU perversely pushed for negotiations on the Singapore issues, which the South detests. Why?
Shortsightedness? Stupidity? Or deliberate strategy? Understand that the EU is moving to become a confederation of states, with a powerful centrist bureaucracy. This might explain why --even as US officials negotiate like mature politicians, pushing government strategy -- EU office-bearers negotiate like clerks and bookkeepers lost in arcane details, so that they miss the political opportunities to win friends and gain coalitions. The US is successfully weakening the climate negotiating process; the EU, meanwhile, is making sure the clean development mechanism -- to fund energy-efficient projects in the South -- becomes a complicated and cheap development mechanism.
It is clear that the EU has changed. At the Rio Summit, European leaders were propelled by the fact that environment was hard politics; in Europe, the green vote comprised 5-15 per cent of the total vote. Today, green votes don't seem to count as much. Civil society pressure has become almost as marginalised in European politics, as it is in the US-- where business dominates. No wonder civil society groups there prefer to lobby developing country governments.
This sad fact may also provide the key to the future. We know what the US is offering will take us straight to hell. The EU is a washout, we also know. Where do we go?
We have no choice but to engage. In climate change, we are the most vulnerable. In trade, we have already given away too much since the Uruguay Round. We need multilateral rules that protect our interest. We have no option but to stay and fight. And it is here that we could strengthen the coalition that was born in Cancun -- between governments of the South and people of the world. A coalition brought together in common outrage and desire for justice. It is a slim chance. But it is our only chance. We cannot let the US win. Because then we will all lose. Lose all.
-- Sunita Narain
Sunita Narain Sunita Narain WTO WTO WTO USA Trade Trade Legislation Kyoto Protocol India Hydrogen Energy Fossil Fuels European Union European Union European Union European Union European Union European Union Developing Countries Climate Change Editor's Page Editor's Page Union Ministry of Power Power for all Piyush Goyal Narendra Modi government Down to earth 24x7 power supply


Many people are not aware that you can divorce without instructing lawyers or solicitors. There are pros and cons of doing this and it's important to be aware of all the options available to you before you commit either way.
This blog will help you understand the pros and cons of divorcing or ending your civil partnership without the help of a lawyer or solicitor. It will also lay out some other options that are available to you.
If your ex is abusive or threatening then a lawyer can make applications alongside your divorce to keep you or your children safe. It's dangerous to try and negotiate with someone who may harm you.
If you suspect your ex is getting rid of assets, hiding them or transferring things into other people's names then a lawyer can help you get a freezing order to stop this.
If you have complicated assets and are unsure of your legal position, a lawyer (or a divorce law specialist) can help you understand your options. However, it doesn't mean you have to use them throughout the whole process.
A solicitor will fight your corner and you may get a 'better deal'. However, you should bear in mind that if you ex has a solicitor too – they will be doing the same thing.
If your ex won't cooperate or negotiate then you will need to court to make decisions on your behalf and a solicitor is best placed to do that.
It's expensive. If you both engage a lawyer you will have hefty bills to contend with at the end of the process – that's money you could be spending on your family. Consider whether you are on ok-enough terms to use an alternative service. The average cost of asking a solicitor to sort out your finances, for example, is £8,000 (each).
It could make communication between you difficult. Lawyers send letters and emails that are very factual and are not written with your spouses' feelings in mind. This can cause ructions between you and lead to acrimony.
It can make co-parenting difficult post-divorce. Involving a lawyer can create a dependence that leaves you unable to talk easily once the divorce is over. If you use your lawyer to sort out issues that arise then at the end of the process when the lawyers step away you can be left struggling to sort things out yourselves and co-parent.
It's not necessary. Most of a divorce is clerical and administrative. There is very little legal advice involved in a straightforward divorce. A lot of information can be gathered for free and there are lots of services who will do the paperwork for you. You don't need to pay an expensive lawyer to do standard paperwork.
It's slow. A lawyer has to write letters and emails (which they will charge for) and then wait for a reply. This can add considerable time to the process. Talking to each other directly will speed things up and cut out misunderstandings.
If you both feel comfortable with the legal forms then you can do the divorce yourself using the government website. The cost of a DIY option is the government court fee of £550. Before you pay this, check whether you're entitled to help with fees by clicking here. To end your financial relationship, you'll need to get a consent order, as the divorce paperwork doesn't cover this part. Click here for more advice on consent orders.
There are various online services, including amicable, who can do your divorce, sort out your finances and manage the legal paperwork without instructing a solicitor. These are usually fixed fee and offer different levels of service depending on how much of the work you are prepared to do yourself.
If you're finding it difficult to agree you can use the traditional combination of mediation to help you come to your arrangements and then either lawyers or an online service to draw up the legal paperwork. Mediation will facilitate an agreement and works best when you are equally matched in terms of your financial power within the relationship.
amicable offers a variety of services from completing your divorce paperwork to an end to end service for couples who want to divorce and sort out their finances and children arrangements without lawyers. We can help you negotiate a fair financial split and make a parenting plan demonstrating how you will co-parent if you have children together. Unlike mediators, all our packages include drawing up all your legal paperwork and liaising with the courts.
If you are struggling to agree on either your whole divorce or a single issue within it, an arbitrator will settle your case out of court and make a legally binding decision on your behalves after reviewing the details of your case. The decision they come to is legally binding and you cannot appeal or disregard it once you have agreed to the arbitration process. It is like having a private court hearing, but cheaper and quicker than going through the court system. It is a good alternative to starting court proceedings.
The court is the right option for you if there are danger signs like hiding assets or abuse. It's best to avoid court if you can and keep control of the process by using an alternative service. However – sometimes you have no choice. Going to court should be, where possible, avoided as it is usually the most expensive, long-winded and traumatic way to divorce.
If you would like some support in figuring out the best way forward for you and your family, then please get in touch for a free 15-minute advice call with one of our amicable experts.


