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Running my first D&D session
Mon 28 January 2019
Last weekend I ran the first session of a Dungeons and Dragons (5th edition) campaign. This was my first experience being a dungeon master, so I thought I'd write down a few random thoughts about the experience. This will mainly be something for me to reflect on as I get more experience, but perhaps these notes will be useful for other new DMs too.
It's actually been a couple of years that I've wanted to dip my toes into tabletop roleplaying games. My friend Vladimir got me into boardgames during my years in France, and from the beginning I'd always preferred games that let the players assume a role and build a story. The extra freedom afforded by tabletop RPGs seemed to tick all the boxes for what I would find enjoyable. The only barrier was finding the time and a group of people to play with!
Given my total lack of experience I didn't feel particularly comfortable running a campaign, and in the end finding someone willing to give up their time to school a bunch of noobs was not possible. My luck changed when my good friend Adam organized a one-shot D&D session over the christmas holidays. He had put together his own world and story from scratch, complete with fleshed out and sometimes downright wacky NPCs. As players we certainly had a blast, but I could see that Adam was also having great fun seeing his world come to life and seeing how we interacted with it. I was pretty sure that I wanted to give this a go! On the other hand I could see the effort that had to be put in in order to make a compelling story in a coherent world, and I was not sure that I could afford the time committment. That's when I discovered that there is actually a vast library of campaigns published by Wizards of the Coast (the company that owns the Dungeons and Dragons trademark) which takes the guesswork out of worldbuilding and generating compelling narratives. I quickly purchased the Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition starter set, which contains the "lost mine of Phandelver" campaign,
Despite getting a head start by using a pre-generated campaign I hadn't anticipated how much preparation time was required for running the first session. I'd decided I definitely wanted to run dungeon crawling/combat on a grid, which meant that I had to source the images in the campaign book, set about rescaling them and printing them on the A4 paper I had available. In order to increase immersion I also cut up the maps into sections to reflect what the player characters (PCs) would realistically be able to see. To represent the PCs and enemies on the map I printed a bunch of player tokens and glued them to 1-inch washers to give them a bit of weight. I estimate that this effort alone cost at least a couple or three hours.
Even beyond the physical work, I quickly realized that even when the scenarios and story is pre-generated, there is still a lot of work that a DM has to do understanding the story. You're not going to be able to provide an immersive experience for your players if you just skim the encounters; you really need to read, think, and get into the minds of the NPCs. There's no way you're going to be able to predict everything that your players are going to say or do, and if you want play to remain fluid in spite of this you have to know how an NPC or enemy would react to a particular situation. Is this person brave or a coward? What are their motivations, and would they help or hinder the PCs in this particular scenario etc.
Then there's the question of how much to prepare for a particular session. If the campaign has a potentially branching story (and the most compelling narratives will) then as a DM you need to be prepared to make sure that you've covered the material for where your players want to go next.
All in I would say I easily spent perhaps 10 hours preparing in the lead up to the first session; certainly not a nontrivial time investment!
What Went Well
In the first session I feel that I roleplayed the NPCs quite well. We had a band of goblins to deal with and I found myself slipping into the mindset. There was even a goblin that the party captured (Grim), who became a central character in the story for that day (and he may come back in a future session!).
We also found that gridding the dungeon also worked well from a tactical point of view. It was really rewarding for the players to move their pawns around the map, set up plays and then have their strategizing pay off. Introducing "fog of war" by revealing parts of the map as the party was moving around was also a good idea and added a sense of discovery to the adventure.
Another thing the party really appreciated was the use of music in setting the atmosphere. I'd found tabletop audio a week or so prior to the first session and had spent a bit of time building up sound boards for the main locales that the party would encounter. Tabletop Audio is a really great site, and I'll definitely donate to them when I get the chance. I also spent a bit of time setting up playlists of battle music, which was really appreciated by the group.
The last point that I think went well was the level of rules that we used. I personally didn't want to get bogged down in irrelevant details like level of exhaustion because of lack of water or food, or encumbering the PCs when they were carrying too much. On the other hand having enough rules makes the world feel real and like the choices the PCs make has consequences. I felt that this was particularly important in battle, and it would have broken the immersion to have the PCs be able to do whatever they want whenever they wanted. I feel that the 5th edition ruleset balances these aspects well. When we get to wilderness exploration I'll be interested to see what mechanics we can use for the party "discovering" a location. The best way I can think to handle this is have the party move through the wilderness hexes, and when they arrive at the hex containing the hidden location then they either automatically discover the location, or make them take a perception check with a DC that depends on what information they have about the location.
What Could Be Improved
I felt that the first session went really well, however there were naturally some things that could be improved. Firstly, I felt that my descriptions of the game world could be better. I was tending to rely on the maps quite a bit and I wasn't really narrating the details of the places. This sometimes led to misunderstandings where it was, for example, not obvious that we were entering a tunnel under a hill (because the gridded map was a birdseye view). In the future I think that it would be better to take a few moments to describe a newly discovered area when the party enters it. This would help the PCs to get a sense of where they are, and would also increase immersion.
I also felt that my lack of rules knowledge was also hindering the adventure a bit. Notably, I kept having to look up the rules for lighting and perception checks. Also we had several situations where PCs were shooting "through" other PCs to enemies on the other side. During an intense battle it was difficult for me to decide how to best handle the situation. Luckily our warrior rolled a natural 1 to hit with their thrown javelin, so I could easily roleplay the shot going wide and hitting our druid in the back! I later found out that there are some specific rules for this. When you have to shoot "though" another PC this adds a few points to the DC of the "to hit" roll. When you roll greater than the regular DC to hit, but less than the modified DC, then you hit the PC whom you're shooting through. This adds quite a bit of extra tension to battles and also makes PCs think a bit more before firing off their bows or ranged magic. I also had trouble remembering the characteristics of the different items, e.g. the precise weight of a piece of hemp rope, as well as how different spells worked. In 5th edition there are spells that have a range, and there are also spell attacks that have a range. In the former case there's usually a saving roll that the attacked character must make, and in the latter case there's a "to hit" roll that the attacking character must make, like if they were firing a bow or throwing something.
Another aspect with which I had difficulty was making sure that everyone got the chance to play equally. With a party of 6 it was quite difficult to ensure that everyone got their equal share of playtime, not to mention my lack of experience in DMing. In addition I found it quite difficult to think on my feet; for example I should really have kept a list of names ready for impromptu NPCs (as the dungeon master's guide recommends!). Also I found that it is helpful to try and "get into the head" of the NPCs in order to figure out how they would act in a particular situation. It's good to think of what motivation the NPC has for being in whatever situation they're in and their motivation for interacting with the party. This kind of thinking became particularly important in the first session when the party refused to cooperate with Yeemik the goblin when bargaining for the life of Sildar, one of the "good" NPCs. I had to really think about what it was that Yeemik wanted (control of the goblin band) and how he thought that he was going to get it from the players. When it became apparent that the party was too powerful for him to handle, I had Yeemik try to flee for his life, which I felt was appropriate in the situation, but not before dropping Sildar from a high ledge, which started his death saving throws. Despite this the stakes never felt super high; maybe I should have had Yeemik stab Sildar before throwing him down, starting him on 1 or 2 saving throws so that the stakes felt higher.
Yet another aspect that could do with improving was running the encounters themselves. I felt that people were calling their initiative out before I was ready to write it down, and that I was getting a bit lost with all the bestiary cards. I had made notes on flash cards, but kept having to look up more specific details (e.g. height of ceilings or skill checks for different traps) which I felt hindered the flow of the encounters. I definitely felt that the situation could be improved with the use of electronic tools; I found 5etools and it seems really cool. I felt that a DM screen with a quick reference for rules etc. would be really useful, as well as a tool for running encounters, keeping track of enemies, initiative etc.
The first session was so good that we decided to continue with the adventure. I felt that during the second session we fixed a lot of the problems that we had during the first session. For example, I used 5etools for running the encounters, which made things a lot easier as I had the monster stats and initiative counters right there. 5etools even has a "DM screen" feature which allows you to build a custom screen with all of the necessary information on it; very useful!
One thing I continued to find difficult in the second session was hitting the main plot points when roleplaying. I found it quite hard to keep in mind the backstory of the NPCs, what they would be thinking in the given situation, and ensuring that I gave enough information to allow the party to progress. You also have to keep in mind that not all NPCs will know everything; adding a layer of complexity to the process.
Finally I just have one last thing to say about the second session: dooryways are fucking OP. We must have had 3 or 4 situations where the party was on one side of a doorway, and there were enemies on the other side. In all the cases the winning strategy was to have one of the fighters act as a tank and block the door so that nobody could come through, and then have archers and spellcasters fire through the fighter to the enemies beyond. I can't really see how this strategy can be beat, especially as our party has 2 fighters, so if one is downed there is still another to pick up the slack.
All in all it has been a lot of fun to run these sessions, and I look forward to running further sessions in the future. I think all in all it will take maybe 6 or 7 sessions to get through the Lost Mine of Phandelver campaign, and then who knows, perhaps there will even be future adventures with the same characters!
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Kwant Tutorial
Markov Chains are fun
Adaptive: parameter space sampling made easy
How I learned to stop worrying and love the rebase
April fools!
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The recent rise in bitcoin wasn't reflected in Verge as $XVG takes a hefty loss overnight. Verge is down -9.71% in 24 hours, down -12.54% on the week and down -30.86% on the month on a last price of 0.00000307 BTC or about $0.0225. The Verge marketcap is $338,722,100 with a circulating supply of 15,054,315,539 $XVG. $XVG/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00000345 BTC ($0.0253) and a 24hr low of 0.00000304 BTC ($0.0223) on a 24hr Binance volume of $2,880,200. This trading volume is moderate. The weekly price trend is mixed.
Verge is ranked #40 today by cryptocurrency market capitalization.
The 24 hour volume for $XVG/BTC on Binance is $2,880,200. This volume weight is moderate when compared with Binance daily trading levels for $XVG over the last month.
The total 24 hour volume for all reporting $XVG markets is $7,814,100.
The Binance currency pair $XVG/BTC is 36.86% of all $XVG traded in twenty-four hours. Bittrex is second with 21.14% today.
The recent rise in bitcoin wasn't reflected in Verge as $XVG takes a hefty loss overnight. Verge is down -9.71% in 24 hours, down -12.54% on the week and down -30.86% on the month on a last price of 0.00000307 BTC or about $0.0225. The Verge marketcap is $338,722,100 with a circulating supply of 15,054,315,539 $XVG. $XVG/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00000345 BTC ($0.0253) and a 24hr low of 0.00000304 BTC ($0.0223) on a 24hr Binance volume of $2,880,200. In moderate volume trading the weekly trend is mixed.
The weekly trend is called 'mixed' but its beginning to form the shape of a downtrend. The last four daily candles are all in the red. Today's low is the weekly low. This is a classic downtrend pattern.
The last time we saw prices so low was in mid March 2018. At that time $XVG bottomed out at 325 satoshi. The current last price at print time is 307. Either we're looking at a trading bargain – or a disaster in the making.
Notwithstanding the descending price, the MACD on the daily chart has been in the green for many days.
Looking way back into 2017 we last saw this price when bitcoin was on a tear reaching for $20K. $XVG started that run at a low of just 53 satoshi in late November – according to CoinMarketCap data. Today's price is about six times that amount.
The recent rise in bitcoin wasn't reflected in Verge as $XVG takes a hefty loss overnight. Verge is down -9.71% in 24 hours, down -12.54% on the week and down -30.86% on the month on a last price of 0.00000307 BTC or about $0.0225.
$XVG market sentiment is bearish.
The recent rise in bitcoin wasn't reflected in Verge as $XVG takes a hefty loss overnight. Verge is down -9.71% in 24 hours, down -12.54% on the week and down -30.86% on the month on a last price of 0.00000307 BTC or about $0.0225. The Verge marketcap is $338,722,100 with a circulating supply of 15,054,315,539 $XVG. $XVG/BTC saw weekly resistance at 0.00000375 BTC ($0.0275) and weekly support at 0.00000304 BTC ($0.0223). Market sentiment is bearish. The weekly price trend is mixed in daily moderate volume trading.
This report was generated on Friday July 20 2018 19:45 hours UTC.
Reprinting without written permission is prohibited, theft of intellectual property, and copyright violation.


