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Failed? Why You Shouldn't Be Worried
Sarah JubbMay 11, 20181312 Views0 Comments
Everyone is afraid of failure as quite simply, it means that you didn't succeed in what you attempted. Whether it's going for that new job, trying a new recipe or even just simply not achieving your goals list, failing is common to everyone. But failure shouldn't be something to be worried about, as sometimes it can lead to even better results in the future.
We are conditioned to avoid failure at all costs from a young age, striving to achieve the highest possible results in school and university before trying to achieve a dream job. When entering the world of business and work, failure can be an even scarier word as it can mean the collapse of dreams and livelihoods.
It's important to remember however that everyone fails at something, and sometimes something wonderful can emerge from the ashes of a failed attempt. Failing can often teach you how not to do something, allowing you to perfect it through multiple attempts. We've looked at some of the most famous examples of failures that turned out to be positive, spurring on success stories that will be talked about for years.
J. K. Rowling's Famous Failure
In the 1990s, a young J.K. Rowling considered herself a failure 'on an epic scale'. Her short marriage has ended, she had no job, was a single parent and lived in almost poverty. And yet today, she is a household name across the world, best known for the juggernaut of British pop culture, the Harry Potter book series.
That is because, despite considering her life to be a failure, she worked hard at her manuscript and experienced multiple rejections before her first book finally found a place with Bloomsbury Publishing. The rest of course, is history with the Harry Potter series becoming the bestselling book series in history and spanning into a multi-entertainment franchise across film, theatre and even amusement parks.
Henry Ford's Failed Car Companies
Ford cars are a common sight around the United Kingdom and is a 114-year old American company. Founded by Henry Ford, it is one of the largest automakers in the world while Ford himself became famous for his mass production method.
But it was a hard road for Ford to create the company we know and recognise today with multiple failed attempts. His first company, the Detroit Automobile Company, dissolving in 1901 due to being unsuccessful. His second attempt formed the Henry Ford Company and after an outsider was brought in to supervise, Ford left this company with only the rights to his name. The company he left would become the Cadillac Motor Company.
In 1903, he formed the Ford Motor Company, finally finding success with his cars and becoming a beloved American brand. The Model T Ford became the first affordable car due to the assembly line production that allowed many cars to be built quickly, instead of the traditional hand crafting method.
Nintendo's Failure That Spawned A Giant
Asked to think of a gaming company, and it's likely that Nintendo will jump to prominence for many people. The Gameboy is one of the most successful gaming consoles in history, but a severe mistake in the 1990s could have catastrophically derailed the company.
In 1991, Nintendo was to announce a new CD-ROM drive add-on for their popular Super Nintendo, working with the technology company Sony. Their deal meant that Sony would also be able to produce a standalone machine that combined their CD machine and the SNES into one. Upon realising, Nintendo backtracked quickly and announced a deal with Philips, humiliating Sony.
As many of you reading this may be able to guess, Sony came back only three years later with a little gaming console called the PlayStation. Nintendo's failure to follow through on their deal gave birth to the PlayStation franchise, with each console ranking in the top 10 consoles ever sold.
But despite this, Nintendo managed to re-invent itself multiple times to produce the hugely successful Nintendo 64, Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo Switch, proving that just because you failed once doesn't mean it's the end.
Stephen King's Rubbish Book
The king of horror very nearly didn't have a career in writing at all if it wasn't for his wife pushing him on. A poor English high school teacher, Stephen King was struggling to provide for his family and wrote short stories in his spare time that were submitted to publications, allowing them to survive.
He soon came up with the idea of a high school girl who had telekinetic powers and hoped to sell it as a short story. King wrote part of a first draft before becoming frustrated as he didn't connect with it and it would be longer than Playboy would accept, resulting him throwing it away in the belief he'd failed.
His wife, Tabitha King, took the pages from the rubbish and told him that she liked what he'd written and wanted him to complete it. He finished the manuscript and sent it to a publication, earning $2,500. A few months later, a publishing company bought the rights to the book and within a year the novel had sold over a million paper copies before becoming a movie years later.
Since then? Stephen King has sold over 350 million books with his works being turned into successful film and television adaptations. The name of the novel he almost threw away? Carrie.
failedfailurefailure isn't badfailure successhenry fordj k rowlingnintendosonystephen kingsucceed
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Strange article about Mark Seymour's roadie days with The Birthday Party.
Author: themusic.com.au (from interview with Bryget Chrisfield).
In Mark Seymour's autobiography Thirteen Tonne Theory, the Hunters & Collectors frontman recalls saving being a roadie for The Birthday Party and saving an audience member from choking on the Nick Cave's mic cord.
Speaking to Bryget Chrisfield recently, given the new Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album Push The Sky Away is out now independently, Cave admitted he doesn't recall the event as vividly.


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Robbo: "I'm always confident."
Marc Roberts spoke to the assembled media at Oakwell today ahead of tomorrow night's Championship fixture..
The Reds centre-half started by referring to the solidity in the defence at present and hailed the performances of his teammates in keeping three clean sheets in the last four league fixtures.
It's about the team, he said: "We look for clean sheets, the entire back four, back five including the 'keeper, the whole team really. We think if we can keep a clean sheet we've got a great chance of scoring because we've definitely got the quality going forward.
"As a base it gives us the chance then to go on and score goals. If we can keep things tight - and we work on these things all the time in training – by pressing from the front, keeping them out at the back, then we fancy our chances in any game."
Despite the clean sheets gained recently, the Reds haven't quite been the free-scoring side they were earlier in the season. It's about striking the right balance according to 'Robbo' but he believes there's more than enough talent in the Barnsley squad to find that necessary blend between the transition of defence and attack.
"We're one of those sides at the minute I think, where we're either drawing 0-0 or winning 3-2 or whatever. It's tough to get that balance at times, it can be frustrating but right now so long as we're not conceding and not losing then we can't grumble really, we're doing our jobs."
The Barnsley-born defender thinks that another factor that certainly played a part last time out against Wigan Athletic at Oakwell was the respect shown by the visitors in terms of their approach to the game. It's not the first time this season that the opposition have shut up shop.
"We've seen that a few times now I think" he said. "Especially last weekend. But I think it's testament to the great work that's gone on at the Club. We surprised teams early on and now we can see teams coming and paying us more respect. I expected Wigan to come here and have a go at us, especially if you consider how we both came up together last season, but they didn't.
"It was then up to us to break them down but fair play to them, they set up for a clean sheet and they got it. But it is what it is. We move on now, we're focused on Friday."
It has been a rollercoaster ride for everyone connected with the Club over the past 18 months, with Marc being no exception. It has been an incredible journey for the former Halifax man.
"I think the fans have been spoilt to be fair! But no, it's been good for the Club the last year or so because for a few years before that they weren't doing so good. In terms of myself it's been some rise and I'm proud of what I've achieved.
"I think I've stood up to the test well so far. I hope I can keep on improving, keep proving myself and this is a great place to do that. To be playing in non-league as I was, you can't help wondering if it'll ever happen but I'm proper thankful that Barnsley took the chance on me."
In terms of tomorrow night's fixture under the lights at Oakwell as the Reds welcome Nottingham Forest in front of the Sky cameras, Robbo is confident of a positive result.
"I'm always confident" he stated. "You have to be. I'm not bothered who I'm up against, I back myself no matter the opponent. Forest have got a couple of decent results recently but if we are on our game, if we turn up like we can do then I think we'll be a nightmare for them."
You can see the full interview with Marc Roberts over on Barnsley Player HD.
Ticket prices have been REDUCED for tomorrow's match, CLICK HERE for more information.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


With Christmas shopping season in full swing, an increasing number of retailers are using flash sales, which offer heavy discounts but typically last only a few hours.
More than £360,000 a minute is expected to be spent this week on what has become known as 'Black Friday'.
What's really going on in the shops this Black Friday?
The complex mix of marketing, merchandising and psychology that sees shoppers parting with £360,000 a minute in the UK's shops.


