Years ago she ran from a hopeless love … she never dreamed she'd return as his prisoner!
Juan Corsica Perez was a man who believed the earth belonged to him, and everyone in it. Only Cathy Jenan thought otherwise. They had known each other once and once it had been wonderful, but although Cathy had traveled all over the world since she last saw her first love, she'd never returned to Peru. Then fate, and Juan Corsica Perez, forced her back.
Book 1 of the Latin Legacy series.
Coming soon as an Indie publication.
Recently I received the almost-ready-to-publish-as-an-ebook file of If You Loved Me, a novel of mine originally published by Zebra Bouquet (Kensington Books). I love this story and I'm so pumped to know it will soon be available once again!
Last year I applied to get the rights back to my four Kensington novels, and when I received the reversion documents I was thrilled because I could have all four novels available as eBooks for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and iBooks in the next few months.
Originally published by Kensington Zebra.
Upcoming titles soon to be re-released.
If fictional characters had to pay real dollars for therapy, a few of mine would be bankrupt and suffering from multiple identity disorder.
Even I'm confused about the identity of the hero of my seventh published book. Andrew, Takeover Man's hero, stormed into town to reorganize his aging father's life and ran into Maggie, a female harbormaster with an attitude. Maggie knew who she was from the instant she flashed onto my computer screen, but Andrew wasn't so lucky. If I'd been writing this book in the days when authors slaved over typewriters and had to retype the manuscript with each draft, Andrew would have managed to hang onto his name—too much work to change it. But when I read through my final draft, I decided that the name Andrew just didn't evoke the image of a takeover man. So my last act as his creator was a search-and-replace, wiping Andrew out of existence and substituting Michael.
Looking back now, I'm not sure Michael sounds any more take-charge than Andrew. It seemed important to me at the time and, who knows, maybe I was right … or wrong.
One way or another I've spent a lot of time naming my characters.
Like many writers I've collected a host of baby name books over the years. After years of trying to find the perfect name book, in the late 1990s my husband and I developed a computer names database, and a few years later, my son Cameron enhanced and expanded it into MuseNames. I keep adding new names as I find them and the MuseNames database has now grown to 60,000 names. I know it's crazy to think I need 60,000 names, but I love exploring the names and their meanings as I create my characters. With all those names at my disposal, I could write forever and never repeat a hero or heroine's name.
When my twenty-third book was accepted for publication, the editor suggested I change the name of Strangers by Day's hero from Allan to something more masculine. Perhaps Max, he suggested.
I've always been fond of short, simple masculine names. If I couldn't have Allan, there was no reason Faith couldn't fall in love with a man named Max—it was exactly the sort of name I might give one of my heroes. I did another search-and-replace and Allan became Max.
Oops! Max was the hero of my very first book, Pacific Disturbance.
Oh, well. The two men will probably never meet. Max #1 (Pacific Disturbance) is a West Coast software developer; Max #2 (Strangers by Day) is a cattle rancher in the interior of British Columbia. I should be safe, unless they both turn up in Vegas on the same weekend and their wives get to comparing heroes.
As for that MuseNames database, check it out! Over the weekend, my son Cameron and I finished putting the database and its search tool up on my website. Feel free to browse those 60,000 names with their origins and meanings here at http://vanessagrant.ca/character-names-for-writers/.
Check out my eBoook On Johnny's Terms – the author's cut – another name change story.


For listening Adire Hrudayam Full Song BGM, RX Movie 100 Songs, Karthik, Chaitan Bharadwaj, Mango Music, in hight quality just press the blue play button.
You can free download Adire Hrudayam Full Song BGM — RX Movie 100 Songs — Karthik — Chaitan Bharadwaj — Mango Music by mp3 download 320kbs button pressing. Fast Mp3 downloading will be completed and you will get a high quality track with 320 kbit frequency.


text:
Crowdfunding.
Pangea to Unlock Diaspora Remittances as Funding Source for African Startups
Pangea Trust, through its equity crowdfunding platform Connect, is unlocking diaspora remittance inflows as funding source for early and growth-stage startups in Africa.
TechCrunch (link opens in a new window)
Investing, Technology
crowdfunding, impact investing, remittances, startups
Tugende Raises $17 Million in Debt to Expand Vehicle, Equipment Financing for MSMEs in Kenya, Uganda
Tugende, a financial technology (fintech) firm specializing in vehicle finance in Uganda and Kenya, recently raised USD 17 million in debt funding.
MicroCapital (link opens in a new window)
crowdfunding, financial inclusion, fintech, microfinance, MSMEs, transportation
Lana Khabarova
The Democratization of Sustainable Investing: Navigating the New World of Impact Options for Retail Investors in the U.S.
As impact and ESG investing have gained momentum, they have attracted the attention of retail investors, resulting in a bewildering array of new funds and products available to the general public. But as Lana Khabarova at SustainFi explains, the quality of these products varies widely, and some may not be as "sustainable" as they seem. She highlights several sustainable investing options available to retail investors in the U.S., providing information that can help investors choose the right products and strategies to achieve their financial and impact goals.
climate change, crowdfunding, ESG investing, governance, greenwashing, impact investing, microfinance, startups
Alethia Kang / Luke Seidl
The Pandemic is Not Over for Social Enterprises: Here's How Impact Investors and Other Funders Can Help Them Survive COVID-19
Social enterprises are developing innovative, sustainable and scalable solutions to the world's deepest economic and social issues, but many of these businesses are at risk of disappearing due to COVID-19. According to Alethia Kang at Acceso and Luke Seidle at Kiva, impact investors and other funders must step up to keep the social enterprise field afloat. They share five steps funders can take to bolster these businesses, and discuss how the partnership between their two organizations illustrates the value of flexible funding support during a crisis.
Agriculture, Coronavirus, Entrepreneurship, Investing
business development, COVID-19, crowdfunding, failure, impact investing, impact measurement, microfinance, social enterprise
Esther Mweru / Jerry Sellanga
Supporting Farmers and Food Systems: How Crowdfunding Can Address Funding Challenges for Agricultural SMEs in Africa
Agriculture employs over 70% of the working population in Africa, making it a cornerstone of the continent's economic progress and livelihood development. But as Esther Mweru and Jerry Sellanga at 2SCALE explain, the financial strain of COVID-19 — combined with previously existing market inefficiencies — is putting many vulnerable farmers and agricultural small and medium enterprises (SMEs) at risk. They explore how crowdfunding can provide a financial lifeline to these smallholders and businesses, and discuss how 2SCALE is using it to support agribusinesses in Mali, Nigeria and Kenya.
Agriculture, Finance, Technology
crowdfunding, digital finance, fintech, smallholder farmers
Analysis: How the Regulatory Framework for Crowdfunding Platforms in Southeast Asia Will Benefit SMEs and Investors
Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending has come a long way since its early days as a casual crowdfunding platform. Today, individual borrowers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can access loans without the hassle of going through banks and lengthy financial assessments.
Crowdfund Insider (link opens in a new window)
crowdfunding, financial inclusion, fintech, governance, impact investing
Crowdfunding For Clean Energy — Raise Green Launches New Marketplace
Founded by Peter Krajsa and Matthew Brown, NEIF currently manages more than $800 million worth of "innovative energy financing programs."
CleanTechnica (link opens in a new window)
Energy, Investing
crowdfunding, impact investing, renewable energy
Akhil Pawar / Geet Kalra
Innovating on the Pay for Success Model: How 'Social Derivatives' Can Unlock Everyday Giving to Incentivize Greater Impact
Pay-for-success models have generated considerable excitement in the social finance sector. But according to Akhil Pawar and Geet Kalra at Yunus Social Business, the approach presents several challenges, mainly around the question of who will pay, and how to ensure an economical structure. They share a potential solution that leverages retail giving, substituting large donors with small ones by using "social derivatives."
Impact Assessment, Investing
blockchain, crowdfunding, impact bonds, impact investing, philanthropy, social enterprise

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: VS2008 - error in deserialization from web service I have an error in deserialization from calling an operation in an external web service (https). The error is "Error in deserializing body of reply message for operation 'score'." Score is a credit score operation. The stack trace includes "There is an error in XML document (2, 157)." but I don't know how to get the XML document so I can identify the problem.
I am using Visual Studio 2008, and the service proxy is generated code. My question is: Can I get a dump of the response somehow? Tried Fiddler, but when using transport level security (https), the error changes to "Could not establish trust relationship for the SSL/TLS secure channel".

A: Using the Service Trace Viewer Tool may offer more details on the exception. Try setting the trace level to Error or Warning.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


In-hospital opioid use after hip and knee replacement surgeries decreased by one third between 2006 and 2014, according to a study presented here at Anesthesiology 2017 from the American Society of Anesthesiologists on October 21.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester analyzed data from more than 1.5 million hip and knee replacement surgeries performed at 546 hospitals and included in the national Premier Perspective database.
Among patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA), 27.2% (7896 of 29,010) received opioids alone to manage pain in 2006 compared with only 10.1% (5311 of 52,208) in 2014. Similarly, among those patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA), 23.3% (14,418 of 61,888) received opioids alone to manage pain in 2006 compared with only 7.2% (7154 of 98,807) in 2014.
In addition to measuring the number of patients who received only opioids alone, the researchers looked at trends in the use of multimodal therapy. They defined the multimodal approach as opioids and one to three other pain management methods, including peripheral nerve block, acetaminophen, gabapentin/pregabalin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, COX-2 inhibitors, or ketamine.
The researchers reported that in both types of surgeries, multimodal pain control increased dramatically during the study. Slightly more than half of patients with THA and TKA received multimodal care in 2006 (52.4% and 58.5%). By 2014, that number jumped to 92.5% and 97.7%, respectively.
"Not only has the number of opioids we are using in patients decreased substantially, we are also seeing a decrease in the number of patients using only opioids and a huge increase in [the proportion of] patients who are receiving multiple pain modalities," lead author Philipp Gerner, a medical student at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, told Medscape Medical News.
Those findings mean providers are finding ways to reduce pain without opioids.