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Hear Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight" Drum Fill Turned into a Sprawling Experimental Masterwork
By Calum Slingerland
Phil Collins can lay claim to writing one of the most iconic drum fills of all time with "In the Air Tonight." We don't need to tell you which one it is: the fill is fairly plain, yet powerful, and signals the end segment of the man's iconic ballad from 1981's Face Value.
It was inevitable that the Internet would turn Collins's iconic playing into a strange high-brow aural meme, with SoundCloud user josephprein taking Phil's fill and layering it three times. From there, he has one duplicate playing .1% faster and another playing 1.% slower than the original drum track.
The result, which can be heard below, sees the fills shift ever so slightly between syncopation and utter chaos over the course of its hour-plus runtime.
Of course, Collins is now fresh out of retirement and performed "In the Air Tonight" with the Roots on television last year, though there's no guarantees he'll perform this version of the fill live in concert.
Wrap your noggin around the layering experiment in the player below.
More Phil Collins

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This is a great choice for a Monastery Stay away from the noise and hype of inner city Rome, with lovely hospitality and a calm atmosphere, it is a great choice for everyone.
The closest attractions to the venue are the Vatican and the EUR complex.
This convent is operated by the Domenicane di Santa Rosa da Lima.
The guest house is clean, well presented and peaceful. There are plenty of spaces to find for quiet reflection and relaxation.
Suburban Rome, west of the Vatican.	Outside the center of Rome.	Even though there are public transport links, it is best accessed with private transport.


On 2 August 2016, the Prime Minister of Singapore announced the state's intention to enhance its support for the global coalition to fight against Islamic State (IS). This has raised concerns that it would make the island more susceptible to terror attacks. However, this was a strategic decision which both intensifies Singapore's defence against IS, and its relationship with the US.


Welcome to a brand new year at Ear & Hearing Australia!
We hope that you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year break.
All of our clinics have reopened for the year, except Ashburton which will reopen Monday 20th January.
Have you received our latest Newsletter? We are running a competition called 'Go Green' where you have the chance to win 1 of 2 $100 Gift Cards just by providing us with your email address for the upcoming digital version of our Newsletter. The competition will expire at the end of this month. Winners will be drawn and notified on January 31st.
For more information about the 'Go Green' competition, for a copy of our Newsletter, or, to book an appointment with one of our elite Audiologists, please call us on 1300 761 667.


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Going Deep: Jordy Nelson does more with less
In an entertainment world gone lazy, we have franchises and we have spinoffs. Last week, we wrapped up the home-versus-road trilogy by looking at wide receivers and tight ends. So in the spirit of indifferent studio execs ... let's do a spinoff!
This one focuses in on the pass-catchers. Mainly to see which ones do the most with what they're getting.
Think of it like Wayne Campbell getting a gun rack for his "anniversary" present. A wide receiver or tight end could be seeing plenty of targets, but does it really mean anything if he's not making the most of them?
Our story opens with the fellows who are seeing the most targets. There probably aren't a lot of surprises here -- although it's interesting to notice the abundance of NFC East receivers on this list. Either quarterbacks in that division have remarkable tunnel vision or they've spent a lot of time trailing and been forced to throw plenty. I'm going with the latter.
While the majority of the top targeted players are also among the top 10 fantasy scorers at their position, there are a few guys who are seeing a lot of targets, but aren't exactly making hay. Cecil Shorts has seen the second-most targets of any pass-catcher in the league, but ranks 26th in fantasy scoring. Andre Johnson is 29th among wide receivers.
On the flipside, Demaryius Thomas is 14th in targets, Brandon Marshall is one spot below him. And Jordy Nelson? Try tied for 38th, alongside the likes of Greg Little and Golden Tate. Maybe Nelson should do a little taunting of his own.
So why is a guy like Nelson so much more successful without seeing a high volume of targets? Well, esteemed Around the League writer Dan Hanzus has a theory.
JORDY NELSON CATCHES EVERYTHING.
— Dan Hanzus (@DanHanzus) October 28, 2013
That song ain't so very far from wrong. Just in case you don't believe what you see on film, the numbers back it up. Nelson pulls in more than 72 percent of the passes thrown in his direction. Those are numbers mostly reserved for tight ends.
By the way, anyone else catch that there are three Chargers on that list? Just another example of what has made Philip Rivers the leading candidate for fantasy comeback player of the year. But back to the lecture at hand...
It's understandable that you'd see so many tight ends with high reception percentages. Generally speaking, that position serves as an outlet or check-down for a quarterback under pressure. They run shorter routes and are targeted on higher-percentage passes. That speaks to how effective some of these wideouts have been this season -- Antonio Brown would get more fantasy love if he had more than two touchdowns.
You don't need to be a genius to figure out that the players who aren't seeing a lot of targets but still score fantasy points must be doing some pretty good things when the rock is tossed in their direction. Here's another area where Jordy Nelson excels. Every completion from Aaron Rodgers to Nelson averages 12.1 yards through the air -- that's before any yards after the catch are tacked on.
Who else is living large on that list? It's an interesting mix.
Alshon Jeffery - 13.5 yds/rec
Torrey Smith - 13.1 yds/rec
Nate Washington - 12.5 yds/rec
Jordy Nelson - 12.1 yds/rec
Vernon Davis - 12.1 yds/rec
Riley Cooper - 12.0 yds/rec
DeAndre Hopkins - 12.0 yds/rec
T.Y. Hilton - 11.9 yds/rec
Rueben Randle - 11.4 yds/rec
Calvin Johnson - 11.4 yds/rec
Funny how Megatron's name always pops up, isn't it?
Much of this arithmetic is wiped out by a player who continually finds his way in the end zone. After all, that's the name of the game and a guy who is frequently dancing in the painted area is a fantasy owner's bonanza. Why else did so many people go rushing after Joseph Fauria and Marvin Jones after multiple-touchdown weeks? But touchdowns are fickle creatures. So if you have found a player who excels in two or more of the above categories, chances are you've been a pretty happy fantasy owner this season.
Catch Jordy Nelson on the latest edition of the Rich Eisen Podcast!
Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com and a man that doesn't even own a gun, let alone many guns that would necessitate an entire rack. Follow him on Twitter.
The First Read, Divisional Round: Biggest immediate question for advancing and eliminated playoff teams
In this week's edition of his First Read, Jeffri Chadiha reveals the biggest immediate question for each of the eight teams playing in the Divisional Round and six teams eliminated on Super Wild Card Weekend.
2021 NFL playoffs: What we learned from Rams' win over Cardinals on Super Wild Card Weekend
A decisive victory over a division rival has placed the Los Angeles Rams back in the Divisional Round.