Home » Blog » Tim Hortons Cardiff. High Level Shop Front Re-coating.
Vanda Coatings were proud to work on this prestigious project as part of the Tim Hortons launch into the UK. As part of the refurbishment project, there was a requirement to recoat the high-level aluminium shop front sections to the Tim Horton colours. Vanda Coatings operatives carried out the shop front re-coating on the Canadian coffee chain new opening.
Tim Hortons is one of Canada's most popular brands serving 8 out of every 10 cups of coffee in the country and is larger than both KFC and McDonalds combined there. Starting in 1964 they have grown and branched out globally. The second branch to open is Queen Street in Cardiff and there are plans to open many branches throughout the UK.
As part of the shop fit Vanda Coatings were required to re-coat high-level aluminium powder coated window framework to internal and external sections as well as the exterior tiled sections. The store had three colours applied to different sections, black grey and red of the Tim Horton corporate colours. Working on a high street location and with other trades present, always provide challenging conditions but experienced spray painting applicators Luke, Michael, Jac and Gareth proved they were up to the task.
Vanda Coatings carry out a lot of these type of projects where one company take over the lease of the shop from another and therefore need a corporate colour change. In this instance, a Footlocker was located at the site and Tim Hortons decided on taking the unit as part of the expansion into the UK. This store was located on both the main high street and within the shopping centre.
As with the design of many modern shopping centres, the storefront often has tall frontages to allow in maximum light and offer displays. For this project, our trained operatives had to access the high-level framework from a cherry picker.
Vanda Coatings have worked on the majority of high street chains since the business was started 20 years ago. Find out more about our shop front spraying service.


Marvel Pronto® Training Tables will ship within 5 DAYS after receipt of purchase order.
The Pronto® training tables from Marvel® are ideal for school classrooms, libraries and training centers.
Available in a variety of sizes, these desks will suit as computer training tables or basic training room furniture. These classroom tables feature superior wire management and a locking rear raceway door or modesty panel. The Pronto® desks can be set up as a continuous surface thanks to the wiring pass through feature.
Pronto® classroom training furniture is available with locking raceways or with a modesty panel back.
- Glides have adjustable range of 1"