Sylvie Valcourt introduced the work being done to increase awareness and understanding of Francophone issues throughout the membership in all Francophone communities across the province. You can check out their facebook page here.
The YWC advances issues such as part time pay, job security, the environment, and increasing union participation in young adults age 35 and younger (whew, I have one more year!). You can follow them on facebook and Twitter.
The Workers of Colour Caucus provides support and advocates on behalf of racialized members of OPSEU and external communities of colour. They also provide education on cultural competency to union locals. The big thing coming up is the Black History Forum on Feb 17th, 2017. Check out the Workers of Colour Caucus page for more info.
Marco Costa, the Region 2 member of the committee, introduced the PHRC, which establishes human rights committees in OPSEU and across Ontario, promotes human rights within OPSEU, and increases awareness and understanding of human rights issues. You can connect with them on facebook.
Theresa O'Connor (who you may remember from the last GMM in October 2016) focused on OPSEU's mandate to provide ongoing education of OPSEU management and staff about Truth and Reconciliation. You can follow their work on facebook and watch a great video about Truth and Reconiliation here.
The Rainbow Alliance rep spoke about some of the work being done to advance the rights and needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer workers within OPSEU. They can be contacted at pride@opseu.org or through facebook.
Shana Shipperbottom is our Region 2 rep. She celebrated the removal of taxes from feminine hygeine products, and talked about the work being done to get domestic violence leave included in collective bargaining agreements. You can reach her at shana_shipperbottom@hotmail.com.
Your bargaining committee is pleased to announce the demand set meeting has been rescheduled.
The original meeting was cancelled due to inclement weather and has been rescheduled for Thursday January 26th.
Plan to attend at the Guelph Regional Office (400 Speedvale Ave W, Guelph) for 6pm. The committee will provide a short presentation summarizing the information collected from the demand set surveys. There will then be a vote to determine the top 5 priorities for the membership going into collective agreement negotiations.
Brainstorm on actions we can take to protect public services from privatization!
Learn how to STAND UP and SPEAK OUT against privatization!
IMPORTANT NOTE - For the Friday – Fighting Privatization: We Own It Campaign Event: If time off is required to attend, you are able to access the LTO 80/20 fund, for this day only. If assistance is needed to fill out the information please contact your Staff Representative.
Your opportunity to develop skills and learn more about activism and OPSEU is back!
February 4th and 5th at the Hilton Meadowvale in Mississauga, Region 2 is hosting the first of the 2017 Educational sessions.
Interested? Or know that you're going to attend? Email us so we can connect you with the other L291 members attending. Please note hotel rooms must be booked by January 14th to secure the OPSEU rate, and applications must be received by January 18th at the Guelph Regional Office via fax, mail, or email.


I really am glad that you're interested in working with me and I welcome the opportunity for that to happen. Please have a read through the four points below as they are important for the potential for a successful project – I hope you can genuinely answer YES to all of them!
If you know where you're going and what you want your website to achieve, you'll know you've arrived if and when you get there!
If you have clear goals, or are prepared to work with me to define them, we're a match!
If you really want to make a difference to your business you need to be prepared to invest. We all know you get what you pay for… that's just how it is.
You won't need to re-mortgage your house but you are going to need to treat this as an investment to get a positive return.
I will be doing the heavy lifting in terms of the website related work, but no one knows your business like you do.
If we work together I will need you to be an active and willing participant in the project, requiring commitment to deliver content and feedback when needed.
When I meet a person who is passionate about what they do, I can tell immediately.
Passion is the fuel we all need to drive us and when we have it, it shows. Our customers love us for it, will buy from us, and will keep coming back for more.
Included in his work for us are the production of a first rate ecommerce web site and production of many advertisements for the national press, always with friendly, fast and regular communication.


text:
Share this Story: Nearly half of B.C.'s most expensive homes secretly owned, raising fears of money laundering
Nearly half of B.C.'s most expensive homes secretly owned, raising fears of money laundering
Almost half of Vancouver's 100 most expensive homes are bought using shell companies or other financial tools that obscure who the identity of the true owners
Sam Cooper
Dec 09, 2016 • December 12, 2016 • 7 minute read • Join the conversation
4707 Belmont in Vancouver is a $57-million Point Grey property owned through a shell company in the British Virgin Island. Photo by Ric Ernst /P
Critics say the B.C. government must work to close loopholes that allow homeowners in the province to hide their identities behind false fronts such as shell companies.
NDP housing critic David Eby and Green MLA Andrew Weaver called for changes after reading about a Transparency International report that slams Canada for failing to close loopholes that allow homes to be owned through shell companies, trusts and nominees. The report shows almost half of Vancouver's 100 most expensive houses were bought using shell companies or other methods that obscure the identity of the owners.
Nearly half of B.C.'s most expensive homes secretly owned, raising fears of money laundering Back to video
Report author Adam Ross found that use of tactics to obscure ownership has increased in the past five years in B.C. He also concluded the prevalence of opaque ownership in B.C. luxury real estate makes it impossible to measure how much offshore cash is invested in B.C. homes, even though B.C. is attempting to collect data on foreign ownership.
"I hope (the B.C. government) acknowledges that the information they collect now is of limited value," Ross said.
In examining Vancouver's 100 most valuable homes, his report found that 46 per cent — amounting to more than $1 billion in assets — have opaque ownership. Of the 100 properties, 29 are held through shell companies, at least 11 are owned through nominees (listed as students or housewives on land titles), and at least six are disclosed as being held in trust for anonymous beneficiaries, the report says.
Image plots some of the high-end City of Vancouver homes that are not directly owned. Photo by Transparency International Canada.
For its part, the B.C. Ministry of Finance pointed to B.C. government changes to the property transfer tax form this year that require foreign buyers to disclose their citizenship. Property buyers are also asked to disclose one particular form of ownership transfer, a so-called bare trust, and whether any of the trustees involved are foreign. And corporations must also provide identification and citizenship for directors, a statement from the ministry said.
But Ross said there are many ways to get around the reporting requirements outlined by the Finance Ministry. For example, some trusts do not have to be disclosed or revealed on land titles. They are private contracts, administered by lawyers adhering to anonymity clauses.
Its believed millions of trusts exist in Canadian companies and property ownerships which even the Canadian Revenue Agency is not informed of, Ross said. Therefore, his research suggests that trusts can be layered on top of ownership structures that are reported to government agencies, providing another layer of anonymity. Ross said a "one line" citizenship disclosure for property transfer documents required by Victoria "is insufficient."
"An influx of overseas capital is one of several causes of rising property prices (in Vancouver and Toronto), but the extent and impact of foreign investment remains unknown since very little data is collected on property owners," the report says. "Individuals can use shell companies, trusts and nominees to hide their beneficial interest in Canadian real estate."
4833 Belmont was bought in 2016 for $31.1 million to a student, most likely a nominee for the true 'beneficial' owner, the report says. PNG
NDP MLA Eby said the Transparency International report alarmed him.
"You could own a company through a trust, and that trust could be controlled by your lawyer as a director … and there is no way for the government to identify you as the beneficial owner," Eby said. "The simple way to fix this is the change recommended in the Transparency International report. Change the Land Title Act and require the beneficial, meaning the actual owner, has to be named on the title."
Green MLA Weaver said that investors still have ways to evade Victoria's land title and bare trust disclosure requirements.
"A lot of the disclosure is voluntary, and you can get around that," Weaver said. "What really needs to be done is to track where the money is coming from, more efficiently."
The majority owner of a Point Grey mansion at 4833 Belmont that sold earlier this year for a record $31.1 million is a student, property records show.
Transparency International is a non-government coalition that studies global corruption and advocates legal reforms to fight financial crimes. Its report says that compared to other advanced economies, Canada has weak transparency laws.
"Though Canada is not known as a global hub for money laundering and tax evasion, our legal framework and lax enforcement environment make it easy for individuals to misuse private companies and trusts," it says. "Anonymous companies and trusts are the getaway cars of financial crime. … Canada is an increasingly attractive destination for those looking to park and invest the proceeds of crime."
The report notes that Canada has for unknown reasons failed to live up to its international commitments to close loopholes that are abused by financial criminals, and a resulting "secrecy regime" has emerged.
To illustrate the point, the report notes that "as a testament to the secrecy afforded in Canada, the law firm at the centre of the Panama Papers leak, Mossack Fonseca, marketed Canada to its clients as an attractive place to set up anonymous companies."
Trusts and shell companies can be used in B.C., the report states, to avoid property transfer taxes. Ross said there are legitimate reasons for commercial real estate to be transferred through companies without triggering property tax. But this "tax loophole is also available to owners of residential property that is held through shell companies," the report states.
Ross said crime groups in Canada are believed to hide ownership with the means outlined in the report, and a host of factors he looked at suggest the methods are also used by foreign buyers.
The report notes that a 2016 report from the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force, an inter-government anti-money laundering agency, says corrupt officials from China are known to use obscure ownership structures to launder money in Vancouver real estate.
It is also impossible, the report states, to judge how many nominees are represented in the sample of 100 luxury homes.
A nominee is a person who appears as owner on title of a home but is not the real buyer. For the purposes of the report, Ross classified people listed on the land title as either "student" or "housewife" as nominees.
Of the 42 of the 100 luxury properties that changed hands in the past five years, 26 per cent were owned on paper by students or homemakers, the report says. But "only one of the 58 homes bought before 2011 is owned through an obvious nominee," the report says.
The report cites a recent Postmedia story that revealed a student from China had bought a Point Grey mansion for $31.1 million.
"Though the value of the transaction was unique, the deal is part of a wider trend whereby unemployed individuals are acquiring luxury property in the city with other people's capital," the report says. "These individuals have no source of employment income and are likely nominees for family or friends."
5695 Newton Wynd is owned by a B.C. numbered company with only one director listed, a lawyer. That, the report says, shields the true owner behind lawyer-client privilege. Photo by Arlen Redekop Arlen Redekop /Vancouver Sun
The use of nominee owners is a common tool for laundering money through real estate, according to an RCMP case study, the report says. Also, "beneficial owners can use nominees to avoid or evade tax by claiming principal residence or first-time homebuyer exemptions," the report says.
Shell companies, defined as companies with no business operations that are only used to hold assets, are ripe for abuse in B.C., Ross said.
"A recent study found that of 60 countries around the world — including known tax havens and secrecy jurisdictions — only in Kenya and a select few U.S. states is it easier to set up an untraceable company than it is in Canada," the report states. "In Canada, more rigorous identity checks are done for individuals getting library cards than for those setting up companies."
The report recommends the federal government establish a central registry of companies and trusts and their true beneficial owners, which is a measure already taken in the United Kingdom and due to be established in other first-world economies.
"Anonymous companies and trusts deprive treasuries of billions of dollars in tax revenues each year, add considerable cost to law enforcement, and hinder asset recovery," the report says.
Another major theme of the report, Ross said in an interview, is the "gatekeeper" role that Canadian lawyers have in obscure ownership structures.
Lawyers are involved in setting up most shell companies and trusts, and frequently act as nominee shareholders and directors, and hold money in trust for clients, and "are therefore in a unique position to know what they are used for and who they benefit," the report states.
The report highlights lawyers are exempted from reporting to Canada's anti-money laundering agency, Fintrac, under a 2015 Supreme Court of Canada ruling.
Canadian lawyers won the case by arguing that attorney-client privilege prevented them from reporting transactions to Fintrac.
One of the case studies in the Transparency International report suggests lawyers are often central to money-laundering schemes.
In 2009, Toronto lawyer Simon Rosenfeld was convicted of money-laundering charges, the report says. He was arrested after laundering hundreds of thousands through shell companies for an undercover police officer posing as a Columbian drug cartel operative. Rosenfeld bragged to the officer that for lawyers Canada was "20 times safer" than the U.S. to launder money in, and it was a "La La" land where financial crime went unpunished. Rosenfeld also claimed five Vancouver lawyers were running major money laundering operations. The judge noted that Rosenfeld exploited attorney-client privilege "to enhance his money laundering services."
And the undercover officer testified, "in almost every case we are doing, lawyers are central."
Ross said that he believes the federal government must find a way to include Canadian lawyers in Fintrac reporting, or many of the loopholes his report reveals, will remain open.
"Looking at these 100 homes is a good indication that we have no way of knowing who really owns property in B.C.," Ross said. "It should be ringing alarm bells for most Canadians … this is the perfect storm for people outside Canada to come to the weakest link for potential money laundering in real estate."
scooper@postmedia.com
Is there more to this story? We'd like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com.