Soil erosion, lacustrine sediment, climate change, human activity, carbon burial.
Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.
Nantong University, School of Geography Sciences, China.
Shandong Normal University, College of Geography and Environment, China.
Nanjing Institute of Geography & Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.
Lacustrine ecosystems are directly influenced by terrestrial soil erosion, and excessive sediment loading constitutes a significant and widespread environmental issue. In order to investigate the response of catchment soil erosion and organic carbon burial to climate change and human activity, a sediment core spanning the last 160 years was retrieved from Lake Chenghai in southwest China. Multi-proxy analysis including grain-size composition and geochemical indicators were undertaken in this study. The result of grain-size vs standard deviation method shows that the sensitive component with a modal size of 13.2 μm is related to fluvial processes and sensitive to the catchment soil erosion. The increasing intensity of soil erosion was mainly determined by the weakening of Indian summer monsoon and global warming, as well as intensive human activities during the middle of 20th century, which resulted in decreasing vegetation cover in Lake Chenghai catchment. The organic carbon burial rate was also attributed to the catchment disturbance, indicating that increased catchment soil erosion may impact the terrestrial carbon recycling.


Loan can be termed in other word as debt. It is the redistribution of financial assets between lenders and borrowers. The circle goes in this way, the borrower receives money from lenders and they pay back to the lenders with some additional cost which is known as interest. Contractual agreement between lender and borrower makes a loan secured.
It is the principal tasks of the financial institutions to act as a provider or lender of loans. It is always important to raise the money supply in a nation and the bank or other financial institutions are playing that role.
Mortgage loan is one of the most common and popular types of secured loan which individuals used to purchase home. The financial institutions are given the license to repossess the housing and sell it to recover the due amount if the borrowers are unable to pay off the full amount of loan. Car loan is another type of well known secured loan, but its duration is much shorter than housing loan.
The interest rates on these loans vary from lender to lender. These loans may not be regulated by any law.
Predatory lending: One of the popular abuses is predatory lending. It works in this way; lenders put the borrower in a position from where they take advantage over the borrower.
Loan shark: It is known as loan shark when the moneylenders are not authorized. That means loan shark is nothing but a lender who offers illegal unsecured loan and with high rate of interest.
Usury: When any unsecured loans are given at excessive interest it is called usury.
This entry was posted on Saturday, November 17th, 2007 at 9:29 am	and is filed under Loan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.