text:
New Friendly Fire Coverup: Army Shreds Files On Dead Soldiers
Thread: New Friendly Fire Coverup: Army Shreds Files On Dead Soldiers
Hours after Salon revealed evidence that two Americans were killed by a U.S. tank, not enemy fire, military officials destroyed papers on the men.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/20...friendly_fire/
Editor's note: On Oct. 14, 2008, Salon published an article about the deaths of Army Pfc. Albert Nelson and Pfc. Roger Suarez. The Army attributed their deaths in Iraq in 2006 to enemy action; Salon's investigation, which included graphic battle video and eyewitness testimony, indicated that their deaths were likely due to friendly fire.
After Salon published Benjamin's Oct. 14 report, the Army ordered soldiers to shred documents about the men. As proof that they were ordered to destroy the paperwork, a soldier saved some examples and provided them to Salon.
Nov. 20, 2008 | FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Last month, Salon published a story reporting that U.S. Army Pfc. Albert Nelson and Pfc. Roger Suarez were killed by U.S. tank fire in Ramadi, Iraq, in late 2006, in an incident partially captured on video, but that an Army investigation instead blamed their deaths on enemy action. Now Salon has learned that documents relating to the two men were shredded hours after the story was published. Three soldiers at Fort Carson, Colo. — including two who were present in Ramadi during the friendly fire incident, one of them just feet from where Nelson and Suarez died — were ordered to shred two boxes full of documents about Nelson and Suarez. One of the soldiers preserved some of the documents as proof that the shredding occurred and provided them to Salon. All three soldiers, with the assistance of a U.S. senator's office, have since been relocated for their safety.
Oct. 14 was a long and eventful day at Fort Carson. The post had been in an uproar. The night before, Salon had published my article airing claims that two of the base's soldiers, Pfc. Albert Nelson and Pfc. Roger Suarez-Gonzalez, had been killed by friendly fire in Iraq on Dec. 4, 2006, but that the Army covered up the cause of death, attributing it to enemy action.
Based on the testimony of eyewitnesses, and on video and audio recorded by a helmet-mounted camera that captured much of the action that day, my report stated that Nelson and Suarez seemed to have been killed by an American tank shell. The shell apparently struck their position on the roof of a two-story ferro-concrete building in Ramadi, Anbar province, Iraq, killing Suarez instantly, mortally wounding Nelson, and injuring several other soldiers. I included both an edited and a full-length version of the video in the article. The video shows soldiers just after the blast claiming to have watched the tank fire on them. Then a sergeant attempts to report over a radio that a U.S. tank killed his men. He seems to be promptly overruled by a superior officer who is not at the scene. An official Army investigation then found that the simultaneous impact of two enemy mortars killed the men.
The article about the alleged friendly fire incident was long overdue for some of the men who fought in Ramadi that day for the Army's Fort Carson-based D Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. Many continue to insist privately that a U.S. tank killed their friends.
But for their superior officers, the publication of the article was a problem to be solved. On the morning of Oct. 14, battalion leaders held an emergency meeting in response to the Salon article. The sergeant in charge of 2nd Platoon, Nelson and Suarez's platoon, had a pointed confrontation with at least one of his men in a vain search for the source that leaked the Ramadi video to Salon. Soldiers were told to keep quiet from then on.
"Everybody was trying to figure out who released this video and who talked to a reporter," said Pvt. Charles Kremling, a stout, tough-looking infantryman from the 2nd Platoon, as he recalled the accusatory atmosphere on the base that day. "Pretty much we were made to understand that we are not supposed to be talking about this."
Kremling was in Ramadi the day that Nelson and Suarez died. He had been huddled among the 2nd Platoon soldiers on the second floor of the ferro-concrete structure when the explosion shook the roof above him and threw him to the floor. Above him, on the roof, soldiers say a tank shell screeched in from the west, killing Suarez instantly and blasting his head and torso clear off the building to the east. The shell severed Nelson's left leg, and he suffered nearly a half hour waiting for a botched medical evacuation as his buddies struggled to save him. He died at the gates of a military hospital.
By the evening of Oct. 14, after the battalion leaders' meeting and after both cable and network news had aired segments on the Salon exposé, the harried atmosphere died down at Fort Carson. When Kremling and Pvt. Albert "Doc" Mitchum, a compact, battle-hardened medic, reported for extra duty at battalion headquarters sometime after 6 p.m., they were tired and facing hours of mind-numbingly boring tasks. Being a private working the late shift in battalion headquarters usually meant a night of filing paperwork or straightening up offices.
Staff Sgt. Swinton was in charge that night. He told Kremling, Mitchum and a third soldier who had reported for duty that the evening's labor would include the inglorious task of cleaning out a closet. The first priority, Swinton said, was to shred the thousands of pages of documents in two large copy-paper-size boxes. It would be tedious work, but Swinton was adamant. "He says, 'I need that paper shredded. That has to be done tonight,'" remembered Kremling, who volunteered to get started on the job.