text:
Love and Family: a review of The White Girl
By Gabrielle Everall
The White Girl
The University of Queensland Press
Tony Birch's writing in The White Girl is crystal clear. Crystal clear about racism toward Indigenous people in Australia past and present. More importantly, however, The White Girl is about love. The love a strong Indigenous woman, Odette Brown has for her granddaughter Sissy. Odette is a powerful Indigenous grandmother. When a farmer's son Aaron Kane says to Odette, "I thought there was none of you lot left round here", Odette's response is invincible: "Oh my people are still here son. A few of us are above the ground, the rest are below it. We've always been here and we're going no place".
The White Girl is set in the fictional Australian town of Deane in the 1960s. This was when pressure was finally being mounted by the Left and the Unions to give Indigenous people citizenship, causing the police to become more vigilant. The man that Deane is named after, Eli Deane, is responsible for murdering Indigenous people. The town of Deane is divided by Deane's line; a line that separates non-Indigenous people from the people detained on the mission. Indigenous people were forbidden from entering the town of Deane except on Saturday mornings till noon.
One of the evil laws initiated by the Australian government that The White Girl challenges is The Aboriginal Protection Act. The White Girl also makes a stand against the genocidal policies of The Stolen Generations. The Aboriginal Protection Act started in 1869 and ended in 1969. It gave the Victorian Central Board for the Protection of Aborigines extensive powers over the lives of Aboriginal people including regulation of residence, employment and marriage.
The Stolen Generation involved the forced removal of Indigenous children from their families by the Australian Federal and State Government, and church missions. This affected between one in three and one in ten Indigenous children between 1910 and 1970; some say The Stolen Generations is still happening. Odette was born on the mission and was separated from family where she could only see her father on Sunday mornings after mass.
About the Aboriginal Protection Act, its surveillance and The Stolen Generations, Odette says with authority: "I'll tell you to my own shame. Most of my life I haven't been able to do anything without you lot having control over me. Myself and all the Aboriginal people around here. We're so used to be told what to do, where we can and can't go, all we know is to beg".
With Sissy having no parents she was in danger of being removed from Odette. The new Sergeant, Sergeant Lowe, had "the new role of Guardian to the Aboriginal people of the district". Lowe plans to steal Sissy from Odette and place her in welfare. Sergeant Lowe haunts The White Girl like a spectre. For Odette, the real threat to her life with Sissy comes through the repressive state apparatus of the police. Odette states while talking to her Indigenous comrade Jack: "Because they're the ones we deal with everyday of our lives. Police. Not the welfare or the ones who write the rules for the government. Think if you were the police, Jack, knowing that one day you'd be told to go into a house and take kiddies away from their family. If you were to treat people with any decency, you couldn't do that job".
However, Odette's best friend Millie Khan gives a brilliant criticism of the role welfare plays in Indigenous lives. Millie says, countering Lowe, "Welfare? Oh, you've looked after the welfare of our young girls for a long time now. Most of them are dead, disappeared or sent mad by what you did to them in the institutions. That's not welfare Sergeant I think your own law would call that murder".
There has been criticism that The White Girl is "too black and white", too divisive, but this is unfounded. There is at times great comradeship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous characters in The White Girl. Such as the wonderful Henry Lamb and a railway worker that directs Odette to where Sissy was when she was lost.
What I loved most about The White Girl was the role the birds and the Old people play. The birds refuse to fly through the town of Deane in affinity with the Indigenous people who are not permitted to enter it. The birds talk to Odette like the Old people who protect Odette and Sissy from white clutches.
In a final act of resistance Odette turns the white laws against themselves.
Family Indigenous People Racism
Gabrielle Everall
Quantum Words Interviews: Baba Brinkman
James Atkinson in conversation with Baba Brinkman
James Atkinson interviews rap artist, science communicator and playwright Baba Brinkman about rap, science, the politics of politicking and the importance of human engagement in talking about science.
Climate change Education Sustainability
New Start (poem)
By Jasmine Shirrefs
Jasmine Shirrefs writes about their experience of being on the Centrelink unemployed pension.
Advocacy Employment


text:
Q: What is wrong with the CTE syntax in this Sql Server query? Can anyone explain why Sql Server is complaining about the syntax around the "WITH" clause?
Thanks for any help.
CREATE TABLE TestTable1 (
    Id int not null,
    Version int not null constraint d_Ver default (0),
    [Name] nvarchar(50) not null,

    CONSTRAINT pk_TestTable1 PRIMARY KEY (Id, Version)
);
GO

CREATE TRIGGER trg_iu_UniqueActiveName
ON [dbo].[TestTable1]
AFTER INSERT, UPDATE
AS
IF(UPDATE([Name]))
BEGIN
    IF(
        (
            WITH MaxVers AS
                (SELECT Id, Max(Version) AS MaxVersion
                FROM [dbo].[TestTable1]
                GROUP BY Id)
            SELECT Count(1)
            FROM [dbo].[TestTable1] t
                INNER JOIN MaxVers ON t.Id = MaxVers.Id AND t.Version = MaxVers.MaxVersion
            WHERE t.[Name] = inserted.[Name]
        )
        > 0
    )
    BEGIN
        DECLARE @name nvarchar(50)
        SELECT @name = [Name] FROM inserted;
        RAISERROR('The name "%s" is already in use.', 16, 1, @name);
    END
END;
GO