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Mindblogging Stuff
We live in a world where we are substituting quantity for quality, clutter for information, complexity for intelligence, laborious repetition for due diligence.
Why, Oh Why?
Fiction Factory
Does Singapore have a clean government?
By 5tephen 4eo | April 28, 2006
A resounding "Yes!" if you read the eulogies released through the government-controlled media properties. Yet words, no matter how well articulated, never speak louder than action. The following article is an excerpt from Economic Crisis and the Prospects for Democratisation in Southeast Asia. It paints a different picture, especially if you receive your regular diet of information from the "proper channels".
Even the supposedly corruption free island republic of Singapore has not escaped the taint of corruption. In 1996, Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew and son Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong admitted to receiving discounts on purchases of luxury apartments from a publicly listed company Hotel Property Ltd (HPL) where Lee Kuan Yew's younger brother is one of the Directors. Lee and son, with the support of Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, were not reprimanded for the 12% discounts when purchasing the HPL properties. The government had apparently accepted their argument that as they did not solicit the discounts and were somehow unaware that they did received the discounts, even though it collectively amounted to more than S$1,000,000, they had therefore not wilfully acted improperly. Suffice it to say, in more transparent, accountable and vigorous democracies, public officials have been known to resign for less serious corruption allegations.
As the assets of public officials do not have to be made public in Singapore, speculation and rumour-mongering remains rife about the previous discounts attained by PAP politicians and the extent of assets accumulated by them while in public office. To placate the strong undercurrent of public disquiet with PAP politicians acquiring property at discounted prices, Prime Minister Goh has required Ministers to provide detailed information on their ties with the developer and whether any discounts, special terms or treatment` was received before they and immediate family members purchase properties.
Long before the HPL affair, public disquiet with the financial remuneration of PAP politicians were fuelled by their generous salaries which easily surpass their counterparts in industrialised countries like Japan and the United States. Lee Kuan Yew justified their generous salaries as a means of minimising the otherwise strong temptation to engage in corrupt activities. Argued Lee, "Pay political leaders the top salaries that they deserve and get honest, clear government or underpay them and risk the Third World disease of corruption."
In an attempt to squash public criticism of Ministerial salaries, the government released a 1994 White Paper entitled "Competitive Salaries for Competent and Honest Government" which recommended that the salary of ministers be pegged at two-thirds the average mean income of the highest paid professions.70 The logic behind the pegging of ministerial salaries to corporate high-flyers was that this was the most effective way of attracting the talented to public office. Instructively, arguments pertaining to the importance of politicians possessing a strong commitment and duty to public service, ironically a Confucian junzi trait the PAP leadership have in the past attributed to themselves," was not highlighted in the White Paper. That PAP politicians have to be paid salaries that supersede their political counterparts in Japan or the United States in order to entice them into public office and prevent them from succumbing to the "disease of corruption" is in itself an indictment of the calibre and commitment of PAP politicians.
Category: Political Stuff Rants & Raves Tags: commentary, corruption, politics, Singapore-related
← Wind of change NKF = PAP →
4 thoughts on "Does Singapore have a clean government?"
Asian values behind Singapore son's rise
By Gary LaMoshi
HONG KONG – Despite well-ublicized signs that Singapore is loosening up by allowing dancing on bars, funding performances that include the f-word, and even legalizing chewing gum (for medicinal purposes, available from pharmacists) under pressure from United States trade negotiators, writer Alfian Sa'at contends little has changed.
"Remaking Singapore" – the government's campaign to encourage creativity among the island's 3.8 million citizens – "is nothing more than Re-branding Singapore," he claims. According to Sa'at, the list of restrictions on freedom of expression recently grew. "Dynasty and nepotism – definitely taboo," warns the enfant terrible of Singapore's literary scene on the eve of the good son rising to the office of prime minister.
Singapore celebrates National Day on August 9. In future years, perhaps in connection with its campaign to increase the birth rate, August 12 may come to be known as Family Day. On that date this week, Lee Hsien Loong, the oldest son of Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew, takes over from Goh Chok Tong to become the island nation's third prime minister.
The younger Lee was elected to Parliament following a military career that saw him reach Brigadier-General by the age of 32. After his father stepped aside in 1990, Lee warmed up for the prime minister's job by serving as finance minister and central bank governor. He's expected to cede at least one of those posts in the new Cabinet.
Current Prime Minister Goh has been tapped to succeed Lee Kuan Yew as senior minister, which Lee calls the "number two" post. The elder Lee promises that, whatever title he's given, he will continue to exercise significant influence and speak out on key issues, privileges still denied average citizens in this state created in Lee's own image.
The party line is that Lee Kuan Yew discouraged his son from joining the political fray. That's another dubious tale from the Singapore myth machine. That mechanism's greatest achievement is perpetrating the lie that Singapore ranks among the freest economies on earth (See Singapore's capitalist myth November 7, 2002).
It probably feels like a free enough economy for the Lee family. In addition to his key economic posts, the incoming prime minister's wife, Ho Ching, chairs Temasek, the state investment corporation that scratches acquisitive itches at home and abroad using the Finance Ministry's checkbook, while his younger brother, Lee Hsien Yang, heads SingTel, the state-owned telecom company that is spreading its wires around the globe. That's not just a nanny state, it's a socialist family business.
Lee Kuan Yew deserves praise for raising Singapore from a down at the heels harbor town cut loose by Malaysia into a modern economic showplace. Based on that success, Lee and his People's Action Party could have dominated the political scene fair and square.
Instead, Singapore's leadership developed the bad habit of using the apparatus of government to stifle opposition. But trusting in the judgment of others isn't in Lee's nature. Neither is humility for this man whose success in tiny Singapore has led him to offer prescriptions of the world at large, the equivalent of getting 100% on a spelling test and thinking that is sufficient to practice medicine.
Before the economic crisis, Lee lectured the world about what he called Asian values. At the center of these Asia values was the appealing notion that Asians – except some very special ones named Lee, for example – sacrificed individual aspirations for the greater good of society. After drinking some of this Kool-Aid before I moved to Hong Kong a decade ago, my discovery of real Asian values was a great disappointment.
Rather than a heightened sense of responsibility to society at large, I've noticed precisely the opposite. East Asians generally show little consideration for people around them, whether it's rampant spitting in Hong Kong, complete disregard for other vehicles by motorists, bicyclists and even pedestrians in Bali, or simply the unwillingness to help a bewildered visitor without a product or service to sell him. Asians raise indifference – as opposed to outright rudeness, as practiced in my native New York – to an art form.
This bewildered visitor couldn't understand the contradiction between Lee's Asian values and Asian behavior until an Indonesian friend came to the rescue. Of course we sacrifice for the greater good, she explained, but that greater good extends no farther than our own clan. The closer the connection, the more we'll sacrifice, so we'll do the most for our families, then perhaps our friends. But without some personal connection, we couldn't care less.
That understanding of Asian values makes Asian behavior much clearer. For example, it puts the Asian economic crisis of the late 1990s and the ineffectiveness of subsequent reforms into a sensible perspective. Crony capitalism wasn't the result of some structural or legal deficiency that can be fixed through restructuring or stricter regulation, it was, and is, a natural consequence of the government and its business supporters becoming a clan unto themselves. Until governments stop playing a leading role in national economies, the problems underlying the crisis will persist.
Asian values explain the widespread acceptance of Indonesia's disgraced former president Suharto turning his children into business tycoons, and why families loll down a crowded sidewalk as if they own it. Most of all, Asian values explain why, even with a population that he declared was prepared to sacrifice for the greater good, Lee Kuan Yew fashioned Singapore into a restrictive society that proscribes choices narrowly.
When he takes office on Thursday, Lee Hsien Loong will become the fourth ruler in East Asia currently occupying their father's old post. He'll join Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, and North Korea's Dear Leader Kim Jong-il, whose dead father remains head of state. The younger Lee is the first to reach the top while his predecessor-father remains on the scene.
So instead of worrying about taboos and restrictions on freedom, let's celebrate Lee Hsien Loong's ascension as a grand triumph of Lee Kuan Yew's celebrated Asian values. They've always been a family affair.
Commentary on Ministers pay cut
Singapore Review, 2 May 2003
By Mellanie Hewlitt
The headlines blared loudly in the 2 May 2003 issues of the Straits Times and Business Times "Pay cut? Ministers ready to lead by example: DPM", announcing to the entire world this selfless act of leadership by Singapore's Ruling Elite.
In what appeared to be an initial move to reduce severely inflated salaries, to more reasonable industry standards, Singapore's Ruling Elite have bowed to public pressure and hinted at accepting a pay cut. Or have they?
What exactly does "Leading By Example" mean? Lets try to put some substance behind those brave words. As of last count, average take home pay of a Singapore minister was well in excess of SGD100,000/- a month.
The below table puts things back in proper perspective: (these are basic figures as of July 2000 and did not include last year's pay hikes or other benefits. Otherwise the updated numbers may well be much larger)
1. Singapore Prime Minister's Basic Salary US$1,100,000 (SGD1,958,000) a year Minister's Basic: US$655,530 to US$819,124 (SGD1,166,844 to SGD1,458,040) a year
2. United States of America President: US$200,000 Vice President: US$181,400 Cabinet Secretaries: US$157,000
3. United Kingdom Prime Minister: US$170,556 Ministers: US$146,299 Senior Civil Servants: US$262,438
4. Australia Prime Minister: US$137,060 Deputy Prime Minister: US$111,439 Treasurer: US$102,682
5. Hong Kong Chief Executive : US$416,615 Top Civil Servant: US$278,538 Financial Sec: US$315,077
Source: Asian Wall Street Journal July 10 2000
In relative terms, less then 20% of Singaporeans here have take home salaries exceeding SGD100,000/- A YEAR.
In stark contrast, BASIC SALARY FOR A MINISTER STARTS AT SGD1,166,844 A YEAR,OR JUST UNDER SGD100,000 A MONTH.
What these ministers earns in just ONE MONTH exceeds the ANNUAL TAKE HOME salary of 80% of Singapore's income earning population. Lets not even begin to compare annual packages which will exceed SGD1 million easily.
With the above numbers and figures now in perspective, it is easier to give substance to the words "leading by example". Several facts are noteworthy here;
a) That the ministerial salaries are grossly out of proportion, even when compared with their counterparts in much larger countries (US and UK) who have far heavier responsibilities.
b) That these salary reductions were long overdue. In the past, such handsome remuneration were "justified" on the back of resounding performance. However, Singapore's economy has been in the doldrums of a recession for several years now (with beginnings reaching as far back as the 1997 Asian economic crisis). This economic barometer is a rough measure of performance and implies that ministerial salaries were due for review at least 3-4 years ago.
c) That adjustments should be made to bring them back within the industry benchmarks. Taking the salary of US vice president as a rule of thumb, the percentage for reductions should start at 50% of current pay. Even if a Singapore minister takes a 50% pay-cut, he would still be earning much more then the US vice president.
d) The percentage reductions should greater then 50% if the intent is to bring the salaries within the perspective of Singapore's domestic scene.
With such inflated figures, it is understandable why the local government controlled media (Singapore Press Holdings) have taken pains to exclude mention of actual numbers for the world to see. The numbers would be too glaring and no amount of window dressing or creative writing could have reconciled these numbers with a sane figure and restored credibility.
It is unlikely that Singapore's Ruling Elite will accept such huge salary cuts. Exactly How much and when the ministerial pay-cuts takes effect is not revealed. Ask any man on the street and 9 out of 10 responses indicate many agree the current ministerial salaries are grossly inflated, especially in these lean and difficult times.
Said a long time forumer from an internet political chat group: "First of all the Ministers are NOT leading on pay cut. Workers' salaries have been drastically reduced since the beginning of the recession while thousands have been unemployed. so the Ministers are NOT LEADING. they are only CATCHING UP. And they have several decades to catch up on."
"Secondly, how much of a pay cut will Ministers take? 10%? 20%? unless its a cut that will affect their lifestyles, it is merely symbolic and they would still not know what it feels like to be a normal worker. as such, this is not Leading by Example. Its just another bogus political propaganda stunt"
A 29 yr old executive who requested to remain anonymous admitted sheepishly ; "The numbers (ministerial salaries) are a national embarrassment really, because it reflects the underlying materialistic value systems of Singapore Ministers. No matter how you look at it, the fact remains that our ministers are money faced, and these are supposed to be Singapore's leaders, with value systems that Singaporeans should follow." "It (the ministerial salaries) puts Singapore in a bad light in the eyes of the world. The rest of Singaporeans really put in an honest days work for every penny they earn. And the process for review and approval of the ministerial salaries is also a joke. Imagine sitting on the board and approving (on White Paper)your own salary increments! Its all a wayang show".
This also raises the question as to the authenticity of the actual process for review and approval of cabinet minister's salaries. Who decides on these numbers? Is there independence and transparency?
Veteran opposition figure J.B. Jeyaretnam on Wednesday, Nov 20, 2002 challenged Singapore government ministers to take a pay cut to show they understand the economic hardships faced by the public. And the over-riding concern is that Singapore's Ruling Elite are unable to appreciate the economic hardship that the masses face in these tough times.
The growing public resentment comes afew months after PM Goh's careless comments that "lay-offs were not all bad", drew a backlash from the public with a flood of e-mails being sent to the foreign press to register public indignation.
KiWeTO September 19, 2006
What is corruption but a human construct?
When the state does the corrupting in the name of the greater good, can there be any wrong?
To say that high salaries are required to prevent corruption, is to indict all our serving and served public officials as being wilfully corruptible, and the best solution was to have the state doring the corrupting than have private entities doing the corrupting.
Such beautiful logic.
E.o.M.
sieteocho April 10, 2007
You may not know this, but I like to touch myself.
I support minstral pay increase. No one can win me in ahgillment. No one can stand against the weight of my interlect. I read alot.
I, the sieteocho.
Stuff I Listen To
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
Hacking Humans
How I Built This
The Grumpy Old Geeks Podcast
The History of Singapore
The Jordan Harbinger Show
Stuff I Saw
I am a Singaporean
Poor Dad, Poor Dad
What My Jesus Would Do
A Flickr of Life
AllSides
Alphaville Moonbase
Be A Better Parent Today!
Bush Family Value$
Horrorscope
Just Don't Do It
S.E.N.S.
The Yishun Dream
Parents' Guide to Higher Education
ACS International Singapore
Seoul Foreign School
Copywrong ∞
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.