At first, the men tried to avoid the monotony of shredding. "We are talking about two Xerox boxes — filled," Kremling told me later. But eventually Kremling told the other two, "I'll go do it."
Kremling stepped into a quiet office with the boxes of documents and the shredder. Kremling lifted handfuls of paper out of the first box and stuffed the material into the machine. It hummed to life, chopping away.
This went on for about a half hour. "I was shredding for a while. I was halfway through the first box," he recalled. He picked up a stack with an official-looking memorandum on top. "I started feeding it into the shredder and then, Bam! I noticed the names Albert Markee Nelson and Roger Suarez," he remembered. "And I look into my lap and there is paperwork galore with their names on it," he exclaimed. "I was like, 'What the fuck?'"
He froze. He shuffled through the boxes at his feet. Nelson, Suarez and more, page after page. "The first thing I was thinking was Enron," said Kremling. "People go to jail for this kind of shit."
Kremling grabbed an inch-thick stack of documents and went to find his buddy, Mitchum, in another room. "I said, 'Look at this! There are boxes full of documents about Nelson and Suarez!"
Mitchum understood immediately what his friend was thinking. He tried to stay calm. "I wanted to make sure we were not overreacting," Mitchum recalled.
Mitchum walked into the room with the shredder humming away. "I looked through the boxes," he said. He was stunned.
"It was not just those two individuals," Mitchum recalled. On closer inspection of the contents in the boxes, Mitchum noticed a file on a Julio Gonzales. Then he found another Nelson, but not his Nelson. "It was anybody with the name Suarez and anybody who was named Nelson," he stammered.
It was as if somebody had rifled through the unit files and, in a desperate effort to get rid of everything associated with the two dead soldiers, simply marked anything with the name Nelson or Suarez for destruction. Of the two boxes, one contained documents mostly on Suarez, the other, mostly Nelson — one box for each man.
They brought the third soldier into the room and showed him the files. The three men stood there watching the shredder hum away, unsure of what to do next. They paced. They argued. Nobody knew what to do. Should they stop shredding? Spirit away the documents in the trunk of a car? If this was some kind of coverup, where they unwitting accomplices?
Like Kremling, Mitchum had been in Ramadi on the day in question. He had been holed up with members of the 3rd Platoon in a building a few hundred yards to the southwest of where Nelson and Suarez died, and vividly remembered the hours-long battle against Iraqi insurgents that ended with a barrage of U.S. tank fire. Unlike a number of Salon sources who say they saw the tank fire at the building where Nelson and Suarez died on Dec. 4, 2006, Kremling and Mitchum were not eyewitnesses to the tank shot, though Kremling was on the second floor of the building that got hit. But both men believed their buddies who claimed to have seen it, as opposed to the official Army explanation.
After much discussion, the men called the Army Criminal Investigation Command, the army's premier investigative organization, based at Fort Belvoir, Va. But by this time, it was late at night. No answer. They dialed the Army inspector general. "They keep bankers' hours," Kremling complained.
Finally, they called a trusted fellow soldier. His counsel was that although it was difficult to say, they should proceed as if they had received a lawful order, since as far as they knew, they had. He thought they should probably go ahead and shred the stuff.
But after they resumed shredding and were almost finished with the second box, one of the three soldiers snapped. "This is bullshit!" he announced. "I'm pretty sure this is illegal." He reached into the second box, pulled out seven pages, folded the documents twice and shoved them in his pocket. "I finally said, 'Fuck it,'" he told me about his decision to grab some of the documents. "I'm tired of getting bullied around."
The papers he grabbed at the last moment are routine — deployment checklists, immunization records and other forms. But the documents definitely refer to the Albert Nelson from Ramadi, and they are unquestionably official Army documents. The documents have two holes punched on the top of each page, like many Army files. The various documents contain Nelson's full name, his home address in west Philadelphia, the names of some of his family and his correct Social Security number. (Some of the paperwork is reproduced here, but with personal information redacted.)
The seven pages that survived the shredding incident are not dramatic and do not pertain to the friendly fire incident. But they provide proof that on Oct. 14, the day Salon published the article about Nelson and Suarez's deaths, the Army was shredding documents about the two men.
I learned about the destruction of the documents through my sources at Fort Carson. I contacted the soldiers involved and interviewed them in Colorado Springs in mid-October. They wanted the story out but feared repercussions from the Army. They also complained of serious but largely untreated medical problems from combat in Iraq.