Edit 2:
For anyone who is curious, here is the CTE version that incorporates all of the great comments below.  I think I will switch to the sub-query approach so that I can use the "EXISTS" as suggested.
CREATE TRIGGER trg_iu_UniqueActiveName
ON [dbo].[TestTable1]
AFTER INSERT, UPDATE
AS
IF(UPDATE([Name]))
BEGIN
    DECLARE @cnt [int];
    WITH MaxVers AS
        (SELECT Id, Max(Version) AS MaxVersion
        FROM [dbo].[TestTable1]
        GROUP BY Id)
        SELECT @cnt = COUNT(1)
        FROM [dbo].[TestTable1] t
            INNER JOIN MaxVers ON t.Id = MaxVers.Id AND t.Version = MaxVers.MaxVersion
            INNER JOIN [inserted] i ON t.[Id] = MaxVers.[Id]
        WHERE t.[Name] = i.[Name] AND NOT [t].[Id] = [i].[Id] ;
    IF( @cnt > 0)
    BEGIN
        DECLARE @name nvarchar(50)
        SELECT @name = [Name] FROM inserted;
        RAISERROR('The name "%s" is already in use by an active entity.', 16, 1, @name);

        ROLLBACK TRANSACTION;
    END
END;
GO

Edit 3: Here is the "Exists" version (Note, I think that the select in the error handling part would not work correctly with more than one inserted record):
CREATE TRIGGER trg_iu_UniqueActiveName
ON [dbo].[TestTable1]
AFTER INSERT, UPDATE
AS
IF(UPDATE([Name]))
BEGIN

    IF(EXISTS (
        SELECT t.Id
        FROM [dbo].[TestTable1] t
            INNER JOIN (
                SELECT Id, Max(Version) AS MaxVersion
                FROM [dbo].[TestTable1]
                GROUP BY Id) maxVer
                ON t.[Id] = [maxVer].[Id] AND [t].[Version] = [maxVer].[MaxVersion]
            INNER JOIN [inserted] i ON t.[Id] = MaxVer.[Id]
            WHERE [t].[Name] = [i].[Name] AND NOT [t].[Id] = [i].[Id]
        ))
    BEGIN
        DECLARE @name nvarchar(50)
        SELECT @name = [Name] FROM inserted;
        RAISERROR('The name "%s" is already in use by an active entity.', 16, 1, @name);

        ROLLBACK TRANSACTION;
    END
END;
GO

A: The only thing I can figure is that the statement "When a CTE is used in a statement that is part of a batch, the statement before it must be followed by a semicolon." (Transact SQL Reference) means that a CTE can not be used within an IF statement.
BTW, you have two other errors: 1) inserted pseudo table is not included in the first sub-query, even though you reference it in the were clause. 2) Your trigger is assuming a single row is being inserted or updated. It is possible that there would be multiple duplicate names but the raiserror will only report one of them.
EDIT And avoid (select count(*) ...) > when exists (select * ....) will do The exists can stop at the first row.
EDIT 2 Crap. SQL Server trigges default to after triggers. So the row you are checking for existence on already exists in the table when the trigger fire:
CREATE TRIGGER trg_iu_UniqueActiveName
ON [dbo].[TestTable1]
AFTER INSERT, UPDATE
AS
IF(UPDATE([Name]))
BEGIN
    IF EXISTS
        (
            SELECT *
            FROM [dbo].[TestTable1] t
                INNER JOIN inserted i on i.[NAME] = t.[NAME]
                INNER JOIN (SELECT Id, Max(Version) AS MaxVersion
                    FROM [dbo].[TestTable1]
                    GROUP BY Id) MaxVers ON t.Id = MaxVers.Id AND t.Version = MaxVers.MaxVersion
        )
    BEGIN
        DECLARE @name nvarchar(50)
        SELECT @name = [Name] FROM inserted;
        RAISERROR('The name "%s" is already in use.', 16, 1, @name);
    END
END;
GO

insert into testTable1 (name) values ('Hello')

results in:
Msg 50000, Level 16, State 1, Procedure trg_iu_UniqueActiveName, Line 20
The name "Hello" is already in use.

(1 row(s) affected)

Plus, the raiserror does not perform a rollback, so the row is still there.

A: I don't think that you can use CTEs with inner queries.
Use this as workaround:
DECLARE @cnt int;
WITH MaxVers AS
    (SELECT Id, Max(Version) AS MaxVersion
    FROM [dbo].[TestTable1]
    GROUP BY Id)
SELECT @cnt = Count(1)
FROM [dbo].[TestTable1] t
    INNER JOIN MaxVers ON t.Id = MaxVers.Id AND t.Version = MaxVers.MaxVersion
WHERE t.[Name] = inserted.[Name];
IF @cnt > 0
BEGIN
    DECLARE @name nvarchar(50)
    SELECT @name = [Name] FROM inserted;
    RAISERROR('The name "%s" is already in use.', 16, 1, @name);
END

A: Doesn't appear to like the WITH statement inside an IF does it.
Try the following SQL instead:
SELECT COUNT(1)
FROM TestTable1 t1
WHERE t.Name = (SELECT [Name] FROM inserted)
AND t.Version = (SELECT MAX(Version) FROM TestTable1 t2 WHERE t2.Id = t.Id)

Much simpler in my opinion. This doesn't account for multiple rows in the inserted table however. Change it to an IN rather than an = would probably do that.
As others have noted sometimes putting a semi-colon in from of the WITH statement works, but I couldn't get it to in this instance.


How To Lower Home Owner Insurance Rates – Home insurance is a necessity these days and I would like to stress on the need to review your home owner insurance policy every year. It is a heartening sight to see many of you not doing that. The reasons for that being, in some cases you are paying too much and in some case you are paying too less. You are paying too much, when your property or the real estate value in your state has come down.
You are paying too less, when the real estate value in your state or locality has gone up. What is need when your property value is low and you are paying a high monthly home owner insurance premium. Similarly, what is the need to pay a low premium with less coverage, when you're properly value has gone up and you need more coverage. Think about the above point of reviewing your home insurance policy according to the market rates and insure your home.
Apart from that, I'm sure you like to know how you can lower your home owner insurance premium. I will be talking about that in this article. Let us see how you can do that. First of all you need to understand or be aware of the fact that, the more secure your home is, the lower your home owner insurance rates. In other words, if your home has security alarms and good quality locks installed then you save your house from being robbed.
Theft is the main reason for people to go in for home owner insurance. Having a security alarm installed in your house is a good sign of a well protected home. You have someone who is monitoring your house and in the need of an emergency, they can send help. This would be the first step. The next step too is quite simple. You can try to insure other policies with your home owner insurance company.
For example, when you insure your vehicles, health insurance you qualify for a hefty discount by having multiple policies with the same insurance company. This way you not only have multiple insurance policies, but they cost you less. The money what you would have paid for just one insurance can be almost divided among several insurance policies. Talking about, hitting two birds with one stone.
Remember to use the above tips the next time you review your home owner insurance policies.
Related Posts of "How To Lower Home Owner Insurance Rates"


text:
Full Version: Fun campaign idea
FuelDrop
May 20 2020, 11:22 AM
So. The basic concept:
This game is going to be a bit of a mystery. The players are not going to see, let alone make their character sheets until a good way into the game, once their characters have worked out their new abilities.
The system and setting will also be a surprise. Until the group works it out you're going to say "I want to do this" and I will tell you what to roll.
However, I can tell you the start: The characters are the main cast of the rebooted Dungeons and Dragons movie, using some shiny new technology to record their film. Then immediately after filming the last scene they wake up somewhere unknown in new bodies...
The technology is of course the first rollout of experimental SIMsense, and what has happened is pretty obvious to those in the know: A group of runners just got some seriously glitchy sims, ran them in hot sim, and got their brains rewired.
Basically a bunch of pre-awakening actors are waking up in 2070 with no clue what is happening, new bodies, and bounties on their heads from the local corpsec.
Has anyone run something like this before? Any thoughts or suggestions?
Also, running 4E. Because I am a man of wealth and taste.
Kren Cooper
May 20 2020, 08:07 PM
I ran something not a million miles away for a group:
Campaign start date: October 1st 2055
Characters awaken in the Chicago containment zone, a few hours after the cermak blast takes out a bug hive. All the characters are suffering from amnesia, induced by the EMP blast from the nuke - thus all have no character sheet or character information to begin with, no knowledge of skills or background, and no idea on setting.
Character setup
All characters start at base attributes of 5, before race modifiers
All characters start with English, and Tibetan at 5, with R/W at 3 using up their language points
All characters start with athletics, stealth and Lama-Pai-Ha (a magical based martial art) at 5
All characters must be physical adepts, mages or shamen, and must start with no cyber/bio wear and essence 6
All characters start with no more than 5,000 nuyen's worth of personal effects.
All phys-ads have 8 power points to spend, all mages/shamen have 55/75 spell points to spend (full or aspected). Magicians way characters start with (points X 8 spell points)
All characters start at grade 1, with masking and having taken Oath as their first grade ordeal. All start with karma pool of 1 and 5 good karma.
Characters have 25 points to spend on knowledge skills
Characters then have 30 points to spend on additional active, knowledge or language skills, or on racial costs.
I ran this for a bunch of story based players, and had them bouncing around the world interacting with key events - playing a Shadowrun version of the History Monks from the Discworld. So, they were there at the start of Bug City (then had to escape), Helped Morgan find Dodger, delivered a coin of luck to the presidential campaign room, just before the elections (so it could be gifted in the will) - a load of "key" moments - but never in the limelight, and quite often not knowing what they were doing until it had happened, at which point it suddenly (hopefully) made a lot more sense.
There are a few different ways to do an amnesia campaign.
One way is for the GM to make the character sheets. As the game progresses, the players discover their attributes/skills/qualities/Magic/'ware/etc and fill in their sheets. I've been a player in a game like this and it was an absolute blast. One advantage is that the GM can balance all the character sheets and make them as realistic or optimized as they want.
Another way is to have it be a blackbox game, in which the GM makes all the rolls. The players never discover their numerical stats but can either 1) infer them based on how well they do at something, or 2) the GM can broadly describe how comfortable/familiar the character is at doing something. So now your ratings are "not too shabby" and "null persp" and "dumber than a bag of hammers", etc. Some players love being liberated from the dice; others feel like there's too much of a disconnect, because they're no long sure if they're good at something or if they just got lucky (or the reverse: do they suck at something or was it just an unlucky roll). I'm just now starting my first game of this type so I don't have much personal experience yet.
From FuelDrop's concept, I'm not sure how much room there is for player input into sheets or if they're just discovering what the GM has already established.