text:
Where the Crooked River Rises: A High Desert Home
by Becky Kjelstrom | May 28, 2011 | Member News | 0 comments
By Ellen Waterston
Publisher: Oregon State University Press (October, 2010)
Reviewed by Carol Frischmann
If you are curious about either a Great Basin life, a woman's life, or both, Ellen Waterston's Where the Crooked River Rises: A High Desert Home, (Oregon State University Press) will have you crunching dust-devil grit between your teeth and shivering with the effort of winching calves from heifers in the cold and dark.
Surviving thirty years as a rancher in "Oregon's Outback," Ms. Waterston's essays celebrate her accomplishments, name her as a "part of the actual and metaphorical biota of the high desert," and allow readers to share her transformation from Eastern girl, to young woman on "The Old Hackleman Place," to worshiper in "The Church of the High Desert."
Readers meet people living by "homespun desert wisdom," and disappearing from our state as fast as the "Oregon Road and Recreation Atlas" is revised.
At first, I was uncomfortable with the chapters' unevenness—some remote, some personal, some like newspaper clippings, saved to recall some event that seemed important at the time. With the last chapter, Waterston provided a closing that answered the question, "why not smooth the ruts?"
By driving past "self-created roadside shrines gaudily decorated with plastic flowers . . . blind to the new story that I was living into, deaf to the rich landscape of others' stories that would inform mine . . . [a woman asks], 'Does anyone want to see where I was found?'"
Where the Crooked River Rises is where Waterston was found; each essay revealing one part of her story, as surely as wear marks on a saddle describe horse and rider.
Graduated from Duke University with a degree in Science Education, Carol Frischmann is the pet columnist for KGW.com, an NBC affiliate television station, and for her own website. In April 2007, TFH Publications releases her book, Conures, a part of the Animal Planet Pet Care series.


If you suffer from injuries of the lumbar spine the brace provides medium stabilization and relieves the lumbar spine. It activates the muscular stabilization, promotes the sensorimotor function and may relief pain.
Molded posterior panel contoured to the natural shape of the lumbar anatomy for a perfect fit.
The one-hand pulley system compresses and conforms to individual patient anatomy. It provides compression while standing and sitting.
The breathable posterior padding and the mesh corset both result in increased patient compliance.
The pulley system maximizes abdominal compression with minimal pull force. It compresses and conforms to the individual patient's anatomy. Besides the system works with one hand and the pull cord is adjustable. This ensures a high degree of comfort and individual adaptability.
The posterior panel is molded to mimick the lumbar spine's natural shape. As the pull cord is adjustable it allows for individual adjustment ensuring an excellent anatomical fit.
The brace's low profile design makes for a non-bulky appearance allowing you to wear it underneath clothing. Made of mesh, the corset features breathable padding allowing for a high degree of wearing comfort.


For most higher education institutions, globalization efforts are simply a response to another change in regional or national context. The forces of globalization have impacted conditions in every region of the globe, and educational institutions must respond accordingly in order to continue to serve their traditional local constituencies. Thus, for most in traditional higher education in the US (and the West generally), globalization implies actions that improve the education of our home campus students: e.g. bringing international students to our campuses and sending our students abroad to study; and hiring more international faculty.
More recently, we have also been establishing branches in other countries in order to bring a US higher educational experience to offshore students - or as one recent meeting announcement put it, "export of the US university model abroad." In general, this process involves exporting our place-based model to a situation in which the context is very different from that of the original. NYU's new campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai provide one model of this approach, and each promises to create a learning experience "identical" to that found in New York City. Indeed, a place-based university such as NYU is under considerable pressure to ensure that the international campus does provide an "identical" experience to that of its home campus in order to preserve its place-based brand.
In fact, as we look around, we find significant demand from countries around the world to have branches of US universities that promise to provide education "identical" to that of their home campus, or to have help from US universities to set up a local US-style institution. One can reasonably argue that universities modeled on the US universities will come to be the dominant model of the globalized world. Ben Waldavsky makes a good case for this point of view in The Great Brain Race: How Global Universities are Reshaping the World. But to what extent will this dominant model be "just like" the US originals? How important is place and its context?
We leave Penang with a firm resolve to work hard to restore the organic connection between our universities, our communities and our cultures. Service to the community and not just to the professions must be our primary concern. The recovery of indigenous intellectual traditions and resources is a priority task.
Some at this conference called for a rejection of essentially everything that could be called Western, including Western science. This position is unlikely to find widespread traction, given the demonstrated successes of numerous aspects of the Western approach as detailed by Waldavsky among others. However, one sees the theme of the organic connection between our universities, our communities and our cultures appearing in numerous globalization efforts of non-Western universities. This theme is just another definition of place-based, and so its appearance should not be surprising given its centrality in the origins and growth of American higher education.
The new curriculum will synthesize Western and Asian perspectives with an integrated general education spanning the first two years of study before concentration on a major.
The most distinctive feature of NUS' education is that it is global, while at the same time, addressing the contexts of Asia. NUS' landmark partnership with Yale will give students at the Yale-NUS College the benefit of the unique strengths of both universities, brought together to create an enriching liberal arts educational experience that is both global and Asian.
Few would deny that NUS is a successful and prestigious global university. However, Professor Tan's comments emphasize that it was not built responding to the issues and conditions -contexts- that formed the US model of higher education, but to Asian issues and conditions. This does not mean that NUS does not have many characteristics in common with the US model (it does), but that it itself is place-based -- but created to respond to Asian contexts rather than American contexts. And the new college has been created by taking many of the characteristics of an American college and modifying them in a way that makes it place-based in Singapore, not New Haven.
Since its foundation, Tecnológico de Monterrey has lived a continuous innovation process to respond to the educational demands that emerge from social, economical, scientific, labor and technological changes, and to the challenges that the country development faces.
Thus, what we may see growing most rapidly in the near future is not "just like" copies of US universities, but equally place-based institutions that incorporate some elements of the successful American model while being firmly part of their own communities and cultures.In other words, it appears that everyone is building place-based institutions, with the limitations that that puts on their potential responses to globalization.
Every institution in our network operates as its own unique brand, guided by local leadership, proactively involved as a member of the community in which it operates.
Laureate improves the value of the individual brands by suggesting best practices in both administration and education, offering specialized programs from one campuses to others, making available infrastructure and expertise for online learning, etc. How and when such aid should be used is left up to the local leadership, who are best able to evaluate how it can best be used in the context of their campus. Thus, Laureate International Universities might be described as "places- based" rather than "place-based".
Across our network of more than 55 institutions and more than 100 campuses in 27 countries, Laureate International Universities students are encouraged to take advantage of ever-expanding opportunities to study abroad through affordable and life-changing international learning experiences.
Issues of credit transfer and affordability do not go away, but become more manageable.
I couldn't agree more with Mervelle's comment regarding Walden University. I am both a student at Walden and a practitioner at a local community college, where I have taught in a full-time capacity for eleven years. It is often difficult to overcome the "this is the way we have always done it" attitude in an attempt to deliver a more progressive curriculum that better prepares students for the more diverse and ever-changing world in which we live.
Globalization is a really big issue in these times. Universities everywhere need to be able to compete, especially in the U.S. Branding should not be an issue. We should be striving towards providing quality adult eucation for all of the diverse learners that will enable them to become prodcutive citizens of this world. As a Walden University student, I have found that they are wel ahead of their game when it comes to providing this type of service. Studenst are immersed in other cultures, countries, and global markets without really trying to be becasue they work toward a common goal: trying to promote social change through the work that they are doing in their respective degree programs and fields.
It is fascinating to read about universities taking their reach globally. I doubt that any of the super-prestigious universities in the U.S. will do this, as they will view it as diluting their brand.