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Browsing: 7 – IN DEVELOPMENT (DB)
ALL IN DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.
7 - IN DEVELOPMENT (DB)
Manipulated by his illiterate and grasping housekeeper who has tricked him into marriage and a brutish concierge, Peter Kien is forced out of his apartment – which houses his great library and one true passion – and into the underworld of the city.
A beautiful aspiring model's life becomes a nightmare after meeting a man on Facebook.
A actress and mother reunites with her daughter and grandaughter in a town in the mountains.
THE MURDERS OF MOLLY SOUTHBOURNE (SALES)
A woman must kill evil clones of herself that are born every time she bleeds.
THE PRINCE'S GUARD (SALES)
The storyline is being kept under wraps.
ASK FOR JANE (SALES)
Chronicles the true story of the group in Chicago that helped women obtain abortions before Roe V. Wade.
MUSHROOM: THE TRUE STORY OF THE A-BOMB KID (SALES)
A college student creates an atomic bomb at Princeton University.
THE CHAMELEON (SALES)
Chronicles the true story of a con artist who impersonates teenagers that have gone missing
BALLERINA (SALES)
After her family is murdered, an assassin seeks revenge on the killers.
ALPHA GIRLS (SALES)
The Untold Story of the Real Unicorns Of Silicon Valley, The Women Who Dressed Down, Moved Up, and Built the Companies that Changed the World.
UNTITLED TECHNO THRILLER (SALES)
SUPER-INTELLIGENCE (SALES)
Corporate executive Carol Peters is elected for observation by the world's first super intelligence, an artificial intelligence that might be planning to take over the world.
KHE SANH (SALES)
Chronicles the attack of marines by the Vietnamese army at Khe Sanh.
THE MARRIAGE PACT (SALES)
After joining an exclusive group for married couples known only as The Pact, a pair of young lovers are about to discover that membership, like marriage, is for life. For Alice and Jake, the marriage of their dreams is about to become their worst nightmare.
SPAWN REBOOT (SALES)
The storyline is under wraps but will be based on the 1992 comic of the same name.
BRAID (SALES)
After mishandling 80k dollars worth of narcotics, two drug dealers plan to rob their wealthy childhood friend to pay back their debt.
DOCTOR DOOM (SALES)
The storyline is under wraps, but will follow the story of the titular Marvel character.
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (REMAKE)(SALES)
A doctor discovers people's bodies are being overtaken by aliens.
RFK (SALES)
The story of Robert F. Kennedy, politician, and brother to John F. Kennedy, who gained national attention for his public challenge of notorious Teamster Jimmy Hoffa.
BOMBSHELL (SALES)
The government enlists famous females as spies in order to deter a billionaire from creating a police state.
UNTITLED PROTOZOA / EPSTEIN PROJECT (SALES)
The storyline is being kept under wraps but is said to be a courtroom drama centered around artificial intelligence.
EGG (SALES)
The storyline is being kept underwraps, but will be a comedic tale of motherhood from multiple perspectives.
SUBURBAN FANTASY WORLD (SALES)
After their father passes away, two magical brothers embark on quest that will allow them to have one last day with him.
HEADSHOP (SALES)
A therapist suffers a devastating loss and tries to reconnect with her roots by opening a new office in a neighborhood that's resistant to her services.
UNTITLED 1492/HOWARD/FANNIE LOU HAMMER PROJECT
Chronicles the true story of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer.
LIKE FATHER (SALES)
After being left at the alter, a workaholic woman spends her honeymoon on a cruise with her estranged father.
GORE (SALES)
A young man spends a summer in Italy where he meets his idol Gore Vidal and learns about life, love, and politics from the great man himself.
UNTITLED TARANTINO MANSON PROJECT (SALES)
The storyline is being kept under wraps, but will be based on the Manson family murders from the 1960's.
KAMIKAZE (SALES)
Chronicles the attack of the USS Laffey destroyer by Japanese kamikaze planes during World War II.
THE ARMSTRONGS (SALES)
A divorced couple are forced to reassemble their old team when their past catches up with them and their son is kidnapped.


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Introvert Cats #9
Posted in Uncategorized by cesco7 on July 28, 2017
"Sally Forth" Kaiju Theme Park: The Ride Home
"Sally Forth" Kaiju Theme Park: The Actual Last Day
A HUGE thank you to everyone who came along—and stood in unending lines—for the Tanaka Kaiju World storyline! Now start pressuring your local city councils to hire civil engineers and imagineers while turning over numerous safety code violations to make this theme park a reality near you!
"Sally Forth" Kaiju Theme Park: Last Day Part 5
Get to know your kaiju cosplay!
Ted as Titanosaurus: First appearing in 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla—and perhaps inspired by the similarly-named and scientifically disputed dinosaur— Titanosaurus is controlled by a marine scientist who loses his mind due to inability to cope with peer review. The amphibious kaiju can create cyclones with his tail and according to at least one video game unleash sonic waves from his mouth. However, he cannot withstand sonic waves from others, making him the equivalent of someone who punches you in the back of the head and then runs off because it's not fair that you have fists, too.
Sally as King Caesar: Making its grand entrance in 1974's Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla—leading to the question of just how many kaiju owe their careers to Mechagodzilla casting calls—King Caesar is inspired by ancient guardian lion statues, which were originally based on secondhand accounts of what people heard a lion looked like. A protector of mankind, the kaiju's special powers include heat vision, spitting out lightning beams, and the ability to keep fighting beyond reason, making him the idea companion to have in a four-hour drunken brawl that ultimately ends with everyone burning and a lion-like creature mumbling "Put it on my tab."
Medium Large Comic: Happy National Hot Dog Day!
Monster Island (as seen in the movie All Monsters Attack), Monsterland (as seen in the movie Destroy All Monsters) and Monster Island That's Actually a Peninsula (as seen in The Simpsons' "Lisa on Ice") is a home/nature preserve/time-share for kaiju. Amenities include gym, lounge area for group activities, tennis courts, four-star restaurants, a Duane Reade, quickly trampled tree line for easy access to all destinations, and a rather restrictive co-op board that won't allow monsters to paint their front door simply any color they desire.
Forgotten Classic Games for the Just-Announced Ataribox
What some video games lacked in graphics they sought to make up for in personal growth and eventual self-acceptance. Hence this long-shelved 70s title—available only through licensed therapists and EST sessions—in which players tried to break through emotional and psychological barriers to discover the real reasons they can't find love, acceptance or a lab partner in science class.
HAUNTED FOURTH-FLOOR WALK-UP JUNIOR STUDIO APARTMENT
The cartridge that proudly proclaimed "Don't expect much, in game play or in life," this title featured severely limited amenities, an inability for a player to convince anyone to go upstairs for the night, a roommate who never left due to both unemployment and death, and a lone floor mattress that served as bed, couch, dinner table, and cat's favorite place to vomit.
This recent hack of a classic begins when the U.S. gets only four-second warning about an incoming meteor, thanks to the White House shutting down its Science Division. (Which also led to turning SwordQuest: FireWorld into WE'RE ALL BURNING ALIVE!.) Then the game ends as a gleeful God hands the Earth over to the roaches while saying in text, "I knew you'd all @#$% it up."
TRON '72
Predating both the Tron and Tron:Legacy—and based on a very early Disney movie pitch by the same screenwriter of the never-ending film "20 GOTO 10″—this game's similar-looking characters made it impossible to tell if you were playing the good guy or the bad guy as you hurled a square discus at each other that neither could catch due to an absence of eyes or mouth to scream, "OVER HERE!" or "END MY MISERY NOW!"
SPEARED MARTINI OLIVE VS. EXTENSION-CORD DUCK
Featuring the very first Easter Egg in which the programmer typed "I had 11 hours to complete this," Atari's open-ended environment game let players pick up a cup, key, and perhaps a hotplate to furnish one of the many empty rooms before being killed by a giant duck or a bat glitch the programmer could never delete.
YOU VS. GOD
With religious fervor on the rise in the 70s due to such musicals as Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, and Fallen Angel: Learning to Walk after Plummeting from Such Great Heights, Atari tried to jump on the bandwagon with a game ultimately short on spiritualism but long on feeling utterly, utterly powerless.