text:
Our favorite interiors from 2022
By Sophie Aliece Hollis
As 2022 comes to a close, we reflect back on this year's interior projects whose dazzling details and thoughtful designs are still living rent free in our heads. From renovations to ground-up construction, these interiors serve a number of functions: stunning homes, thoughtful workplaces, immersive restaurants, playful retail spaces. Each project executes a masterful balance of material, object, and space to achieve a tastefully tailored, cohesive interior experience. As the profession continues to evolve technologically, stylistically, and humanistically, this group provides a snapshot of the industry's strengths today and makes us hopeful for what's to come.
A two-part mural by artist Jeffrey Bishop, punctuated by sculptures by Nancy Mee, lines the walls of Olson's living room. (Aaron Leitz)
Jim Olson thoughtfully expands his downtown Seattle condominium to reflect his life and work
After designing the penthouse of a condominium building on Seattle's Pioneer Square in 1987, Jim Olson, founding principal of the firm Olson Kundig, has spent years expanding and fine-tuning the space to house himself, his wife Katherine, and their impressive art collection. Changes ranged from minor tweaks—repainting kitchen cabinets with lustrous automotive paint and installing wall-size shutters in the bedroom to block out noise from nearby bars—to more substantial interventions, including an expansion completed last year. For this, Olson purchased the adjacent unit and added an elevator, a new sitting room, and a bedroom suite, more than doubling the condo's size to a total of 2,400 square feet. The material expression evolved: The new extension is characterized by natural wood and hints of gold, stainless steel, and bronze, while the original unit is much darker with an integrated living room mural by Jeffrey Bishop in deep blues and reds.
(Alex Lesage)
Five Mediterranean restaurants serving up delectable design: Piatti by Ivy Studio
In Montreal, Ivy Studio completed a renovation for Piatti, a beloved restaurant known for it's wood-fired pizzas that had been severely damaged by a fire in the year prior. Marrying dramatic gestures with traditional Mediterranean motifs, Ivy Studio designed the new oven to extend from a green Saint-Denis marble wall. Guests can dine oven-side along a curvy marble and stained wood counter, or at a more traditional white marble-topped bar in the adjacent dining room. Even the kitchen entrance, demarcated by hand plastered double-arched chicane, gets the royal treatment. At night, recessed lighting underscores the texture of the establishment's original stone walls, while during the day, sheer cream curtains allow soft filtered light into the space and provide a calm backdrop to the striking standalone elements throughout the space.
(Simon Watson)
Orior has landed stateside with a groovy Soho showroom
In the 1970s, Brian and Rosie McGuigan left the troubles of their native Ireland for Denmark, where they learned the best of Danish modernist design and craftsmanship. They returned to Ireland in 1979 to begin a firm of their own, Orior, and a family. Today Ciarán (their son) is the creative director of Orior and the Newry-based studio opened a global flagship on Manhattan's bustling corner between Mercer and Grand. Its airy, light-filled 4,500-square-feet is chockablock with pieces that have secured a place for Orior in the global design fanbase: 1984's Atlanta sofa, which caps plush, jewel-tone velvet seats between stepped arms, all upon a platform finished in kicky tassels; or the Wavy credenza, with its rippling curves of stainless steel and bullnose feet in the brand's signature Irish Green marble.
The central kitchen and dining space is outfitted with products from a number of high-end manufacturers: The refrigerator is Miele, dining chairs Poltrona Frau, and the barstools from Piet Boon. (Joe Fletcher)
The Mal Paso Residence opens itself up to the drama of the Northern California coastline
Despite its name, the Mal Paso Residence in Big Sur, California, is anything but a misstep. Designed by Carmel-based firm Studio Schicketanz and comprising a series of stone-clad volumes around a landscaped courtyard, the multigenerational home is thoughtfully considered and splendidly executed. Originally intended as a second home, the project quickly became the clients' primary residence during COVID and has remained so ever since. Enveloped on all sides by carefully curated furniture, natural materials, and stunning views, it's easy to see why.
(Dave Burk/Courtesy SOM)
SOM's new office adopts a philosophy of "radical reduction" by maximizing comfort and reducing energy
For their new office on the 27th and 28th floors of 7 World Trade Center (WTC), Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) adopted a philosophy of "radical reduction": Their space sports concrete flooring, cork-lined walls, an impressive acoustic ceiling, and a cross-laminated timber (CLT) staircase. The materials contribute to a contemporary office design that seeks to eliminate excess and reduce energy use while maximizing comfort and flexibility.
(Yoshihiro Makino)
Design, Bitches build an award-winning Venice bungalow with nods to a Modernist icon
Since its founding in 1905, eclecticism has been Venice, California's aesthetic lifeblood, challenging each successive ground-up build or renovation to speak the definitive truth of what Venetian living is all about. The latest response to this perennial challenge comes from architects Catherine Johnson and Rebecca Rudolph, the duo known as Design, Bitches. After demolishing an original bungalow that no longer met seismic safety standards, the architects and clients engaged in an eight year collaboration to create a new home: B+B House. Bold and eclectic, yet respectful in scale and style, the home achieves a relaxed bohemianism through open plan circulation and a mix of warm and cool materials.
(James Leng)
Studio J. Jih and Figure join forces to realize a craft-intensive reimagination of a Boston townhouse
From the street, a row house built in 1892 in Boston's South End passes as stately but unassuming. But inside the 15-foot-wide, 4-story volume, another world emerges. The narrow home has been fully reconceived, reconstructed, and resurfaced from the bricks in. A collaboration between Boston-based Studio J. Jih, and San Francisco–based Figure, the residence, dubbed the Hairpin House, boasts lime plaster walls, a stately travertine island, and a jaw-dropping, winding white oak staircase.
(Pion Studio)
Kacper Gronkiewicz recycles dishes for display in an Italian restaurant in Warsaw
With a colorful interior fashioned from upcycled materials organized around the shape and textures of plates, Kacper Gronkiewicz transformed a traditional French brasserie in Warsaw into Le Braci, an emerald den for modern Italian fare. The designer reworked the dated decor into cladding and trim for the dining rooms and bar while recycled plates added flare in the form of sconces, lamps, and decor. Gronkiewicz injected pleasantly clashing pops of color with moments of locally manufactured porcelain terrazzo.