The Angel Moroni Statue, was created using watercolor by the artist Chad S. Hawkins. In 1989, at the age of seventeen, Chad started a unique temple series, becoming the original LDS artist to involve hidden spiritual images in his artwork.
Statues of the angel Moroni atop temples herald the gospel going forth "to every nation, kindred, and tongue, and people" in this latter-day regathering of Israel. The Church's angel Moroni statues have come to symbolize for Latter-day Saints the restoration of the gospel. This painting is a depiction of the Salt Lake Temple Angel, by prominent American artist Cyrus E. Dallin. The Salt Lake temple, dedicated in 1893, was the first temple topped with an angel that was formally identified as Moroni. Dallin's statue depicts a dignified, neoclassical angel in robe and cap, standing upright with a trumpet in hand. The statue was hammered out of copper and covered with 22-karat gold leaf. The 12-foot-5-inch statue stands on a stone ball on the 210-foot central spire on the temple's east side. These three spires constitute the hidden image within this painting. They are subtly placed within the shadows on the stone ball.
The Angel Moroni Statue has since been redesigned at least four times. The size of statue largely depends on the size of temple and height of its spire. The statues are designed to withstand lightning strikes, high wind velocities, and pollution. Modern statues are formed out of fiberglass and covered with nearly 2,000, 23-karat gold leaf squares. The gold leaf is so thin that less than two ounces of gold is required to cover a seven-foot statue. The gold on most statues requires maintenance every ten to fifteen years.


text:
Covid-19: Precinct Properties defers $298m One Queen Street development, InterContinental Hotel
8 May, 2020 05:37 AM 4 minutes to read
By: Anne Gibson
Property editor, NZ Herald
anne.gibson@nzherald.co.nz@anneherald
One of New Zealand's largest property projects is in doubt after Precinct Properties deferred the $298 million waterfront One Queen Street scheme with a new 11-level five-star hotel.
"Following a recent review of future development projects, Precinct advises that the One Queen Street redevelopment project in Auckland will be deferred," the business said today.
That project was the expansion of the existing HSBC House at 1 Queen St to bring extra offices, a new InterContinental hotel and new shops.
"This period of deferral will enable us to more reliably assess the long-term impacts on the tourism market and broader economy and to position One Queen Street so as to ensure the eventual redevelopment maximises returns. Precinct continues to engage positively with the stakeholders in the project regarding the deferral," the business said today.
• InterContinental revealed for Auckland, Commercial Bay development hits $1b
• Bell Gully to abandon Vero Centre for One Queen Street
• Precinct Properties eyes new developments after Commercial Bay
• Auckland CBD's southern precinct heating up
The building is on the Queen St/Quay St corner with the upper levels giving uninterrupted views to the Waitemata Harbour.
It was built in 1972, refurbished in 1998 and Precinct said it had strong occupier demand.
"As stage two of the Commercial Bay development, One Queen Street will be redeveloped into a luxury hotel, 8700sq m of premium office accommodation across seven levels and variety of food and beverage options including a roof-top bar," Precinct had said previously of its plans.
"The new flagship hotel, InterContinental Auckland, managed and operated by InterContinental Hotels Group, will occupy 11 levels of the building and provide a total of 244 guest rooms and suites, together with a restaurant, meeting suites, health club and club lounge facilities," Precinct planned.
Works were to start early this year and be completed by 2022.
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The project would continue to evolve as it was seamlessly integrated into Commercial Bay, Precinct initially said.
The existing 19-level HSBC block was to be retained, its facade removed and replaced, all fittings stripped back to the bare structure, then revamped in a design by Warren & Mahoney.
LT McGuinness won the main contract to develop the new hotel within the lower levels of the existing structure and the top seven levels were to be a refurbished 8700sq m office area.
Scott Pritchard, Precinct chief executive, said in 2018 that 75 per cent of that office space was pre-committed with a signed heads of agreement for 3700sq m.
The hotel was to have a meeting room suite, club lounge, gym, restaurants and bars, he said, with an outdoor, open rooftop hospitality venue which will be open to the public, spanning around 500sq m.
"The 244 rooms will be a presidential suite and a number of king suites, all with remarkable views," Pritchard said in 2018 of changes for the building developed by AMP and which was former Air New Zealand offices.
Warren & Mahoney said urban precincts were increasingly blended combinations of living, working, and entertainment uses.
"One Queen Street responds to this global shift toward mixed-use development. This project represents a unique opportunity to deliver on the ambition and vision of Commercial Bay through the creation of a true mixed-use community in the heart of the Auckland CBD," the architect said.
By tapping into the momentum of the visitor economy, the project would amplify the potential of the precinct by curating a self-reinforcing combination of uses.
"In this manner One Queen delivers a totally integrated experience, supporting the extension of daily trade, catalysing the night-time economy, and expanding the public amenity available at Auckland's premier address," Warren & Mahoney said.
Challenges Joe Biden faces in righting the economy
Market close: F&P Healthcare surges to biggest market cap stock


text:
Q: How To Upgrade Tomcat In XAMPP I couldn't find any definitive and organized resources on upgrading Tomcat in XAMPP
but found many people are asking, so I thought it best to share the
steps I took. For this guide, I will be using XAMPP 7.4.8 on Windows 10,
which comes packaged with Tomcat 7.0.105, and upgrading to Tomcat
9.0.37. While I have not tested the following with other versions of
XAMPP and Tomcat, this guide should cover most (if not all) versions.
This guide assumes you have already downloaded and installed XAMPP on your OS
of choice.

A: Step 1 - Scrap Old Tomcat

*

*Navigate to your XAMPP base directory (I'll call it %XAMPP_DIR%).
E.g., C:\xampp.

*Delete the folder named tomcat.

Step 2 - Install New Tomcat

*

*Download Tomcat. You can choose your version
here.

*Extract the contents of apache-tomcat-[VERSION] to
%XAMPP_DIR%\tomcat (the folder you deleted).

Step 3 - Configure XAMPP
By default, XAMPP will point towards the Tomcat version it was bundled
with. You need to configure it so it will search for the new version
you've install.

*

*Open %XAMPP_DIR%\xampp-control.ini.

*Change [BinaryNames]->Tomcat to match the version you are using.
E.g., tomcat9.exe (just the major version number).

*You should also change [ServiceNames]->Tomcat to match the version
you are using, but it is not required. E.g., Tomcat9.

*Check if XAMPP recognizes your new Tomcat. You can do this by opening
the XAMPP Control Panel. If the log says Problem detected: Tomcat Not Found! then review the steps
to ensure you correctly set up Tomcat.

*You are good to go! Try starting Tomcat via the XAMPP Control Panel.