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Q: Sickly white true Earthlings superseded by modern man short story I read this in an anthology way back in (I think) the 1960s, I don't recall many of the finer details.
Two men are chatting on a boat and one has just returned from a jungle expedition, possibly the Amazon. He narrates the yarn.
He'd tracked down rumours of a Lost tribe to a small area but his native guides had a taboo and wouldn't accompany him for the final part of his journey.
He finds remnants of a millions of years old spacecraft from Mars (I don't remember how he determined it was Martian in origin) but while examining it he came under attack by these primitive looking sickly white humanoids and has to flee back to civilisation, he described them as quite small and feeble looking (possibly he said they were boneless)
The other guy says that he's surprised the Martians have survived so long as they clearly can't compete with Earthmen.
The explorer replies something like "Oh no, they're not the Martian descendants, we are, they're what's left of the true Earthmen"

A: I know this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_Without_Bones
Sort of a silly story in a way, not sure why you would call the indigenous "men" men but that is for sure the story you are looking for.
Kersh wrote a lot of stuff, hard to describe his subgenre of science fiction but it seems many of his stories are of the same "flavor" as MWB.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Home > Academics > Post-Secondary Programmes
Even as Singapore Sports School started operations in 2004, pioneer principal, Mr Moo Soon Chong, and senior management realised that a conventional secondary school setup cannot be optimal for the development of student-athletes with the aspiration and potential to represent Singapore on the world stage.
In a conventional secondary school, there is the need to prepare for the national examinations and sport training typically take a back seat at least six months ahead of the national examinations. This is the time, at 16 and 17 years old, when student-athletes are just beginning to develop into sport champions.
To leverage on this sport development opportunity, Sports School created through-train pathways, bypassing the national examinations and leading to a post-secondary education.
The Sports School currently offers four post-secondary through-train pathways: International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, with an option of the Extended programme; customised Diploma in Sport Management; and customised Diploma in Business Studies.
About The IBDP


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\section{Introduction}
\label{sec:intro}
In recent years, in view of upgrades to some of the LHC experiments (ATLAS,
CMS and ALICE), most of the R\&D activity on Resistive
Plate Chambers (RPCs) has been devoted to avalanche operation (see for instance
\cite{bATLASup}).
Nevertheless, low rate applications, such as neutrino \cite{bopera} or
astroparticle physics \cite{bargo}, could still use RPCs operated in streamer
mode, profiting of electronics simplicity (no amplification needed) and of the
existence of safe and eco-friendly gas mixtures made of argon (Ar) and
tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234ze) \cite{bGent2016}.

In \cite{bGent2016} results of studies about mixtures containing
carbon dioxide (CO$_2$), nitrogen (N$_2$), helium (He) and
tetrafluoromethane (CF$_4$), a gas widely used for other gaseous detectors
(see \cite{bgem} for instance), were also reported.
In section \ref{sec:cf4} results about additional investigations performed on
the use of tetrafluoromethane (CF$_4$) are reported.
The effects of the gas gap thickness on the streamer discharge are also
discussed in section \ref{sec:gasgap}; in particular the performance of
RPCs with 1 mm gas gap and 1 mm electrode thickness, a possible new standard
in the detector production for LHC experiments, is shown.
Finally studies about streamer timing are reported in section
\ref{sec:avastreamer}: these measurements could
be exploited to disentangle between different models of streamer formation.

\section{Streamer operation of RPCs filled with gas mixtures containing CF$_4$}
\label{sec:cf4}
Typical gas mixtures for streamer mode operation of RPCs are composed by
Ar and one or more gases, known as ``quenchers'', needed to absorb UV
photons, produced by Ar de-excitation, without re-emission.
Good quenchers are isobutane (i-C$_4$H$_{10}$), whose percentage is limited to
few \% because of safety requirements on flammability, tetrafluoroethane (R134a)
and tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234ze, HFO-1234yf).
The addition of sulfur hexafluoride (SF$_6$) permits the operation in
streamer with a strongly decreased charge.
While in \cite{bGent2016} CF$_4$ was investigated as a substitute for
SF$_6$, here it is investigated as a replacement for R134a.

The studies described in this section have been performed, using the same
set-up, used for gas mixture tests, described in \cite{bGent2016}.
Cosmic rays crossing the detector under study, a $60\times70$ cm$^2$ wide RPC,
have been triggered by means of scintillators.
The gas gap and the two bakelite electrodes are all 2 mm thick.
Streamer discharges in the gas gap induce opposite polarity signals on both
sides of the chamber.
Those signals are picked up by means of 3.5 cm wide copper strips, faced
to the external faces of the electrodes.
The strips are terminated, on the read-out side, on 110 $\Omega$, and on the
opposite side on their characteristic impedance, 25 $\Omega$.
Signals from the read-out strips are digitized at 5 GS/s and acquired.

In figure \ref{fig1} the efficiency and the single streamer charge are shown
as a function of the operating voltage for a gas mixture composed of
Ar, CF$_4$ and i-C$_4$H$_{10}$ in the volume ratios 52/43/5.
As a reference, the same measurements for a gas mixture composed of Ar,
R134a and i-C$_4$H$_{10}$ in the volume ratios 48/48/4,
are shown.
The concentrations of Ar and i-C$_4$H$_{10}$ are similar and therefore the
different performances of the two different mixtures can be directly ascribed
to the replacement of R134a by CF$_4$.
The detector, flushed with the mixture containing CF$_4$, reaches the maximum
efficiency at 3.5 kV, more than 4 kV below the reference mixture with R134a;
the efficiency plateau value is around 80\% with a much higher streamer charge.
This behavior has been observed flushing RPCs with 2 mm gas gap with
mixtures containing small percentages of quencher gases.
As an example, a similar trend was observed in studies about ternary mixtures
made by Ar, R134a and i-C$_4$H$_{10}$, decreasing the R134a percentage below
20\% at fixed 4\% i-C$_4$H$_{10}$ concentration \cite{bternary}.

\begin{figure}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=14cm]{plot1.pdf}
\caption{Efficiency and single streamer charge, as a function of the operating
voltage, for the gas mixture Ar/CF$_4$/i-C$_4$H$_{10}$ in the volume ratios
52/43/5 (empty circles).
As a reference, the same measurements performed with the gas mixture
Ar/R134a/i-C$_4$H$_{10}$ in the volume ratios 48/48/4 (full circles) are also
reported.}
\label{fig1}
\end{figure}

In figure \ref{fig2} typical single streamer wave-forms are also shown for the
two considered gas mixtures.
The mixture with CF$_4$ has a higher integrated charge (85 vs 60 pC), resulting
from a lower amplitude (150 vs 350 mV/110 $\Omega$) and a higher
full-width-at-half-maximum (45 vs 12 ns).
It has also a higher rise-time (4 vs 2.5 ns from 10\% to 90\% of the signal
amplitude).

\begin{figure}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=7cm]{wave_cf4.pdf}
\includegraphics[width=7cm]{wave_ref.pdf}
\caption{Typical wave-forms acquired with the gas mixtures
Ar/CF$_4$/i-C$_4$H$_{10}$ in the volume ratios 52/43/5 at 4 kV (left) and
Ar/R134a/i-C$_4$H$_{10}$ in the volume ratios 48/48/4 at 8 kV operating
voltage (right).}
\label{fig2}
\end{figure}

In conclusion CF$_4$ is not advisable as a quencher component inside gas
mixtures for streamer operation of RPCs, because much better performances,
in terms of efficiency and signal charge, can be obtained with R134a.

\section{Streamer operation of RPCs with 1 mm gas gap and electrode thickness}
\label{sec:gasgap}
Future upgrades of LHC RPC systems, designed for high rate operation in
avalanche mode, are defining a new ``standard'' for the production of bakelite
RPC gaps.
Instead of 2 mm gas gaps with 2 mm electrode thickness, used so far in large
systems, profiting of the lower charge released in the gas, of the better time
resolution and of the lower operating voltage, future detectors will have
thinner gas gaps.

A study about streamer mode operation of a $10\times10$ cm$^2$ wide
RPC, with 1 mm gas gap and 1 mm bakelite electrodes thickness, is reported in
\cite{bgasgap}.
The detector was read-out by means of a single copper pad and flushed with
gas mixtures made of Ar, HFO-1234ze and SF$_6$.
Decreasing the gas gap, streamers are faster and with lower charge.
The time resolution also improves.

In figure \ref{fig3} the measured efficiency values are shown as a function
of the operating voltage. With the considered gas mixtures, smaller plateau
values are obtained using the RPC with 1 mm gas gap.