text:
Are there areas where only some universities that pay their sports scholars?
I have a feeling this is off-topic because this is about undergrad and not about research, but this question Why do American colleges and universities have sports teams? isn't closed, so yeah here goes.
'Athletic scholarships are common in the United States, but in many countries they are rare or non-existent.'
But are there countries where there are some universities that offer sports scholarships while other universities in the same country don't? We can shrink country to city, town, district, etc if you like (Note 2). I'll just say 'area'.
I have this relative: My relative and I are expats living in a certain area but permanent residents of the area. My relative recently got accepted into a first world university for an undergraduate degree in engineering and was accepted as a sports scholar...sort of.
None of the tuition is waived. The only thing my relative gets is a reduced fee to be on the team: Yeah, the university charges its students a fee to be on the team. My relative also gets lower grade requirements in admissions or retention, but my relative does not need that due to having outstanding grades in secondary. I figured this was a practice in this area where we both live and where we are both expats (see quote above).
However, I found out that several universities in this area apparently do offer sports scholarships ranging from 50-100% off tuition. One of the universities that offer is even of a lower QS ranking than the university that my relative is attending (Note 1). This to me seems like a big misunderstanding on my part, so I've emailed the university, although my relative has already asked, just to get first hand confirmation.
In the mean time: Why would anyone play sports for a university against other universities but not get paid or get tuition waived for the playing?
Some guesses:
Lower admission grade requirement
Lower retention grade requirement
Admission or retention for dormitory requirement
Possibility of future scholarships
Prospects of a sports-related careers after graduation that include but are not limited to professional sports
The thing is none of my guesses explain why those universities apparently have sports scholarships that waive tuition at least partly while this university doesn't. Why wouldn't sports scholars from a university that doesn't pay their sports scholars just transfer to another university in the next year thus causing the university to lose in inter-school competitions?
(Note 1): My relative applied to all universities in our area for sports scholarships and was rejected for all but this university. Also, our area has less than 10 universities, and they're all in the QS... Wait, lemme check...Yeah, ACTUALLY, my relative's university has the highest world QS ranking in our area. Meanwhile, the university with the lowest world QS ranking in our area has sports scholarships. Also, all universities in question are in the top 100 in our continent's world QS ranking, our continent is not Africa, and my relative's university is not the highest in our area for our continent's world QS ranking.
(Note 2): I'm thinking perhaps of a possibility where, say, in North America or Europe this might be the case but is not the case for a specific state or city or something like Massachusetts, Boston, UK or London. You can shrink as much as you want on the condition that universities in your shrunken area compete with each other in sports.
funding university job students engineering
BCLCBCLC
Many US colleges and universities have intercollegiate sports teams and do not have sports scholarships - people play on the teams because they like to play. Being good might get you some boost to admission chances, but so would being an excellent cello player (the orchestra needs people too!). – Jon Custer Aug 29 '18 at 13:18
Because it can be fun. That is enough. Not everything needs to come with some payback other than personal satisfaction. – Buffy Aug 29 '18 at 13:24
@JonCuster Right if there's some town where they have sports teams and none of the universities have sports scholarships, then that's not in the scope of my question. My question is in an area where some have sports scholarships while others don't, either nominally as in what you described or practically as in what I described. So, the colleges and universities you are referring to: their competitors also don't have sports scholarships? Thanks. Note: Area needs to be small enough for competition. I guess the whole of the US is too big an area. – BCLC Aug 29 '18 at 13:33
@Buffy The thing is this university pays 0% while the university next door pays 100%. This doesn't quite seem to make sense economically, which is why I think I might be misunderstanding something. My question isn't 100% vs 90%, 100% vs 50% or even 100% vs 10%. My question is 100% vs 0%. If personal satisfaction is enough for one university in an area, I'd think it'd be enough for all universities in that area. But are there areas while some do and some don't? Note: Area needs to be small enough for competition. I guess the whole of the US is too big an area. – BCLC Aug 29 '18 at 13:36
Take the Philadelphia area. The University of Pennsylvania, an NCAA Division 1 Ivy League school, does not offer athletic scholarships since it is against Ivy League policy. Temple University does offer athletic scholarships, as do Drexel, Villanova, and other Division 1 schools. Bryn Mawr college, a Division 3 school, does not per Division 3 rules. So, basically anywhere in the US with multiple college/universities likely has a mix of scholarship and non-scholarship situations. – Jon Custer Aug 29 '18 at 13:42
In the United States, many (perhaps even most) institutions do not give sports scholarships.
For example, I went to MIT, which gives only need-based funding (0% sports scholarships), but has a quite high NCAA varsity participation rate because, well, sports originally exist because people enjoy playing them, especially in the company of others. That's certainly why I was a student athlete (even captain of my team).
What institutions without sports scholarships tend to lack is not athletes but audiences. At MIT, for example, the varsity football games were infamously said to be better attended by the band (who loved chances to play) than by anybody else, though I can't verify this because I never bothered to go myself.
By contrast, the institutions that do give sports scholarships tend to have big crowds and be the high-visibility teams that you see on TV, thus exaggerating their apparent frequency.
Given the wide mix of public and private institutions with varying philosophies and missions, I expect you'd likely find this contrast in every major US city.
Like Philly, Boston has the same mix. MIT is NCAA Division 3, Harvard is Division 1 but Ivy League, Boston College and Boston University are Division 1 with scholarships, and the myriad of other colleges/universities are various other mixes of situations... – Jon Custer Aug 29 '18 at 16:04
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White cabinets are an extremely trendy option for homeowners. However, in terms of popularity, gray cabinets are currently going toe-to-toe with their white counterparts. This is largely because they are neutral and quite versatile. In addition, they have the unique ability to make any room feel warmer or cooler based on the tone selected. They can complement most kitchen designs, ranging from modern to traditional.
Light gray cabinets are an ideal choice for those who wish to have a light and airy space that breaks away from the traditional white cabinet trend. A light gray color has the ability to make any cabinet appear "crisp" and "clean".
Ideal for those who desire a darker atmosphere, a creekstone gray cabinet finish is a unique choice that comes in a wide variety of options, including glazing finishes. It is important to understand that your kitchen cabinets do not have to be adorned in the same color. It is possible to mix and match with the island and wall cabinets.
If you are intrigued by the rapidly growing gray cabinet trend but are still not sure whether to keep your white cabinets, you can have the best of both worlds. Consider a gray glaze on your white painted cabinets. A brushed gray glaze provides an additional layer of texture and dimension to your space. Such a color has the ability to warm up your white cabinets.
Do you need help with your kitchen design?
When done correctly, a kitchen remodel makes your home more pleasing and can be a beneficial investment. You can rely on the devoted team at Crystal Kitchen + Bath to deliver quality kitchen design and remodeling services. Contact our kitchen remodeling professionals online or call 763-544-5950 to set up an appointment.