Extra
If you plan on running Tomcat as a standalone service, edit
%XAMPP_DIR%\catalina_service.bat. Just search for the term tomcat
and replace values as needed.
Do not forget to enable JMX if you need it. I just add the following
line near the top of %XAMPP_DIR%\tomcat\bin\catalina.bat:
set CATALINA_OPTS=-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=8008 -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=false -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Changes in the coffee culture - opportunities for multinationals coffee shops?
Fördelarna som förändringen i kulturen medför är många och vi märker tydligt av en kultur anpassad till den nya trenden. Denna uppsats kan vara användbar för utländska coffee shops som önskar utöka sin kunskap om den svenska kaffemarknaden och den svenska kaffekulturen. Nya marknader öppnas genom kulturella förändringar, marknadsförare och andra som söker nya möjligheter på den svenska kaffemarknaden skulle kunna läsa denna uppsats för att få idéer, råd och inspiration.
TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF FIGURES.......................................................................................................................................... 6 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................. 7 1.1 PROBLEM BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................... 7 1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT .................................................................................................................................. 9 1.3 PURPOSE: ...................................................................................................................................................... 9 1.4 OUTLINE FOR THE DISSERTATION ................................................................................................................ 10 2.
Pattern of Demand 5 Analysis of Main Competitors Starbucks Costa Coffee Caffe Nero 6 Barriers to entry 7 Price sensitivity 8 Customer Profile 9 Supply 10 Conclusion 1 Market Overview - Value/Sales/Volume/Growth in recent years The coffee industry has grown rapidly since the 1990s; before Starbucks emerged, people were used to drinking low quality coffee from tins. Starbucks introduced fresh coffee made from top quality beans that have excellent taste and drinks such as….
business due to begin operations in January 2009. The business is a Coffee shop and a Laundromat – a two in one service, intended to serve the community in Pietermaritzburg, in the new section of the Midlands Mall, an area where a laundromat will be ideally situated and needed for the area. Our goal is to provide customers with the convenience of having their laundry done while they have a bite to eat or catch up with a friend over coffee. Ownership and Management Overload will be a partnership. The….
Writing Assignment #1 Coffee is a beverage that is globally consumed, but also a product that has different values in different parts of the world. The role coffee plays in society differs around the world, from the farmers who grew the crops to the people who constantly consume them. Social theoretical perspectives are capable of showing the different roles coffee has in different societies. Symbolic interactionism, functionalism, and Marxism are three theories which show coffee's role sociologically….
than other intensifiers, such as "very" and "really" and people started doing it also. The Central Perk coffee house has been imitated all over the world. In 2006, Iranian businessman Mojtaba Asadian started a Central Perk franchise, registering the name in 32 countries. The decor of the coffee houses is inspired by Friends, featuring replica couches, counters, neon signage and bricks. The coffee houses also contain paintings of the various characters from the series, and televisions playing Friends'….


text:
2nd April, 2018, 6:02 pm
The Welsh Labour deputy leadership race: a referendum on OMOV?
The Welsh Labour deputy leadership election is currently underway. LabourList takes a look…
The deputy leader post is newly created, and it's no coincidence that both candidates are women – Welsh Labour leader Carwyn Jones is a man and rules stipulate that the two roles must be gender balanced.
First up, Carolyn Harris. She has been MP for Swansea East since 2015 after working as a parliamentary assistant to Siân James, who represented the same seat. Harris has been widely praised for her campaigning work, particularly on fixed-odds betting terminals.
Writing for LabourList under Diane Abbott's guest editorship, Harris told us the machines and the damage they were causing caught her interest when she discovered "constituents visiting my office for food parcels to feed their children were then seen pumping money into machines in the local bookmakers".
Matt Zarb-Cousin, a former spokesman for Jeremy Corbyn who now works for the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, has commended Harris as "one of the best campaigners I've worked with" and endorsed her deputy leadership bid.
The MP has just secured an important win: over the bank holiday weekend, Theresa May announced the government would set up a children's funeral fund to help parents cover the costs of burials and cremations. Harris had been leading the campaign for child funeral fees to be scrapped since losing her son in a car accident in 1989.
Running against her is Julie Morgan. The former social worker, local councillor and MP for Cardiff North from 1997 to 2010, is now the Cardiff North Welsh Assembly Member. During the Blair years, Morgan was a vocal critic of tuition fees and the Iraq war. She is known for her work on women's right issues and championed the introduction of the Welsh twinning system whereby adjacent CLPs must select a man and a woman.
Both women are on the Left; both have impressive campaigning records. It is therefore entirely understandable, if somewhat inward-looking, that the deputy leadership election is being fought on the basis of an internal row. It is the candidates' differences over their preferred voting system that has become a dividing line in the contest.
In November, following a consultation with CLPs and affiliated trade unions, the Welsh executive committee (WEC) opted to use an electoral college system – not one-member-one-vote – to elect the deputy leader. Some expected the decision to be merely a recommendation to party conference, but instead it was binding.
Under the "EC" system, votes are grouped into three: affiliated unions; MPs, MEPs and AMs; party members. Had the WEC chosen OMOV, the chances of Jones being succeeded by a more left-wing figure in the future might have increased. After all, it was the use of OMOV (coupled with the inclusion of registered supporters) that ensured the success of Corbyn and later Richard Leonard in Scotland.
The WEC's decision has the approval of Carwyn Jones, but others including Corbyn-supporting AMs are less happy and cabinet is split over the issue. OMOV supporters are hoping to overturn the ruling at party conference later this month.
Corbyn-supporting Mike Hedges, AM for Swansea East, said: "I'm surprised that they've gone outside the way that different parties throughout the rest of Britain have gone for electing leaders. Everybody else has moved away from electoral college.
"Electoral college means that you can get two-thirds of the vote of individual members. You can even get two-thirds of the vote of trade unionists and still lose."
In a piece for LabourList, Hedges argued: "OMOV is simple, not easily manipulated and ensures that the members' choice of candidate wins. I have heard that described as democracy."
Julie Morgan recently gave an interview to The Skwawkbox in which she noted that as an AM her vote is worth "400 times more" compared to a member's vote, and that "increasing our membership actually dilutes each member's voice" under the EC system.
This row has a history to it. Julie Morgan's late husband, Rhodri Morgan, missed out when he first tried to become First Secretary of Wales in 1999 despite having the party membership's support. His successful opponent Alan Michael, favoured by Tony Blair, had been powered to victory thanks to the backing of trade unions.
The deputy leadership race shouldn't be seen as 'soft Corbyn supporter' versus 'hard Corbyn supporter'. Carolyn Harris is being backed by Unite, Diane Abbott, Angela Rayner, Clive Lewis, Dawn Butler and others in the leader's shadow cabinet. But as a PLP rep on the WEC, she played a part in the decision to retain the electoral college system, while Morgan has put her support for OMOV centre stage. That difference may prove to be the deciding factor.
Voting closes on 18th April and the winner will be announced during Welsh Labour conference (20th-22nd April).
Tags: Labour / Welsh Labour / Jeremy Corbyn / Carwyn Jones / Carolyn Harris / Welsh deputy leader / Welsh Labour deputy leader / Labour Party / Julie Morgan /


Adam O'Reilly, Charlie Lyons, Ethan Walker and Jack Baxter were all on target in the youth team's 4-2 win against Wrexham.
O'Reilly and Lyons netted to make it 2-0 at the end of a comfortable first half, but the Lilywhites were reduced to ten men just after the half hour when Tyrhys Dolan was sent off.
Cameron McGregor scored a brace for the visitors after the interval but his efforts were cancelled out by direct free-kicks from Walker and Baxter.
North End were the dominant side throughout and that was evident straightaway, as the lively Walker flashed a low delivery across the box, Darren Brannigan just unable to meet it, the former also having efforts from a free-kick and header going wide inside the opening five minutes.
O'Reilly latched onto a loose ball with a quarter of an hour on the clock, following another Walker corner, connecting well enough but striking over.
Walker was first to hit the target a minute later after Brannigan regained possession and held it up brilliantly before teeing up his team-mate, goalkeeper Max Williams pushing his low shot wide and then denying O'Reilly from similar range.
Lyons probably had North End's best chance just before the half hour when he met Walker's corner at the back post but headed marginally wide, but the hosts soon got took an overdue lead.
It was in the 32nd minute that Jerome Jolly, who had won the ball back initially to kickstart the move, beat his man down the right and squared it for O'Reilly to finish confidently at the near post.
The Lilywhites had the goal advantage but in the following minute, Wrexham had the upper hand in terms of bodies, after Dolan saw red for an off the ball incident, having won PNE a free-kick.
That did not affect the hosts' control of the game, though, Brannigan having a goal disallowed for offside after O'Reilly's shot had been deflected into his path.
Wrexham's first effort five minutes before the break saw Bobby Beaumont glance a header over but the majority of the chances continued to fall the hosts' way, Lyons taking one of those just before half-time.
It came from another Jolly cross, this time a free-kick from deep on the right, which perfectly picked out the Irishman to side foot into the bottom corner after 44 minutes.
The visitors saw much more of the ball in the opening stages of the second half and they made that possession count in the 49th minute. It was the first of three successful free-kicks after the interval, McGregor curling over the wall and into the bottom left corner.
The Lilywhites were so close to restoring their two-goal lead on the hour after Baxter and Walker both saw their efforts blocked, the ball falling on the volley for Brannigan, whose instinctive effort skimmed the crossbar on its way over.
Wrexham were just as close seven minutes later when a corner was cleared to the edge of the box, the midfielder's first time effort heading for the bottom corner but for PNE clearing off the line.
Walker's 76th minute free-kick then brought about an entertaining final quarter of the game.
After the North End men had curled in for 3-1, with the help of the inside of the post and a touch off Williams in the Wrexham goal, McGregor struck again for his and his team's second after 84 minutes.
Beaumont played the pass through for McGregor down the left side of the area, his first time strike finding the far bottom corner.
Any concern of the visitors mounting a comeback was shut down almost immediately, however, as Baxter rifled a 20-yard free-kick under the wall and into the bottom left corner with three minutes of normal time remaining.
Brian McManus might have extended the lead in stoppage time, drawing a fine close range save from Williams, but the Lilywhites had already done more than enough for their victory.
PNE line-up: Cottam; Simmons, Williams, Lyons, Armer; Baxter, O'Reilly; Jolly, Dolan, Walker, Brannigan (McManus, 65). Subs not used: Ngongo, Lenton, Pollard, Potts.