The multi-streamer probability has been measured as a function of the
efficiency, checking by eye on a subsample of acquired wave-forms, the
presence of after-pulsing and/or of streamers with an abnormal amplitude
(twice that of the standard ones).
The corresponding results are also shown in figure \ref{fig3}.
It is evident that the multi-streamer probability, at fixed gas gap value,
increases for decreasing HFO-1234ze (the quencher gas) concentrations.
For a fixed gas mixture, the multi-streamer probability strongly increases,
at high efficiency, replacing the 2 mm gas gap RPC with the 1 mm gap one.
In the latter case, above 90\% efficiency, with all the considered gas
mixtures, the multi-streamer probability is greater than 50\%.
It is therefore preferable not to use 1 mm gas gap RPCs in streamer mode.

\begin{figure}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=14cm]{plot2.pdf}
\caption{Efficiency and multi-streamer probability for streamer operation of
RPCs with gas mixtures made of argon, HFO-1234ze and SF$_6$. Both geometries
with 2 mm (empty markers) and 1 mm (full markers) have been considered.}
\label{fig3}
\end{figure}

\section{Streamer formation time studies}
\label{sec:avastreamer}

The time interval between avalanche precursor and streamer
has been measured on a 10$\times$10 cm$^2$ wide RPC with 2 mm gas gap flushed
with a gas mixture composed of Ar (89\%) and HFO-1234ze (11\%) with and without
the addition of 0.3\% SF$_6$.
The test has been performed using cosmic rays with a set-up similar
to that used for the studies of the previous section.
It is worth mentioning that the identification of the avalanche precursor
has not been always possible.
Two acquired wave-forms are shown in figure \ref{fig4} as an example: in the
waveform shown in the left panel, the avalanche precursor is clearly visible
and separated from the following streamer, while in the waveform of the right
panel it is not.
The streamer delay has been measured only in the first case, as the time
difference between the minima of the two signals.

\begin{figure}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=15cm]{example.png}
\caption{Examples of streamer wave-forms acquired at full efficiency for an
RPC detector flushed with a gas mixture composed of Ar (89\%) and HFO-1234ze
(11\%). In the left plot, the avalanche precursor is well separated from the
streamer and magnified in the insert.}
\label{fig4}
\end{figure}

With the considered gas mixtures, the detector reaches full efficiency around
8 kV.
Two examples of the streamer delay distribution, as defined above, are shown
in figure \ref{fig5} at 8.15 kV (for the mixture containing SF$_6$) and 8.1
kV (for the mixture without SF$_6$) operating voltages, respectively.
The corresponding average values are (8.1 $\pm$ 0.3) ns and (8.3 $\pm$ 0.2)
ns.
The distributions are asymmetrical, with the average value greater than the
most probable one and queues reaching also values few ns above the average
value.

\begin{figure}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=7cm]{distribution_example2.png}
\includegraphics[width=7cm]{distribution_example1.png}
\caption{Examples of streamer delay distributions measured, with respect to
the avalanche precursor, at full efficiency, for a 2 mm gap RPC flushed with a
gas mixture composed of Ar (89\%) and HFO-1234ze(11\%) with (left plot) and
without (right plot) SF$_6$ addition.}
\label{fig5}
\end{figure}

Other informations about how the streamer timing depends on the gas mixture,
have been obtained profiting of the data collected for the extensive gas
mixture studies presented in \cite{bGent2016}.
In that analysis, signals, acquired from 3.5 cm wide copper strips, were
discriminated at 50 mV on a 110 $\Omega$ load and the corresponding time
registered.
The discrimination time of the signal from one of the trigger scintillators
was used as a reference and subtracted.
Because of the delays due to the photomultiplier and to the cabling, the
difference between the streamer discrimination and the reference scintillator
times are negative.
In the left panel of figure \ref{fig6}, the streamer discrimination times
are compared as a function of the efficiency for different HFO-1234yf (the
quencher component) concentrations in Argon based gas mixtures.
A similar study is performed in the right panel at fixed HFO-1234ze
concentration, replacing Ar with Helium (He).

From the plots it is evident that at full efficiency the streamer time
is almost independent from the HFO-1234yf percentage, while the use of He,
instead of Ar, leads to a faster streamer development.

\begin{figure}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=7cm]{plot3.pdf}
\includegraphics[width=7cm]{plot4.pdf}
\caption{Streamer discrimination time vs efficiency for different binary
mixtures made of Ar and HFO-1234yf (left plot).
In the right plot a comparison is done at fixed HFO-1234ze concentration
between Ar and He.}
\label{fig6}
\end{figure}

\section{Conclusions}
\label{sec:conc}
In this paper different aspects of streamer operation of RPCs are discussed.

Concerning gas mixtures studies, tetrafluoromethane has been tested in
mixtures as a replacement for quencher gases together with argon and isobutane:
results similar to mixtures with insufficient quenching (low operating voltage
and efficiency, large signals charge and width) have been observed, making
tetrafluoromethane use not advisable in RPCs.

New chambers, built according to the new geometry introduced for avalanche
operation at high rate, with 1 mm gas gap and 1 mm electrode thickness, have
been tested in streamer mode.
A strong increase of the multi-streamer probability is observed, suggesting
to keep the old geometry (2 mm gas gap and electrode thickness) for
streamer mode operation.

Using gas mixtures made of argon and tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234yf and
HFO-1234ze), streamer timing studies have been performed.
The time separation between avalanche and streamer has been found to be around
8 ns on average at about 8 kV operating voltage, with distribution tails
extending to values few ns above.
In addition, a faster streamer formation has been observed, for a fixed
tetrafluoropropene concentration, replacing argon with helium in the gas
mixture.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


Six feet tall in her red platforms and brilliant sunflower-yellow dress, Afua Richardson sails into My Parents' Basement with an arm full of comic books and her portfolio over her shoulder.
The restaurant/tavern/comic book store in Avondale Estates is appropriately dolled-up for Richardson's arrival, with a poster featuring one of the artist's paintings of a glamorous femme fatale, and a display of her prints and greeting cards for sale.
Tim Ensor, co-owner of the establishment, is ready with the news that Richardson, 38, has just won an Eisner Award the previous Saturday at the San Diego Comic Con, for her work as illustrator of "Black Panther: World of Wakanda." But this isn't the coolest thing happening right now in the World of Afua.
The big news is cradled in her right arm. The Stone Mountain resident is carrying a stack of samplers from "Run: Book One." These are advance copies of a few pages from the latest graphic novel by U.S. Rep. John Lewis. Richardson is the proud illustrator of the new book, and she's signed a stack of the samples for Ensor.
People familiar with the 2013 graphic novel "March" and its two sequels already know that Lewis' illustrated history of his role in the civil rights movement became a sensation. Despite critics who thought a "comic book" was too pulpy for an elder statesman's story, it triumphed on the New York Times best-seller list. The third installation went on to win the National Book Award, a first for a graphic novel.
"Run: Book One" begins where "March" left off, two days after the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, when Lewis encounters one of the biggest Klan parades in decades, in Americus, Ga. It traces the collapse of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and Lewis' launch into public office.
RELATED: Rep. John Lewis released from hospital after weekend of observation.
Co-written by Lewis and his policy adviser and digital director Andrew Aydin, the "March" trilogy was illustrated in a brooding black and white by North Little Rock native Nate Powell. Powell will draw the first 10 pages of "Run," but then will hand over the inkwell to Richardson. The first volume is expected next year.
It's a big job (she still has 55 pages to produce by October), and Aydin predicts it will have a profound impact on Richardson's career. "Your life is going to change. You're going to have a totally different experience from here on out," he said, predicting that her renown will go far beyond her Black Panther fame.
Can she handle it? "She's been training her whole life for this," said husband Camron Wiltshire.
She began working in high school to help support the family, and continued scuffling afterward, as telemarketer, secretary, caterer, model, jingle singer and vocalist in a menagerie of ensembles, including a Rose Royce cover band. She even appeared on the Jimmy Fallon show as a backup singer.
A sketcher since she was little, the young woman also saw that her future might be in art rather than music. She took online art classes and taught herself how to use Adobe Illustrator whenever she had access to an office computer.
Richardson first drew for Marvel in 2006, shortly before she moved to Atlanta from New York and gained some attention with her work on "Genius," a 2014 Top Cow comic about a military prodigy who happens to be a 17-year-old black girl from South Central, L.A.
Around that time, she also shared a panel with Aydin at a black comic arts festival in Los Angeles.
Aydin noticed that whenever a kid approached Richardson's table at a convention, she would step around the table, crouch down until she was at eye level, and give all the attention in the world to the youngster.
She's learned about racist violence from her grandmother in Alabama, who was arrested and jailed for registering to vote, and from her father, who was attacked for walking to school.
Her style is fluid, painterly. She is influenced by anime and is a delicate colorist. Restricting herself to the black and white of "Run" has been a learning experience. "It's a good challenge to study value," she said.
Richardson started the project using brush and ink, but switched to digital art to be able to move faster, and also to incorporate the revisions that flowed in from Washington.
Unlike some comics fans, she's nothing but happy about the thunderous success of comics-based movies, especially the slew of Marvel superheroes (including Black Panther) who have become box-office gold. The exposure has given comics new life.
She's had dinner with Aydin and John Lewis in New York, but her access to the congressman has been limited, and she's worked — as did Powell — from visual reference materials, photographs and newsreels of the 1960s.
Afua Richardson's moment is now. She will talk about her new project at Dragon Con over Labor Day weekend, Aug. 30-Sept. 3. Go to Dragoncon.org for more information.