The New Hampshire Insurance Department HealthCost website provides estimates of health care costs using a robust database of claims data local to New Hampshire, and includes cost information from all of the state's major health insurance companies.
The patient cost estimates are based on the median amounts paid (by both the insurance carrier and the patient) using claims data from the New Hampshire Comprehensive Health Information System (NHCHIS) database. The "cost" amount is based on the rate negotiated between health care providers and insurance companies, not the provider charges or "retail value" of the health care service. The negotiated amount is often referred to as the "allowed amount."
It has been documented in the published literature that there is substantial variation in the amounts paid for health care services, even when provided at the same hospital for similar patients. HealthCost provides further evidence of this variation among providers for the same service. There are many factors that contribute to this finding, including variation in clinical practice, billing systems, and the payment methodologies employed by health insurance companies. When the patient is insured, the patient receives the benefit of the lower payment rate negotiated between the provider and the insurance company, and any cost sharing (deductible, co-insurance, or co-payment) is based on this allowed amount.
$3,000 insurance company - hospital negotiated rate, or allowed amount.
When the patient is not insured, the HealthCost estimated cost for medical and dental procedures is based on charges minus any discount the provider may offer to uninsured patients. The NHID includes on HealthCost an estimated discount when the health care provider has provided this information to the NHID. The NHID has not verified the discount amounts, and patients should expect their financial obligation to depend on individual circumstances and the specific health care provider's policies for uninsured patients.
The uninsured section of HealthCost for prescription drug pricing is based on the average allowed amount for all major insurance companies.
The methodology used in HealthCost is consistent across payers and providers by treatment type. So, the same aggregation method, rate calculations, and exclusion criteria for removing any health care service is based on an algorithm that is consistently applied from one provider to the next, and from one payer to another.
For many services on HealthCost, the estimate is for the total cost of a health care service and can be compared among providers who offer the same service. Outpatient tests and procedures are shown as "bundled data" with an open box symbol in front of the procedure name, and the price estimates may include multiple services or several independent providers. The estimated cost does not distinguish between what is paid to the hospital (or clinic, ambulatory surgery center, or any other facility), and physicians who treat the patient. The "lead provider" is a convenient way of aggregating cost data for what may be treatment received from several providers (billing separately).
Radiology services are shown as a modified bundle meaning that the cost estimate that is shown for these services includes the facility and the professional fees but not any other costs that the patient may have incurred on the same day. Radiology services costs are shown with the open box symbol in front of the procedure name to indicate the estimate is the total cost of that service.
When an infrequent and high cost procedure is performed in conjunction with a HealthCost procedure, then the patient's entire visit is excluded from the analysis. The entire patient experience is removed because the NHID cannot assume the more expensive procedure did not also impact the cost for performing the more routine services.
HealthCost also includes many services that are not bundled estimates. These services are distinct enough that a stand alone, unbundled cost estimate is appropriate. When an unbundled procedure is shown, there is no symbol before the procedure name, and the cost is just for the named procedure and a patient may have additional services provided at the same time.
A statistical analysis of the data takes place prior to calculating separate rates by payer. The number of observations, mean, median, mode, coefficient of variation, skewness, kurtosis, extreme observation values, and graphical distributions (stem leaf plot, boxplot, and normal probability plot) of the data are evaluated to determine whether the median can be a useful estimate of cost for patients on a prospective basis. Although the median is used for the cost estimate, the evaluation of variability is around the mean. Findings that are not considered acceptable are usually one of the following: a bimodal distribution, are unusually skewed, have a high kurtosis value, the mean is substantially less than the median, or there is just a high degree of variation from one patient to another.
The following is an example of a diagnostic mammogram procedure that we did not feel met the criteria for inclusion on the HealthCost website (CPT 76091).
The numbers on the left represent the various charge for the procedures, and the numbers on the right the frequency. The frequency is also represented by the number of boxes across from left to right. The first warning that there is a problem for HealthCost is that the mean is less than the median. When looking at health care cost data, the distribution is usually skewed to the right, or positive. That means there are high cost outliers that pull the average charge up, even when the charges for most of the procedures are much lower. When the median exceeds the mean, this is a sign the distribution is not typical of what we would expect when looking at health care cost data. If the distribution is not what we expect, than our assumptions in the model may not be supported.
The second major issue is that the distribution is bimodal. This distribution typically indicates that there are two different distributions, each with a single notable peak. However, it can be difficult to find the differentiating factor between the samples in one distribution and those in the other. It may patient age, prior medical history, or something influencing clinical judgment may be the cause. Summary statistics do not show the multiple charge distributions for this procedure code and would hide such a finding. We cannot make a reliable prediction whether a patient will be faced with a procedure that has a charge close to $775, or less than $325.
Major differences in charges for the same service among payers would be unexpected. We assume patients will not face different charges due to which insurance company they are covered by.
The median treatment cost based on patient experience is reported instead of the average. For HealthCost, the median is a better measure of central tendency when predicting the cost to the patient and health plan. This is primarily because the median is influenced less than the average by outlier observations that may skew estimates.
Based on the median, the range of reimbursement rates appears identical, whereas the average shows a value substantially above what most patients would experience.
When medical cost estimates are provided on HealthCost, the NHID will include information on the variability of past patient experiences. If the historical data show low variability from one patient to the next, then this is indicated as Precision of the Cost Estimate = "HIGH." Likewise, if the historical data show extensive variation, the estimate will indicate the precision level is "LOW." When the precision level is LOW, individual patient experiences are more likely to differ from the rate estimate.
The variation in the rate is based on the coefficient of variation for charges, including all payers, and the difference between the median charge for the insurance company and the overall median for all insurance companies at the provider identified for the specific service under analysis. These values, both percentages, are summed together and translated into an ordinal scale. Like most ordinal scales, the distinction between the values at neighboring points on the scale is not necessarily the same. For instance, the range within VERY LOW and LOW might be much less than that in MEDIUM and HIGH. The scale is based on the variability among carriers for the health care service selected. The breakdown is based on percentiles, using 75th, 50th, and 25th break points.
When variability is high (Precision of the Cost Estimate="VERY LOW") and there are fewer than four patients, than the rate is not included on HealthCost.
Risk adjustment is used in HealthCost by including with estimates for bundled services a field called Patient Complexity. Risk adjustment is a relative measure for the difference in the "illness burden" of patients in the analysis, and the NHID uses the Chronic Illness and Disability Payment System from the University of California, San Diego. Risk adjustment may explain why the historical costs at one provider may exceed that of another provider. Risk adjustment includes all of the diagnoses over an extended period of time so that the effect of multiple comorbidities can be considered in evaluating patient populations. Examples of the conditions used in developing the risk score include: congestive heart failure, epilepsy, primary pulmonary hypertension, diabetes, and cancer. Patients that have multiple significant medical conditions are expected to need greater health care resources than a less complex patient population.
The application of risk adjustment is specific for the patients with the identified procedure. For example, Hospital A attracts an "average" population when all treatments are considered, but Hospital A attracts very complex patients for breast biopsies. When viewing the cost rates for breast biopsies, the Patient Complexity at Hospital A would be described as "HIGH." Please note that the patient comorbidities considered in the risk adjustment are not necessarily related to the procedure with a cost estimate. So, Hospital A may attract a very complex set of patients with a history of mental illness and cardiovascular disease, but not cancer.
The risk adjustment value is relative, so 1.00 is the mid-point, and values above or below represent the difference in expected resource consumption. On HealthCost, the index measure is translated to an ordinal scale and the breakdown is based on percentiles, using the 90th, 75th, 25th, and 10th separation points. Like most ordinal scales, the distinction between the values at neighboring points on the scale is not necessarily the same.
The rates provided in HealthCost are not risk adjusted. They are the actual calculated rates based on the NHCHIS data and the HealthCost algorithms.
When the rates are reported as an unbundled cost, Patient Complexity is not provided. The estimated cost for unbundled services is not influenced by the number of supporting services and providers that might be included in a bundled rate for patients with a complex set of medical conditions.
A process exists to remove outliers. Outliers are data values that do not represent the typical experience for a particular service at a particular provider location, and they can exist for several reasons. In some cases the historical claims are incomplete, such as when the providers have not billed for all the services performed during the encounter, or the insurance carrier has not processed all of the claims submitted for the visit. Alternatively, human error may result in a particular service that is coded incorrectly. An extreme example might be a service related to a kidney transplant that is coded as a kidney stone removal. In this example the cost for the kidney stone removal would appear to be excessive. Because the median is calculated instead of the average, outliers should have a small effect on the estimated costs reported in HealthCost, but they can have a substantial impact in the formula used to assess the variation in the rates.
Removal of the outliers takes place at two points. First, a ceiling for total charges in the analyses is established. The ceiling is where 95 percent of all charges fall below, across all providers. Observations above the ceiling are removed.
The second point where outliers are removed is after analyzing a specific provider's experience. Patients with total charges in the lowest one percentile or highest fifth percentile are removed from the analysis. The calculations of the percentiles are done using standard statistical conventions, so if the observation values to do not vary much from each other, it is unlikely any will be removed.
The health care services on HealthCost are selected using the American Medical Association's Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code or the American Dental Association Dental Procedure (CDT) codes. Since many of the codes are quite specific, a record count by CPT/CDT code is performed among codes that are for a similar service (e.g. all CPT codes for mammograms) and the frequency distribution is evaluated to see which codes are the most common. A review of the CPT/CDT code description takes place, to determine the simplest and most easily recognized procedure. A combination of frequency, simplicity, and consumer familiarity is used to determine which procedure code is used on HealthCost. When available, clinical insight is also considered.
In some cases, multiple CPT/CDT codes may be included under a single service. Sometimes this is due to changes in the CPT/CDT coding scheme, and other cases, changes in the technology available or the delivery of care. Codes will be combined as long as the cost is similar. A move from analog to digital mammograms is one example.
For unbundled services, the cost estimate is simply a calculation at the CPT/CDT code level for the service and the provider. While the algorithm for calculating unbundled services is the same as for bundled services, the variability among different patient experiences is much lower.
The algorithm for pharmacy estimates is similar to the medical costs, including a suitability review and the median cost, but does not remove outliers nor calculate a Precision of the Cost estimate. Prescription drug pricing for the same drug may differ for several reasons, but the basic concepts that apply to medical care costs carry over to the pharmacy world. For prescription drugs, there is a pharmacy charge for the drug, a negotiated payment level (allowed amount), and the cost sharing that determines what the patient must pay when picking up the prescription. The cost sharing is usually the copay amount, but some benefit designs include coinsurance or deductibles that also apply to prescription drugs.
negotiated or allowed amount is $10.
Drug names on HealthCost may be the generic or brand name. When looking up a medication, make sure you are familiar with both. In addition to the different prices negotiated by the carrier/PBM for each pharmacy, drug cost estimates may differ depending on how the prescription is administered (e.g. aerosol vs. capsule), dosage, days supply, and quantity. These distinctions are provided on HealthCost for your benefit. Estimates are calculated separately for each of these differences.
HealthCost provides a Statewide Rates Report that can be downloaded from the home page. These rates are calculated at the CPT code level, separated by the provider type, and are intended for the provider and insurance company audiences to better understand competitive market rates. The mean, median, and interquartile rates are calculated for both provider charges and the allowed amounts, and they are specific by carrier (in separate sheets). These data are unfiltered rates with no outlier exclusion criteria or statistical review by the NHID.
Since the rates on HealthCost are based on historical data, the NHID inflates the median values calculated from the data. The inflation rate added is five percent per year. The data in the Statewide Reports does not have the inflation factor applied.
HealthCost uses data from the Joint Commission, an organization with a long proven ability to identify, test, and specify standardized performance measures. The Joint Commission's National Quality Improvement Goals (NQIGs) data collection initiative obtains data on quality of care indicators in up to five treatment areas: heart attack, heart failure, community acquired pneumonia, pregnancy and related conditions, and surgical infection prevention. These conditions are the most common reasons that patients go to the hospital and they affect hundreds of thousands of patients each year. Patients who are treated according to the guidelines stated in the NQIGs are more likely to improve or and have good outcomes of care.
Hospitals are shown as better than average, below average, and near average. These ratings indicate how a hospital compares to the national average. If a hospital is within 5% of the national average, it is given a yellow circle that indicates near the average. Greater than 5% in either direction results in a triangle which indicates either better or below average.


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A baeta é um tecido têxtil, geralmente de lã pesada e grossa, mas por vezes sendo de algodão, que recobre em geral as mesas onde se joga bilhar e snooker e é tecido em trama.

" A baeta é um gênero têxtil, geralmente trabalhado em lã pesada e grossa e com ligamento têxtil em um gênero de sarja.  O tecido é caracterizado pela presença de laças do fio da trama que formam uma diagonal. A baeta pode ser também trabalhada com fibra de algodão."