I called the office of Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., who has a long track record of advocacy on behalf of returning veterans. Bond's staff contacted officials at Fort Carson and raised the issue of the shredding incident and the health problems of some soldiers from the friendly fire unit. The Army agreed to move the soldiers out of their unit and work to address their medical needs. Bond's staff also contacted a representative of the National Veterans Legal Services Program, who agreed to assist them in getting medical care.
The Army has completed an investigation into the shredding incident, called a 15-6 investigation, a relatively informal, internal affair typically conducted by one officer who reports to his commander. In a 15-6, the military unit that may have screwed up is responsible for investigating itself.
Kremling and Mitchum's brigade commander, Col. Randy George, told me in a phone interview that he ordered a captain on his staff to handle this 15-6 investigation. (George was not the commander of the brigade in Ramadi in 2006, and he had not heard of the friendly fire incident until Salon published the initial story.)
George's investigation found that the battalion routinely shreds old, inactive personnel files. The destruction of documents on Oct. 14 was routine. "They shredded some documents," George told me. "Coincidentally it happened on the 14th ... We shred documents all the time."
George acknowledged that files on Nelson and Suarez went into the shredder on Oct. 14 — but none were related to the alleged friendly fire. "I would guarantee you that there was nothing in there that was destroyed that had anything to do with that incident."
George sent me a copy of his investigation, which includes a sworn statement from an Army staff sergeant (name redacted) who works on personnel issues in the battalion headquarters. The sergeant wrote that the shredding on Oct. 14 resulted from an effort that began in early September to clean out old files. That sergeant also wrote that "at no time did anyone give any order to destroy personal records specific to those two soldiers, nor did anyone I work with indicate that the battalion leadership or any company commander direct [sic] any soldiers ... to destroy the records of those two soldiers."
George's investigation also contains sworn statements from the soldiers interviewed by Salon, reflecting essentially what they told me. They describe boxes filled predominantly with files on the two men, including some documents with both men's names on them. They also reiterated what they said in our interviews — they simply don't know for sure exactly what all they put into the shredder on Nelson and Suarez.
"The documents that were shredded were not related to the deaths or the investigation into the deaths" of Nelson and Suarez, according to the copy of George's investigation. "The command was aware of the media interest in the case but had no motivation to destroy the documents; and the command did not order nor did it know about the shredding of the documents."
On Oct. 14, George did discuss the Salon article with his superiors in the 4th Infantry Division, he confirmed. And he did order an effort to comb through files that day, but only to identify who from the unit on the day of Nelson and Suarez's deaths might still be around. "I asked who was in the unit because I was not here when that happened," he told me. "But that had nothing to do with shredding any documents."
This self-exoneration echoes the Army's original investigation into Nelson and Suarez's deaths. Col. Sean MacFarland was the commander of the tank unit in Ramadi that was supporting Nelson and Suarez's infantry company that day in 2006. MacFarland also oversaw the subsequent Army investigation into the deaths, another 15-6, which found that two enemy mortars landing simultaneously killed Nelson and Suarez, not MacFarland's tanks.
MacFarland said in a brief telephone interview on Oct. 14 that the full investigation included 170 photographs, dozens of interviews and hundreds of pages of ballistic analysis.
"I think it was the gold standard of investigations," MacFarland said, "particularly in an active combat zone."
He argued that his investigation shows that the eyewitnesses are mistaken. "I think there was a strong consensus among the soldiers at the platoon that yes, a tank fired at their building. But the evidence just did not support that," he said. "One could see how young soldiers in the fog of war could get confused," he continued. "So a soldier could very easily be forgiven for thinking that tank was shooting at his building, but they weren't."
I've known for months about the existence of MacFarland's investigation and I requested all of it, including the photographs, statements and exhibits, back on July 30. So far, the Army has produced only a heavily redacted, 10-page summary of the investigation and a two-page memo from MacFarland concurring with the findings. A letter from Fort Carson officials, dated Oct. 10, says they are still looking for the rest of the material requested by Salon in July.
The men in battalion headquarters on Oct. 14 acknowledge that they don't know what they destroyed under orders, or even whether they shredded investigative documents. Said Mitchum, "Who knows what was in there?"
What Mitchum is sure of is how Nelson and Suarez died. "They were killed by a tank," he said. He complained about officers and senior enlisted leaders going along with the official story that the cause of death was enemy fire. "They fall in line," he told me. "And they don't give a shit what it makes us feels like."
Military Told Media And Family That It Was "Friendly Fire" But It Was Murder
U.S. Deports Parents Of Dead Soldiers
2000 Dead American Soldiers In Iraq
Coverup of the Number of US Soldiers Killed in Iraq?
By beltman713 in forum The New News