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The prevailing FDI policy allowed 49% FDI through the automatic route and beyond 49% and upto 100% through the Government approval route in single brand retail trade (SBRT) sector, the said limit has been increased to 100% through automatic route.
Single brand retailing entities would be allowed to begin incremental sourcing of goods from India for global operations during the first 5 years from the first day of the opening of the first store against the mandatory sourcing requirement of 30 percent purchases from India. After completion of the said 5 year period, the entities would be required to meet the mandatory sourcing requirement of 30 percent purchases from India.
A non-resident trading entity or entities, whether owner of the brand or otherwise, would be permitted to undertake SBRT in the country for the specific brand, either directly by the brand owner or through a legally tenable agreement executed between the Indian entity undertaking SBRT and the brand owner.
Substantial ownership and control of Air India would continue to vest in Indian Nationals.
It has been clarified that since real-estate broking service does not amount to real estate business, therefore the same would be eligible for 100% FDI through automatic route.
While the existing FDI policy provided for 49% FDI through automatic route in Power Exchanges registered under the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (Power Market) Regulations, 2010, however, Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPI) / Foreign Institutional Investors (FII) purchases were restricted to the secondary market only. Accordingly, the Government has allowed FPIs/FIIs to invest in Power Exchanges in the primary market as well.
Issue of shares against non-cash considerations like pre-incorporation expenses, import of machinery etc. would be permitted under automatic route in case of sectors under automatic route.
FDI in an Indian company engaged only in the activity of investing in other Indian companies or LLPs and in Core Investing Companies would be aligned with the FDI provisions in the "Other Financial Services" category. Accordingly, if the said investor companies in India are regulated by any financial sector regulator, then foreign investment upto 100% under automatic route would be allowed and if they are not regulated by any Financial Sector Regulator or where only part is regulated or where there is doubt regarding the regulatory oversight, foreign investment up to 100% would be allowed under approval route, subject to conditions including minimum capitalization requirement, as may be decided by the Government.
The competent authority for dealing with FDI proposals will be the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) for investments in automatic route sectors requiring approval only on the matter of investment being from Countries of Concern. The competent authority would be concerned Administartine Department/ Ministry in the case of investments made in sectors requiring government approval and also requiring security clearance with respect to Countries of Concern.
With respect to the Pharmaceuticals industry, it has been decided to change the definition of medical devices under the existing policy. Further, the existing policy provided that medical devices with respect to FDI policy would be defined with reference to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and since the definition in the FDI policy is complete in itself, it has been decided to do away with this reference to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
In cases where the foreign investor specifies a particular auditor/ auditing firm having international network for the Indian investee company, then audit of such company would take place in the form of a joint audit in which one of the auditors should not be from the same network.