"De fora, onde a plateia se reunia na rua, o cadafalso parecia pesado, permanente e sombrio com a cobertura de baeta preta, mas daqui lorde Alexander podia ver que era uma mera ilusão sustentada por colunas de madeira sem acabamento. Era um palco montado para uma tragédia que terminava com a morte."  (Trecho do livro "O Condenado" Capítulo 10 de Bernard Cornwell)

Snooker
Tecidos naturais
Tecidos têxteis

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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HomeClubsGlasgow ClanBraehead rebrand to Glasgow Clan
Braehead rebrand to Glasgow Clan
8th July 2018 BIH Correspondent Glasgow Clan 0
Braehead Clan have announced that the Club will re-brand to the Glasgow Clan and also incorporate an exciting new Club logo which will take pride of place on the front of their 2018/19 jerseys.
Formally launched at a press conference today at 29 Glasgow, in the heart of Glasgow, to media, corporate partners, representatives from the Official Supporters Club and the Purple Army, the new identity demonstrates the club's commitment to the West of Scotland as they look to further grow their reach in Scotland and internationally.
It remains to be seen whether the change will have any influence over the ice hockey betting, as the Clan look to bounce back from a disappointing season that saw them finish outside the play-offs.
Clan Hockey & Operations Director Gareth Chalmers commented: "We are absolutely delighted to announce the Club will re-brand from the Braehead Clan to the Glasgow Clan ahead of the upcoming 2018/19 Season."
"Since our inception in 2010, the growth of the Clan on and off the ice has been phenomenal. From attendances of 800 at Braehead Arena in our inaugural season to attendances of over 3,000+ fans that we are now achieving, the West of Scotland continues to support the sport in the Elite Ice Hockey League.
"While the Clan will always be synonymous with the Braehead name, we feel it's now time to incorporate one the UK's biggest cities into the organisations future, which we believe will further enhance our corporate partnerships, community engagement programme and player recruitment process heading forward.
"It is a natural progression to incorporate Glasgow into the name, which will ultimately help us maximise the brand and growth even further.
"While we are moving away from the Braehead name, our relationship with intu Braehead and Braehead Arena remains paramount to our future plans. Being associated with such a reputable brand has been very beneficial to the Club over the past eight seasons, so I am delighted to confirm that intu Braehead will remain as the Club's lead jersey sponsor during the 2018/19 season.
"I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in the re-branding, we are delighted with the end product and feel honoured to be the Glasgow Clan."
General manager at intu Braehead Leisure, Scott Martin said: "I'm sure Glasgow Clan will go from strength to strength as their home rink in The Arena at intu Braehead provides the team and their fans with the biggest and best ice facility in Scotland for playing and watching professional ice hockey."
The Clan would like to thank partners Warrior, intu Braehead, Glasgow Caledonian University, Creditfix and Wet Wall Works who will all appear on the 2018/19 jerseys.


Thermoforming is our core forming process. Focused competence enables efficient production that runs with consistent quality and reliable output. Our extensive capacity in high speed thermoforming meets our customer needs and offers a broad range of standardized and customized packaging solutions for food and non-food applications. Our clients can chose out of a large number of decoration technologies such as Dry Offset and Rotogravure Printing, Sleeving, (In-Mold) Labeling, Paper Wrapping, Lamination, Embossing/Engraving etc., considering the requirements for economy, standard and premium positioned products.
Injection Molding technology with high quality (3D) in-mold labels and complex shapes with tamper evidence complements our offering of rigid plastic packaging solutions.


The Storm Surge Barrier in the New Waterway was built to protect the city and port of Rotterdam and the area of the lower Rhine against flooding during extreme conditions. This construction, consisting of two gigantic arc shaped barriers, is to be pivoted into the New Waterway and then lowered in case of an impeding emergency. The arc shape makes it a very efficient design against forces from the seaside, but if the level on the riverside surpasses the level on the seaside, a negative force will be exerted on the construction. Seiches contribute to this effect. The barrier only has a relatively small capacity to withstand a negative head difference. To accurately predict the maximum expected head difference a numerical model that handles seiches correctly is needed. In this thesis, the boundary conditions for such a numerical model are investigated. The program currently used to calculate the effects of seiches, RAS/FLOW predicts a head difference that exceeds the design specifications of the construction. However, the calculations done with Rasflow are not accurate with respect to the amplification of the seiches. The amplitude is overestimated significantly due to the use of an inaccurate boundary condition at the sea boundary of the model. The boundary condition at the channel entrance is very complex. Mendez Lorenzo (1997) studied a new boundary condition: the epsilon boundary. This boundary is a combination of a water level and a Riemann invariant with a factor epsilon. In the analytical case the results of this boundary condition match the analytical solution exactly. The step from the analytical boundary condition to a numerical boundary condition involves a set of derivations and simplifications that fixate the value for Epsilon. With a fixed value for epsilon, the amplification function obtained will only match one of the peaks in the spectrum: the peak for which the value of epsilon is set. In this thesis the addition of non-linear terms to the epsilon model can be found. The non-linear terms did not resolve the problem of the fixed epsilon. To reduce the complexity of the boundary condition a different approach to the problem is taken, namely a combination of a one and two-dimensional approach. In this model a two-dimensional sea area is attached to the onedimensional channel. Thus moving the complex boundary condition at the channel entrance to a simpler boundary condition on the open sea boundary. With this model it is possible to correctly model the amplification for more than one peak. The results obtained with this model are satisfactory and are recommended for a future implementation.
(c) 1998 De Haas, E.


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Despondent about the CBD's heritage
CBD Local
By Rhonda Dredge
When people move into the CBD they love the novelty of being able to walk everywhere and discover new places down small alleys, particularly ones with great back stories.
Debra Van Ommen was no exception when she bought a first-floor apartment in Collins St and began exploring.
Her legs led her one-day past Russells Old Corner Store on King St and she was hooked.
Dora and George were sitting in the luncheon room of their historic home and "I fell in love with George," Debra said. "He was very charming."
She found herself wanting to help the couple in their daily lives – with washing, sweeping and making sandwiches.
"They didn't have a washing machine," she said. "George washed the sheets by hand."
By this stage George was looking after Loka. They were in their 90s yet they were still offering tea to passers-by at $5 a pot from their lounge room, plus putting on the occasional play.
To the former Box Hill resident, they epitomised CBD history. Lola had lived in the CBD's oldest house since she was one month old and written a memoir, City Kid, about her life.
"She used to see herds of cattle go by along King St to Kensington Saleyards," she said.
Now, just a few years later, Lola is in a nursing home, George is dead and their heritage-listed building is up for sale.
Debra is worried that it will be bought by a developer and allowed to deteriorate so that it is condemned by the council.
She said the couple had offers which they rejected and that land-banking was prevalent in the area. She claimed that one developer owns the strip of shops to the south.
"We call ourselves sentimental," she said. "But people don't care. It's really sad. In Paris they don't let you pull down old buildings."
Debra had tears in her eyes when she spoke to CBD News about her times with Lola and George.
She went down to the council with George when a passer-by complained about cracks in the wall. That's when she organised a consortium prepared to spend $600,000 on the repairs. They were already at the stage of taking the bricks to Adelaide for assessment.
Then George went into hospital. She sat by his bed and didn't want him to go. "He was 93 when he died and he was still writing his play."
That was two years ago but she hasn't forgotten her friends. "I was gutted when I read the article [in The Age]. The only memories now will be photos."
She said she was selling her apartment and felt despondent about the future of the city's heritage •


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Terence B. Foley, 67; scholar, musician
Terence B. Foley, 67, of Queen Village, a scholar, linguist and musician, died of cancer yesterday in hospice care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
by By Sally A. Downey, Inquirer Staff Writer
Dr. Foley moved to Philadelphia in 2003 when his wife, Amanda Bennett, began her three years as editor of The Inquirer. He taught journalism courses at Temple, Drexel, and La Salle Universities and played tuba and string bass with area Dixieland bands. He was a member of Local 77, American Federation of Musicians, Philadelphia.
Previously he and his wife lived in Kentucky, where he taught at the University of Kentucky for two years. "He was tough but fun," said Scoobie Ryan, coordinator for the school's journalism majors. "He had been everywhere and done everything," and yet, she said, he taught the basic-newswriting class with "passion and enthusiasm."
A native of Cincinnati, Dr. Foley dropped out of Ohio State University in 1959 to join the Navy. He later served in the Air Force. After his discharge, he earned a bachelor's degree in Chinese and Japanese studies from Columbia University. He later earned a doctorate in Asian studies from Columbia.
He worked for the Department of Corrections in Vermont and for the Departments of Agriculture in Vermont and Missouri. In the early 1980s, he opened one of the first U.S. trade offices in China, representing the American Soybean Association. While in China, he met his future wife, then a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal.
After returning to the United States in 1985, Dr. Foley was a reporter in New York for the Wall Street Journal radio station; worked for the CNN Web site in Atlanta; and was a reporter for the Associated Press in Portland, Ore. In 1998, he and his wife coauthored In Memoriam, a literary guide to creating memorial services.
He knew a lot about classic American pop music and could talk about it all afternoon, said a friend, Frank Wilson. He also liked to read translations of Chinese poetry and could explain the imagery, said Wilson, The Inquirer's book editor.
Mr. Foley was treated for kidney cancer in 1999. The cancer spread to his lungs several months ago. "I last saw him on Sept. 29," Wilson said. "From his manner and high spirits, you'd have thought he was just trying to shake a cold. His sense of humor never abandoned him. "
In addition to his wife of 20 years, Dr. Foley is survived by a son, Terry, and a daughter, Georgia; four brothers; and a sister.
The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 313 Pine St., Philadelphia. Friends may call from 10 a.m.
Memorial donations may be made to the Terence Foley Fund, c/o Alix Bennett, 6 Harvest Dr., Pennington, N.J. 08534. The fund will benefit needy people in Philadelphia.
By Sally A. Downey, Inquirer Staff Writer