text:
Q: Using appendTo() on the parent `ul` of $this (current) element I'm having difficulty with some syntax.
JS
function sortAlpha(a,b){
       return a.innerHTML > b.innerHTML ? 1 : -1;
};

$('.brick ul li').each(function() {
       $(this).sort(sortAlpha).appendTo('ul');
});

HTML

Studio

            Apple

    Cat

                        Bar

I would like to append $this li to it's own parent ul not all the lists
Edit: Just to make sure I'm selecting the correct li and parent. Thanks

A: You can use the closest() method to traverse the DOM and find the UL that is the parent -
$(this).sort(sortAlpha).appendTo($(this).closest('ul'));

http://api.jquery.com/closest/

A: If you are unsure of the parent element, then use this
$(this).sort(sortAlpha).appendTo($(this).parent("ul"));

If you are still not sure that parent is going to right above the DOM Tree then use .closest()
$(this).sort(sortAlpha).appendTo($(this).closest("ul"));

But, performance will better if you uniquely identify the ul with an id like

   ...

Then
$(this).sort(sortAlpha).appendTo("#meParent");

A: You have inaccurate html, not properly nested, anyways, you may try this, I've answered assuming that the first li have the right nesting, as given below

        Apple

Working Example Here.
// Sorter
function sorter(){
    var arr=[], len=$('.brick').find('ul.list li').length;
    $('.brick ul.list li').each(function(i) {
        var el=$(this).find('a span').text();
        arr.push(el);
        if(i==(len-1))
        {
            arr=sortAlpha(arr);
            var ul=$(this).closest('ul.list').empty();
            $.each(arr, function(k, v){
                var cls=(k%2) ? 'even':'odd',
                li=$('
', {'class':cls}),
                a=$('',{'href':'#'}).append($('', {'class':'title'}).text(v));
                ul.append(li.append(a));
            });
        }
    });
}

//Sort helper
function sortAlpha(list){
    var result = [], map = [];
    for (var i=0, length = list.length; i < length; i++) {
        map.push({ index: i, value: list[i].toLowerCase() });
    }
    map.sort(function(a, b) {
        return a.value > b.value ? 1 : -1;
    });
    for (var i=0, length = map.length; i < length; i++) {
        result.push(list[map[i].index]);
    }
    return result;
}