text:
NC treasurer's love for cash in the pension fund hobbled returns during the stock market boom
By Lynn Bonner
State Treasurer Dale Folwell addresses members of the NC Council of State on August 2, 2022. (Photo: Screen grab from video stream)
State Treasurer Dale Folwell refers to himself as the "Keeper of the Public Purse." And since he was elected to the job that includes managing pension funds for state and local government employees, Folwell has been stuffing that purse with cash.
Public pension investments are a complex mix of domestic and international stocks, private equity, real estate, bonds and commodities. Under Folwell's direction, the pension fund holds more of its money in cash than the department's own guidelines direct, and has considerably higher cash holdings than similar public pension funds. The department's own reports show cash was a drag on returns when the stock market was booming.
North Carolina's pension fund is among the 10 largest public pensions in the country. None of the other nine holds close to as great a proportion of their assets in cash as North Carolina does, according to their most recent financial reports.
In terms of its value compared to how much it owes current retirees and the value of accrued benefits for active workers, North Carolina's fund is doing well. The state pension fund was valued at $119 billion as of March 31. It is healthy but it could be healthier.
North Carolina pension fund performance is near or at the bottom, compared to other states' funds, according to public presentations by the department's investment managers.
This compares state pension returns (NCRS) with other public funds worth more than $20 billion over time. Treasurer Dale Folwell took office in January 2017. The North Carolina pension fund ranks at the bottom for returns and risk. Source: NC Treasurer's Office
Even when the pension fund recorded its best performance in years over 12 months in 2020 and 2021 thanks to a soaring stock market, the 21% return fell short of key benchmarks.
Criticized at public meetings for his unorthodox approach, Folwell says that his strategy guards against major stock market shocks, mentioning specifically the market drop that followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the "great financial crisis" of the late 2000s. Most people remember the latter event as the Great Recession. A bursting housing bubble fueled by subprime mortgage lending led to the collapse of the investment company Bear Sterns, bankruptcy for the investment bank Lehman Brothers, and a $700 billion government bailout program for banks and car companies.
Folwell says he needs to make sure there's always enough in the fund to send retirees their benefits. "We're in the check-delivery business" is one of his go-to lines.
Pension fund managers must also take the long view. Many people who start government jobs today, tomorrow, and in the foreseeable future will be entitled to pension benefits in a few decades if they keep their jobs long enough to qualify. That's why pension fund investment strategies are important. The money must keep growing.
Folwell often mentions that workers retiring earlier and living longer are among the factors putting pressure on the plan. These conditions are not unique to North Carolina.
It's also significant, Folwell said, that retirees and people who no longer work for the government but will one day draw money from the pension plan outnumber employees paying into the system.
The state has about a half dozen separate pension plans for different categories of employees. The state treasurer's office manages them together. The pension plans for teachers and state employees and for local government employees have the most members.
More than 440,500 state and local employees are contributing to the pension system, according to the most recent information available. About 311,300 former state and local government employees or their beneficiaries receive money from the pension fund, and about 270,400 people no longer working for state or local government are entitled to benefits but are not yet receiving them.
Conservative investment strategy, lagging returns
Holding significant amounts of cash and bonds in portfolios typically serves as ballast when stock markets fall.
Cash and bonds did not, however, provide the expected protection in the latest stock market downturn. Pension fund returns slipped in the first three months of this year relative to other large public pensions. That's because the value of the pension's fixed income investments dropped along with stock prices.
The state pension fund's one-year return was in the 94th percentile compared to comparable public funds as of March 31, meaning 93% of pension plans had better returns, according to information from Folwell's office. In comparison, the plan's one-year return was in the 88th percentile at the end of December.
North Carolina's returns would probably rank better in comparison to other states if fees paid to investment managers were included in the calculations. But not all states report those investment costs, making comparisons impossible.
Folwell noted that though the pension fund lost money in the first three months of this year, it still outperformed one of its benchmarks.
"I don't know how we could be more diversified," he said in an interview this week.
However, a persistent critic of Folwell's strategy, Andrew Silton, said Folwell is mismanaging the pension fund by sacrificing gains that would help sustain it for future generations of public employees.
Andrew Silton (Photo: LinkedIn)
Silton was chief investment officer in the state treasurer's office in the early 2000s. He has written extensively about Folwell's investment decisions.
The fund doesn't need exorbitant cash holdings to keep pension checks going out on time, Silton said.
"The pension isn't investing for a 65- or 70-year-old," Silton said in an interview. The pension is investing for people who will count on the money years from now, he said. "If you're investing for the long term, cash is a bad idea."
Under allocation guidelines – a plan for how investments should be divided among stocks, private equity, bonds and other assets – the fund had a target of 1% cash, with a range of 0% to 10% for most of the time Folwell has been in office.
In March 2017, a few months into Folwell's tenure, cash was about 2.4% of the pension portfolio.
By the middle of May 2022, however, about 13% of North Carolina's pension fund was held in cash. That's a much greater percentage than other public pensions hold. According to a national database reporting assets, distributions, and investments for about 130 public pension plans, those plans had in aggregate 2.1% of their assets in cash in 2021.
This shows pension fund investments compared to policy ranges set by the treasurer's office. More than 13% of pension funds are held in cash, far above the 1% target. Nearly 40% of pension funds are invested in bonds or held in cash. A new policy adopted this year has updated allocation targets. The target for pension cash has gone from 1% to 5%, and the target for stocks has dropped from 42% to 38%. Source: NC Treasurer's Office
Silton estimated that the opportunity cost for Folwell's strategy, or actual earnings versus what investments would have earned if Folwell had followed the asset allocation guidelines, was about $13 billion in early December 2021. With the stock market declines this year, the opportunity cost is now about $7 billion, he said in an email.
Folwell said in an interview with Policy Watch earlier this year that he didn't take office in 2017 intending to increase cash holdings in the pension fund. In his election campaign, he emphasized moving away from outside investment managers to cut fees.
Once elected, he regularly publicized savings from fee reductions. The move to a greater reliance on cash in the pension portfolio was bubbling in the background.
To deviate from office asset allocation policy, the treasurer must sign a memo that freezes rebalancing.
Folwell started selling stocks to keep the cash or buy investment-grade bonds soon after he took office. Stock investments were 4% "underweight," or below the guideline minimums, according to a June 2017 memo Policy Watch obtained through a public records request. Rebalancing was frozen until Oct. 5 of that year to give Folwell more time to review office policies for managing investments, according to the memo.
Folwell continued to sign a series of these memos every year suspending rebalancing as he favored cash over stocks.
According to a July 2019 memo, Folwell told the investment team to reallocate about $7.5 billion from the public stock portfolio and move it to the cash portfolio.
Folwell wanted to sell stocks "due to continued concerns with the economic environment and with equity valuations," as well as a desire for "additional downside protections," according to the memo.
The stock portfolio, which was 2% below target would sink to 9.4% below target, and estimated long term investment returns would drop by about 0.6%, the memo said.
Folwell was worried about the downside. However, the stock market was rising at the time and would move even higher by the end of that year.
Stocks fell sharply in the early months of the pandemic in 2020, but then rebounded to rocket to record levels by the end of that year in a boom that continued in 2021.
Kim Mackey, a Wake County teacher who keeps track of pension investments, is critical of Folwell's decision to hold so much in cash.
"You don't time a market with a giant fund like that," she said in an interview.
Ardis Watkins, executive director of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, said she was pleased with Folwell's investment strategy. The fund's value did not drop as much in the 2020 pandemic stock market crash compared to other states' pension funds, she said in an interview.
A Dec. 23, 2020, memo describes other stock liquidations. Folwell told staff to liquidate $873 million in stocks in October 2019. Five months later, in March 2020, he approved a staff recommendation to buy $1.5 billion in stocks. Then came a quick reversal. About a month later, the office took that money back out of stocks and put in back into bonds and cash.
At the end of 2020, Folwell decided to take about $3 billion out of stocks and stash the money in bonds and cash.
The public purse
"Keeper of the Public Purse," is a book by Harlan Boyles, a conservative Democrat who was state treasurer for 24 years. Published in 1994, it is a mix of political philosophy, short biographies of the state's treasurers, and ideas for keeping taxes low. His last term in office ended in January 2001, and he died two years later.
Folwell, who was appointed to run the Division of Employment Security under former Gov. Pat McCrory's administration, will drop references to Boyles into conversations and talks about how Boyles managed money. Folwell used "Keeper of the Public Purse" as a prop when he posed for a photograph soon after he took office in 2017. A few weeks ago, Folwell started handing out his own award called "Order of the Keeper of the Public Purse."
In the interview earlier this year, Folwell said that the pension fund had more than enough money to pay accrued benefits when Boyles was running it.
Folwell said three factors pushed him to greater cash investments. The plan had about $11 billion in "uncalled capital," or commitments to invest with money managers, when he took office in 2017.
(Data from his office show that the value of those commitments dropped substantially the year Folwell took over and has stayed low.)
Additionally, the office was still in the early stages of learning how to manage money internally, Folwell said. "We had no capabilities to manage money in equities inside this building," he said.
And, he wanted to make sure that state legislators and local government officials are happy with pension management. Folwell calls them "the funders" and says these officials were shaken by the steep declines in the pension's value after 9/11 and in the "great financial crisis."
"What I did not realize is the anxiety that the funders of this plan were feeling about the ability to keep it funded, given the fact that Treasurer (Richard) Moore suffered from 9/11, which he had nothing to do with, and Treasurer (Janet) Cowell suffered under the great financial crisis, which she had nothing to do with, except that the combined losses were something like $39 billion."
Folwell said he fights pressures to "do away with the plan."
Folwell served four terms in the state House and was a member of the chamber's Pensions and Retirement Committee during the Great Recession.
"I was observing a situation this pension plan had never faced," he said this week.
In 2009, Folwell was one of the main sponsors of a bill that would have set up a commission to study several aspects of state employee retirement and health benefits, including:
whether the changing state employee demographics required amendments to the pension and health plans;
if there was a need to establish a normal retirement age when benefits would begin;
whether the retirement plan should have a defined contribution component; and
if the current benefits plan served the need to recruit and retain the best teachers and state employees.
That bill died in committee, but other studies launched around that time. Cowell, who was treasurer at the time, created a Future of Retirement Study Commission, which met in 2009 and 2010. The legislature's Program Evaluation Division conducted a study comparing North Carolina retirement benefits to other state's benefits published in 2011.
At least a handful of legislators over the last few decades have suggested that the state phase out its pension plan. The proposal with the highest profile came from then-Sen. Andy Wells who, with a few others, filed a bill in 2017 that would have cut off membership in the pension plan for newly hired employees. That bill never got a hearing.
A 2001 House bill — another that failed to gain traction — would have set up a committee to study whether a defined contribution plan should replace the pension plan or be offered as a pension alternative. A 401(k) is an example of a defined contribution plan, one where employees decide how much of their money to invest and where to invest it. Employers may or may not match employee contributions.
The state started a voluntary 403(b) plan in 2014 that government workers could establish as an addition to the pension, but Folwell's office announced this year it was being discontinued because not enough people used it. Two optional retirement plans, including a 401(k), remain. They are offered as supplements to the state pension.
Mickey Michaux, a former Democratic state legislator from Durham, was a chairman of the House budget committee at the time of the Great Recession. Michaux said in an interview that he could not recall anyone talking about phasing out the pension plan back then.
Former state Rep. Chuck McGrady, a Henderson County Republican, was a House budget writer for three terms starting in 2015 before he retired from the legislature. Lawmakers kicked around the idea of creating alternatives to the state pension, he said, but the talk didn't go very far.
"It was discussed, looking for something other than your traditional sets of pensions," he said. "It takes a lot to get there. You can only transition over a period of time. I wouldn't say it ever got totally fleshed out."
Reliance on taxpayers
State Treasurer Dale Folwell (at podium) addresses a legislative committee in June.
Folwell said his investment strategy is sound. A law passed during his predecessor's term has contributed to the pension fund's stability. The law required government contributions to the fund to match actuarilly determined increases, on the recommendation of a board of trustees. A separate trustee board for the local government pension plan agreed to a similar arrangement. Those policies were revisited to lock in government contributions to the pension through 2027.
"I don't have a crystal ball, but I'm not going to gamble with the hard-earned assets," Folwell said at an investment advisory committee last year after two retired teachers questioned his investment choices.
In an interview this week, Folwell said other states are gambling with their assets, trying to "hit grand slams" because their pensions are not as well funded as North Carolina's.
The government contribution policy was key to a positive 2019 assessment by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Analysts concluded, "North Carolina shows especially well in stress test analysis due to strong funding policy and funding levels."
State employees contribute 6% of their salary to the pension fund, while the state and local governments contribute substantially higher percentages of employee salaries.
Folwell began reducing the pension's assumed rate of return in stages beginning in 2017 from 7.25% to the current 6.5%. The assumed rate of return is an estimate of how much the fund will earn over a period of years. With that rate lower, state and local governments must contribute more money to stabilize or increase funding levels. Folwell's rationale for the reduction is that the fund had not reached 7.25% returns historically – looking at annualized returns over 10 and 20 years – and was unlikely to reach that mark in the future.
Folwell talks about reducing the rate as an act of courage. Not only must governments chip in more money, but reducing the rate of return lowers the pension's "fundedness," one of its measures of health.
"It takes courage to do that, not cowardice," he said. "It takes courage."
Pension system contributions for teachers and state employees are in the state budget. The state paid 16.38% of covered salaries into the system last year and is paying 17.38% of salaries this year.
Folwell acknowledges that the increases in local government pension contributions likely fall hardest on rural residents, low-income residents, and people on fixed incomes.
A major chunk of local government revenue comes from property taxes, so increases to pension contributions could eventually show up in higher homeowner tax bills as well.
Local governments have increased their payments into the pension fund in steps, from 7.75% of salaries in 2018 to 12.1% of salaries this year.
Scott Mooneyham, political communications director for the NC League of Municipalities, said cities and towns value a stable pension plan, but they're feeling the effects of increased pension fund contributions in their budgets.
"We are concerned about the increasing contribution rate," he said.
"No city managers or elected officials like the fact that they have to put more money into the pension system, but there is a desire to keep the pension system sound so they can continue to use it to attract (workers) to municipal employment and keep them there," he said.
The pension is not as significant a recruitment tool as it was 10 or 20 years ago, Mooneyham said, but "it's really still a really good means of keeping people in the jobs and creating stability once they are in the jobs. Once they're there, they want to get vested in the system."
Pension costs for municipal governments grew by $80 million a year over three years to reach $240 million. "Local taxpayers pay that," Mooneyham said.


All items are supplied in original box with packaging, instructions and remote control if applicable. Fully tested by Harrow Audio and looking like new!!
High-resolution Digital Audio with DSD DXD Audio DAC featuring native DSD file playback.
The evolution of revolution. Available for audition in store.