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Economy Biting Nintendo? Analyzing Nintendo's Revised Unit Sales Forecasts
Nintendo released its third quarter earnings this week (PDF). Unit sales over the holiday period were great but having to convert overseas purchases from foreign currency to Yen wasn't. Profits took a hit. It was all largely as expected. Same as the last quarter, mostly. There was one surprise. Unexpectedly, the company made a million unit downward revision on Wii unit sales projections for the full fiscal year and other adjustments to software expectations (DS Hardware was revised upwards).
The downward revision on the Wii ? ….rewind…Holiday sales were record setting. Just a few months ago, in October, the company had upped sales projections for the year ending in March by a million units to 27.5m Wii units. In August they'd increased forecasts as well. The growth was sufficient enough that it prompted the company's president, Satoru Iwata to say in October it was "safe to say strong game demand is intact despite all the talk about the financial crisis."
Now carving back the guidance to the prior number of 26.5 million units, even though a relatively small adjustment, begs the question of why.
New TV Channel Epix to Debut Online in May
Last April, in a surprise announcement, Lions Gate, Viacom (Paramount) and MGM announced plans to launch their own, then unnamed, premium cable channel and video on demand service. Soon after, former Showtime executive Mark Greenberg took the helm and the joint venture, dubbed Studio 3 Networks, began to roll toward a planned Q4 2009 launch.
Little by little, details have trickled out about what's planned. In November, it was regulatory filings that revealed some of the initial cost data. Last month, it was the brand name for the channel, Epix, discovered. This month, it's more info on launch plans.
Bridge financing for Slacker
According to a regulatory filing cited on Venture Wire, Slacker, a multi-channel digital music service, has taken an additional $5m in venture funding in a bridge financing from existing investors.
Since opening its doors and publicly launching its product in March of 2007, Slacker has now taken on a cumulative total of more than $58.5m in financing to build out its ambitious plans.
Yahoo Q4 and Full Year Earnings
Yahoo rolled into the Carol Bartz era about two weeks ago. Today, the company closed the books on Jerry Yang's brief executive stint with the release of Q4 earnings. Buried under nearly $603m in one time charges, Yahoo came in with a loss of $303.4m.
$108m in restructuring costs. $488m in Goodwill Impairment from overseas. $7m on the quarter in lingering expenses from defraying Microsoft's takeover overtures.
It wasn't the news that was expected, but looking past the one time elements, it wasn't all bad either.
New York Times Co Settles Link Aggregation Lawsuit
On December 22nd, Gatehouse Media filed suit against a Goliath charging the New York Times Co. with a host of copyright and trademark violations for practices at Times' owned Boston.com website and its affiliated properties. At issue was Boston.com's aggregation and reprinting of headlines and their lead sentences (called "ledes") from Gatehouse owned local news sites without Gatehouse's approval. The case was due to begin today with high stakes for the Internet news industry on the line. A settlement was announced instead.
Netflix Sails Ahead: Q4 Earnings Beat Economy and Expectations
Many companies are struggling through the economic environment with weak earnings or weak outlook. Netflix, the mail-order DVD rental pioneer, is so far managing to sail through on smooth waters. Confirming "strong results" previously hinted, the company announced fourth quarter and year end earnings today ahead of expectations.
Revenue for the fourth quarter was $359.6m, a 19% year over year gain and a 5% sequential improvement. Earnings, at 38 cents a share, were up 65% year over year. Analysts had expected EPS of 34 cents on revenues of $354m.
Admitting the kind of mistake many are happy to accept, CFO Barry McCarthy said on the conference call, "Our October forecast of slowing growth turned out to be wrong."
Eidos Shuts Small Studio, Others Making Cuts Too
UK gamer Eidos is starting off 2009 on one crazy rollercoaster ride.
Two weeks ago, following poor U.S. holiday sales for its much anticipated new Tomb Raider title, the company laid off 30 employees and trimmed its forecast. Full-year sales were reset to fall between £160m and £180m, down from previous estimates of between £180m and £200m.
Last week, the company's shares jumped after a revelation an approach was made with a preliminary takeover offer. The company emphasized "that discussions are at a very early stage and that there can be no assurance that an offer will be forthcoming." Still, with takeover rumors lingering for months, an official statement was enough to cause a boost in trading. (A survey of potential Eidos buyers and a detailed corporate history is available here)
Now it's just the third week in January and Eidos is back to trimming staff again. Click to Read More


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N.C. food companies eye international markets
by Paul Jones | Jan 22, 2014
Kehinde Olajide of Hemisphere Beverages discusses his product, ZOBO, with Japanese importer Yuko Okuboa during a recent inbound trade mission hosted by NCDA&CS.
To an outsider, inbound trade missions may look a lot like speed dating. Eight food companies set up tables around a room with their food products and samples. Four potential buyers then rotate throughout the group, spending about 30 minutes with each company. If there's a connection, the buyer will contact the food company for another meeting, which could lead to exports of the company's product.
Last week, the department held an inbound trade mission for international buyers from Canada, China, Germany and Japan. Those buyers met with more than 30 North Carolina specialty food companies in Raleigh and Concord interested in expanding into international markets. About half of the participating companies export to some degree already. Others, such as Kehinde Olajide of Durham-based Hemisphere Beverages, are hoping to break into the international market for the first time.
Olajide's product, ZOBO, is a tea made from the calyces of hibiscus plants. The drink is named after a popular African drink, zoborodo. Hemisphere Beverages packages it as a traditional tea, but also as a powdered drink mix to make it more convenient.
The idea for ZOBO came after Olajide shared zoborodo and African foods with his classmates at UNC-Chapel Hill as part of a presentation. He was working on a business plan for a website dedicated to African cuisine and decided to bring in samples to taste.
"They didn't take the food, but the drink, everyone liked it," said Olajide. "That night I told my wife about what had happened, filed the trademark, and the rest, as they say, is history."
In about five years, Olajide has expanded sales of ZOBO domestically. You can find it in Sam's Club stores across North Carolina, as well as several Carlie C's IGA stores. His next step is to create a market for it outside the United States, and he has already participated in trade missions to China, Canada, South Korea and Hong Kong. But finding international buyers on your own can be difficult.
At one time Olajide worked on his own to find a distributor in China. A deal was reached that would have placed ZOBO in thousands of movie theaters there. Unfortunately, the deal fell through. Since then, Olajide has worked with the department to find international buyers. He said that trade missions organized through the department have been helpful because all the buyers are verified through the Southern United States Trade Association.
While there are no guaranteed purchases with inbound trade missions, they offer companies a chance to receive feedback from a verified buyer without having to travel around the world. Tips on pricing, package design and marketing are invaluable, especially for small and medium-sized companies without exporting experience.
"This is a great opportunity," said Peter Thornton, NCDA&CS assistant director for international marketing. "If theses companies did it alone it would cost thousands. This event costs them $20 and a tank of gas."
Olajide felt optimistic after his meetings. He said that both the German and Japanese buyers were interested in ZOBO. He hopes that interest will lead to more meetings and, eventually, seeing ZOBO on international shelves.