Akrapovic 09-17 Nissan 370Z Evolution Line Cat Back (SS) (Req. Tips) | Jotech Performance, Inc.
The Evolution system for the 370Z uses the same muffler as the Slip-On system. However, it also includes highflow link pipes with integrated resonators and a crossover tube that replace the entire exhaust system from the catalytic convertors back. Made of high-grade stainless steel, this system is race-inspired with a more aggressive character, louder but still perfectly acceptable for daily use with no droning to ruin the driving experience. There are power gains across the entire rpm range, especially in the middle and high section. If you're looking for most powerful Akrapovič performance exhaust for the 370Z, the Evolution is the solution. Complete the look with a set of two exquisite 125 mm tailpipes in sandblasted and coated titanium or carbon fiber.


67 editions of The second jungle book found in the catalog. Add another edition?
Are you sure you want to remove The second Jungle book from your list?
Published 1899 by The Century Co. in New York .
Not so much a sequel as a small collection of short stories, only five of which feature Mowgli and friends. The best known of the stories is 'How Fear Came', which tells the story of how the tiger got his stripes.
At head of title: The works of Rudyard Kipling.
5 p. l., 324 p.


Tribes Come Together to Challenge the Indian Child Welfare Decision at the Indian Country Today website.
Tribes Offer Overwhelming Support for the Indian Child Welfare Act at the Navajo-Hopi Observer.
Attorney General Ferguson Urges Appeals Court to Preserve Indian Child Welfare Act news release at the Washington State Office of the Attorney General website.
Alaska Official Call on Court to Uphold Indian Child Welfare Act at the KTOO Public Media website.
Lawmakers File Bipartisan, Bicameral Amicus Brief in Support of the Indian Child Welfare Act at the Office of Tom Cole (R-Okla) website.
AG Brnovich Joins Bipartisan Coalition in Defense of Law that Protects Native American Children at the Arizona Attorney General website.
Alaska Fights Ruling on Native Adoption Law at the Bristol Bay Times website.
This entry was posted in Court Cases, News and tagged Fifth Circuit, Texas. Bookmark the permalink.


SmartGit is my preferred Git client mainly due to its excellent visual diff tool that it ships with and the ability to easily manage several repositories.
One small annoyance (aside from the lack of spell-check in commit messages...) is the way it doesn't inherit your user profile (and therefore your PATH environment variable); this leads to pre-commit hooks failing to find build tools such as Node, especially if you have installed via NVM.
Don't forget to restart SmartGit after saving this file.


text:
Mickie James Interview
by Kirsty Quested
It was NZPWI's privilege last Thursday morning to chat with WWE Diva's Champion, Mickie James.
Mickie debuted on RAW in October of 2005, fresh from OVW training and a stint in TNA. Straight into an angle with Trish Stratus, Mickie has gone on to become a 4-time WWE Women's Champion, and recently crowned Diva's Champion.
An integral part of WWE's roster, Mickie is known for her high-energy, technically gifted wrestling style. As part of the recent RAW tour to New Zealand, Mickie took on then-Divas Champion Maryse in one of the best matches of the night.
Mickie spoke to NZPWI Editor Kirsty Quested about her training, the direction of women's wrestling in WWE and much more… including some words of advice for the women of wrestling here in New Zealand.
Kirsty Quested: Hi Mickie, how's it going?
Mickie James: Beautiful, and how are you?
I'm very very well. So, was the July show in Auckland your first trip out to New Zealand?
You know what, I believe it… was, because every time before that, we just do Australia. I think that was my first time in New Zealand.
And what did you think of the New Zealand crowds?
They were amazing. They really were, they were on fire. The beautiful thing about when we travel to different countries, is that since we don't go there very often, like once a year or something, when we go there we are so welcomed. With open arms, and they are so excited to see us. Which is good 'cause we feed off of that, you know?
Yeah, for sure.
You spent a few months in TNA, before signing with WWE; how do you look back on that time, especially Raven's Flock?
How do I look back? You know what, I was very grateful for that chapter in my life, definitely. With every experience and every chapter you continue to grow and to get better. I learned a lot from my experience there. And when I left, I left on good terms. Like, they knew, when I went there… obviously, if you have a genuine love for this business you know that the pinnacle is World Wrestling Entertainment. That's where I've always – that's what I grew up watching, that's where I dreamed to be, you know? So, I had a lot of fun when I was there, and I enjoyed it, it was a good ride, and it was a good chapter in my life, and I learned tons there, and I use that moving forward in my life and continue to grow and get better, so it was good.
You went on to train in OVW; how different was the training to the TNA and independent styles you'd been in?
It was different in the aspect of… like when I was doing that, before I made it, before I got signed and sent to OVW, I had done several camps. And I trained, I had been wrestling quite a long time and I was working every weekend, I was wrestling these independent shows, and I was doing TNA, doing the TV there, and doing their pay-per-views and continuing to do my shows, so you would learn from all these like… I would always pull the legend, like I would pull them aside and ask them to watch my match. Give me pointers or whatever, whether it was Ricky Morton or you know, you'd get lucky sometimes and you'd have some really killer people on the show that you'd work with, and sometimes you'd work with a bunch of people that are all the same spot you are.
But you continue to learn and get better, and going from that, to being in OVW, waking up every morning, and training from 8 in the morning till 5 in the evening, and still going to the gym, and trying to, you know, make it… it's weird, 'cause you went from being on TV and having a name, to having to go and kinda disappear for a little bit of time. But I learned SO much there. Like, I can't even explain. 'Cause it's like, everything I'd learned, through those 5 years of trying to make it, and then getting signed and sitting in OVW for three years, and constantly fine-tuning my craft, only bettered me. And I learned – it humbled me. Because you know, you reach that pinnacle where you're on TV all the time, and you're kinda doing all this stuff and you've made a pretty good name for yourself on the independent scene… you know, I was working Ring of Honor and I'd been top star on there, I'd been champion up and down the east coast for different federations, small-time stuff, you know.
But sometimes – that doesn't get to your head, but it's like I just grew a lot, I grew so much in OVW, and I'm so very grateful for my time there, I mean, Danny Davis was amazing to me. And I just learned so much from him, and so much from like – they had so many phenomenal trainers come through there, from Lance Storm, and Al Snow, and Bill DeMott, and of course Danny was there the whole time, and he was the smartest man on the planet, I think. Or at least, for me, 'cause he taught me so much, not just in wrestling but in real life, like how to ground yourself, these little things that keep you grounded and keep you humble, and it just made me get in touch with myself, a lot, as well, and what I wanted from this business, and what… because you can't have expectations. That's the thing. Because if you have all these expectations, then you'll get your heart broken, because you just never know, it's such an ever-changing business.
So I learned an incredible amount. And I fine-tuned my craft and I became better than I ever was before. And that was really really good for me. But it was definitely quite a shift, you know? And plus, it was my first time leaving, because I'd lived near my family for so long and I had my horses, but for three years I only went home around Christmas, really. And I was away from my horses, which was such a huge part of my life, I would spend at least a few days a week there, and now I didn't see them at all. And it was just kinda, I got homesick, and I went through like a roller-coaster of like, "oh, am I ever going to make it to TV, I've made it this far, I got signed, but I'm sitting here in OVW, I just don't know what's going to happen," and a lot of uncertainty and everything… it just got me in touch with what's important in life and what you want, and what you need, and it made me realise how much I truly love this business, and how much I was willing to give.
What was it like debuting on RAW, straight into an angle with Trish Stratus?
Amazing. I am so… because, I'll tell you this: I was supposed to debut probably 5 times before that. And every time it got like axed. Like it went as far as, I actually went out there, it was going to be CM Punk and I, we were going to be like a team. And we went out there and I managed him, and everything, we had the match, and they pulled the match from the show. It got that far, so… and I pitched ideas and storylines and all this stuff, and it was frustrating, you know you're sitting there going "oh god please please please" but everything… it worked out perfectly. Because I couldn't have asked for anything better. Yes it took some time, and I got put out there and pulled back a few times, but that one was the perfect one for me. I think it worked, I'm very grateful for it, because I got to work such a beautiful storyline, and really pull on the people's emotions, and really… it was really good for me, and almost as a way for… Trish kind of passed the torch to me, and I'm very honoured that I had that moment with her, because she, at the time, she was the top, her and Lita were the top, that was the best.
Well you were – sorry – you were the first Diva to win the Women's Championship at your WrestleMania debut, you know, and that was huge. What was it like taking home the win in front of that huge crowd?
It was…. I mean, I've got chill-bumps just thinking about it. It was just… I cried like a baby. Because you know, after years… and you know, just so much, so many… that whole roller-coaster ride, and like doubting yourself, and then saying "no, never give up, don't quit," or whatever, the whole roller-coaster of emotions and stuff that I went through, I cried. As soon as I stepped back through that curtain I was just so… I thanked God, and my mom was there, and it was just amazing, and so… I couldn't be more grateful and more thankful for the way that I came in, and the people that I've had a chance to work with, to grow from, to learn from, and that was just… and you know they say everything happens for a reason, so all those times that I was supposed to come up and then it was like "no OK never mind we're not gonna do it, we're not gonna do it," and then finally I got this one angle, and it was the perfect angle. It was the perfect end for me. You know what I mean? And if I could go back in time I wouldn't change a thing, because it was amazing. And being in Chicago in front of that crowd, and if you remember correctly, the crowd totally switched halfway through the show, like halfway through the match.
Absolutely, I remember it well.
The women's division in WWE has gone through several evolutions over the years, and at the moment it seems to be evolving into a more athletic product, with a greater focus on wrestling ability; what would you say has been the major factor in bringing this about?
I think that it's like… huh… the thing is, the worst thing in the world is to watch bad wrestling. You know? So they can be the most beautiful women in the world, but if they can't wrestle then it means nothing. They go out there, and it's just like… ugh. Like, it'll turn the biggest wrestling fan away, it'll make them change the channel. So it's important, I think… that's why we've really worked hard with the girls to be the best that they can be. You don't have to be the best in the world, just be the best that you can be. And everybody's stepped up their game, and everybody's working hard and everybody's continuously trying to get better and better. Until, you know… and that's important, because if you truly love what you do, you would want to be the best that you can be. And I think that's important, and I think that's what we're really looking for now, it's not just the pretty face. Like, those are a dime a dozen. We can have a million pretty faces but if you don't have a genuine love and a genuine passion for what you do, then it shows, it shines through, and the people see it, it shines through on camera, it shines through in your work and everything, so I think that that's what's changing. People that have come in, now, like you always know the people that truly love what they do, and people that are just there… because. I think that even the casual fan can see that on TV. And that's what we're trying to really get rid of, because everybody goes out there and they work and they pour their heart and soul, and there's nothing worse than someone that doesn't care.
You're one of the few people on WWE's roster not to be affected by the Draft. Have you ever thought what it would be like to be working on ECW or SmackDown or is RAW your happy home?
I am, um… like honestly, every time the Draft comes up, you know, because you never know who's going to get drafted, you never know, it really is a gamble, and so I'm definitely… every time the Draft comes around I'm like "oh gosh, I don't know what." I think it would be a cool thing, because you get to work programs with different people that you haven't worked with before, and stuff like that, but I started on RAW. I love RAW, I'm a RAW girl. I love RAW. But, you never know what God has planned, so whatever it is, I will go along with it, because it's for a reason, right? That's one thing I've learned in my life – there's a reason for everything, so whatever it is, it'll be. And I'll just be the best that I can be and that's all I can do.
We, here in New Zealand, we've got three wrestling promotions, and up until very recently we really didn't have very many women, but over the last couple of years, they're starting to come up through each of the three promotions. They're working really hard, and they're doing really well. What would be your advice, to the girls who, like for New Zealand, they're the first ones to do it. What would be your advice to them to keep moving on and to bring a higher profile to women's wrestling in New Zealand?
I would say, go out there and prove that we, as women – I mean, it is 2009. And women are starting to run the world. Women are CEO's of companies and whatever, and there's no reason that a woman can't be just as powerful and important and provide just as much energy and provide just as much effort. Like, the beautiful thing to be such a role model, or whatever, as any man out there. To go out there and prove that we are women and we are powerful. Just as important, and just as good. If you can tear the house down just as good as the men's matches, or even better some nights, than any of the guys matches out there, that's when you know you're doing something.
Mickie, thanks so much for your time, we really appreciate it, and all the best for the future and for the Championship.
Thank you so much, I appreciate it.
Tags: Mickie James


I'm not sure what to call this object. When I bought it home, the consensus was that it would be the perfect vessel in which to serve a huge bunch of asparagus. I'm not sure that it needs a purpose.
I was thinking today about the process of trying something new, creatively. Over the years I have dabbled in various things, mostly drawing, painting, sewing, bookbinding and printmaking. All of those things have a considerable learning curve, some of which take quite a lot of practice to get good results. Ira Glass talks about this, in his talk on storytelling and creativity. He discusses "the gap", when you're first starting out, between what you know is good, and what what you actually produce. It's worth a listen, if you're ever feeling discouraged about your creative efforts.
I've always loved printmaking, especially etching. I love the quality of the line and the embossed image on the paper. But I find there's quite a big gap between what I know to be good and what I can actually achieve. I know it's a matter of practice and perseverance, and I'll get back to it one day, but it's going to be quite a process I think.
One thing I'm enjoying about ceramics is the lack of expectation that comes with being a beginner. I'm making plenty of mistakes, but man it's fun just playing around, learning what is possible with the medium. It's pretty cool to see what emerges from the kiln, and seeing how the different processes will transform the clay often in totally unexpected ways.
The other cool thing is that you can achieve some really satisfying results even as a beginner. What starts out as a lump of clay is transformed with different processes, starting with an idea, then sculpting, moulding and manipulating, using tools or your hands. Then you work with glazes to create the surface patterns. I think it brings different skills into play, and provides opportunities to use your own strengths. I'm enjoying my wonky results, rather than needing the results to be perfect. And as my teacher says, you can buy perfect.
My friend Heleen told me about a South African ceramics studio called Wonki Wares. Their work is beautiful, and not at all wonky. But don't you love the name? Embrace the wonky.


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Home » Celebrity
Netflix fires employee who leaked figures hinting at Dave Chappelle earnings for comedy specials
Sun Oct 17, 2021 at 4:12pm ET
By Frank Yemi
Dave Chappelle has released three comedy specials for Netflix with the recent The Closer released in October. Pic credit:@ImageCollect.com/Carrie-nelson
Netflix has fired an employee for leaking confidential financial data to the media which gives the public an idea of how much Dave Chappelle earned for the comedy special The Closer.
The leak also featured financial information about the comedian's other featured projects on the streaming platform, as well as additional Netflix series such as Squid Game.
A Netflix spokesperson confirmed the employee's dismissal in a statement to the media.
"We have let go of an employee for sharing confidential, commercially sensitive information outside the company," they said, adding, "We understand this employee may have been motivated by disappointment and hurt with Netflix, but maintaining a culture of trust and transparency is core to our company.
Dave Chapelle's Netflix earnings hinted at by leak
Netflix's leaked internal financial data, which was published by Bloomberg, gives an idea of how much Dave Chappelle may have earned for his comedy specials — with the streaming giant paying over $20 million for each one.
Although, Chapelle's salary for each special isn't known, as both the star, writer, and executive producer he likely earned a large chunk of the total sum.
The leaked data reveals that Netflix spent $24.1 million on The Closer and paid $23.6 million for his 2019 special, Sticks & Stones, so Chappelle's earnings from both are certain to have been in the millions.
By comparison, Squid Game, Netflix's most-watched series ever, cost Netflix $21.4 million.
According to the Bloomberg report, the Sticks & Stones special cost more than the value it generated based on the streaming giant's measurement, however, this data does not indicate how much profit Netflix earns from the comedy specials.
You Might Also Like: The best Netflix original movies
Netflix defends Chappelle's comedy
Chapelle's comedy special faced backlash from trans activists, who criticized his comments about the transgender community as transphobic.
On Monday, it was reported by The Verge that Netflix suspended a trans employee and two others for attempting to attend a director-level meeting that they were not authorized to attend. Trans employees are also organizing a protest as Netflix continues to defend Chappelle's comedic commentary.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos was among those to defend Chappelle's content, rejecting (via Variety Magazine) the notion that it causes real-world violence against the trans community.
"With 'The Closer,' we understand that the concern is not about offensive-to-some content but titles which could increase real-world harm (such as further marginalizing already marginalized groups, hate, violence, etc.)," Sarandos reportedly wrote in an email obtained by the publication.
"Last year, we heard similar concerns about 365 days and violence against women. While some employees disagree, we have a strong belief that content on screen doesn't directly translate to real-world harm," the statement continued.
Sarandos added that violence on-screen had increased dramatically over the last three decades, yet violent crime has declined.
GLAAD, which focuses on discrimination in the media coverage of LGBT people, rebuked Sarandos's claim that film and TV content does not translate to real-world violence, telling Variety that the Netflix documentary Disclosure ironically explores the topic.
Frank Yemi
Frank Yemi covers breaking news, TV, and pop culture for Monsters...read more
Tags Dave Chappelle, Netflix


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