The QQQQs have been in a slightly upward trending channel for the last three years. Are we going to see this break-out continue? Will we see a shift from a basic materials driven market to a technology driven market?
This is a chart from Martin Capital. Notice the following.
1.) The YOY change in retail sales has dropped since the beginning of 2006. However, it has picked-up since the beginning of 2007, possibly representing a reversal of the downward trend.
2.) New and existing home sales have been dropping since mid-2005.
3.) Car sales have consistently fluctuated between roughly 16 million/year and 17.75 million a year since 2001. However, the annual sales pace has consistently declined since the beginning of the year.
The Markets Are Closed. Relax. Do something else.
* Sales at retail chain stores continued to weaken in the last week of June. The International Council of Shopping Centers index barely grew week-over-week, while the Redbook index fell to a cyclical low, with same-store sales up just 1.2% compared with a year earlier.
* Vehicle sales declined for the sixth straight month in June. In the past six years, sales have been weaker on only two occasions. At the same time, the automakers have stepped up their production, setting up the industry for another round of layoffs and production cutbacks.
* Home sales fell again in May. The National Association of Realtors said the number of contracts signed on previously owned homes fell 3.5% to the lowest level since the recession.
* More consumers fell behind on their debt payments in the first quarter. The percentage of loans that were 30-days past due rose to the highest level since the recession of 2001.
* Home prices fell 2.7% in the past year, the biggest decline in 16 years. A 2.7% drop may not seem like much, but considering how hard it is to get homeowners to accept less than they paid for their house, it's startling.
* Homebuilders got even more depressed about their industry. The housing market index fell to a 16-year low.
* Delinquencies on home mortgages are rising, especially for subprime loans. Unfortunately, delinquencies and foreclosures are also rising for borrowers with good credit who took out adjustable-rate loans. That's unheard of when the unemployment rate is under 5%.
* The stock market, after a nice run up from March to May, has been flat over the past seven weeks.
* Consumer prices rose 0.5% in May, the fastest monthly increase in 17 months.
* Real take-home income (that is, adjusted for inflation) has fallen two months in a row, after a big boost in the first quarter that mostly went to the ultra-rich who received mammoth bonuses and stock options. For the rest of us, the picture is a well-known story around kitchen tables: The median hourly wage, adjusted for inflation, has fallen four months in a row through May and was up just 1.1% in the past year.
* The personal savings rate was negative for the 26th consecutive month in May.
Over the last few years, I've written a fair amount about the heavy indebtedness of the US consumer. The short version is household debt has increased from a little over 70% of total US GDP in 2001 to over 90% in the fourth quarter of 2007. In addition, over the same period of time household debt has increased from over 90% of disposable income to over 130%. Mortgage debt is the primary reason for this increase, as households went on a huge home buying and mortgage equity withdrawal binge over the last few years.
However, I also predicted that the high debt load would lead to a recession or economic slowdown. While the economy did slow in the first quarter of 2007, predictions are for an increase in the second quarter. In other words, my analysis was right by my conclusion was wrong. At least it was wrong.
Is something different now? Has consumer spending reached a point where it will no longer increase, driving economic growth? I don't have an answer for that. However, the initial signs are the consumer is slowing his purchases -- at least for now.
However, history has demonstrated the US consumer loves to shop, and will do almost anything to continue shopping. The US economy has had more than ten straight years of quarterly increases in consumer spending.
For now, I will punt this question but will be thinking about it for quite some time.
However, the BLS revised the two previous reports higher by 75,000.
There are some big areas of concern in this report.
1.) Manufacturing lost 18,000. Most of the manufacturing indicators (such as the ISM and the various regional Federal Reserve reports) have given a positive signal for manufacturing. Yet the sector continues to shed jobs. Part of this is the increased productivity of the sector. However, I have to wonder if there is something else going on as well.
2.) Construction jobs increased 12,000. It appears commercial construction projects are absorbing the loss of jobs in the residential construction area.
3.) Retail lost 24,000 jobs. This is further confirmation of a slowdown in consumer spending. Here is a chart of chained 2000 dollar month over month increases in personal consumption expenditures for the last 7 months. Notice that sales have slowed the last three months.
Health care employment grew by 30,000 in June, with gains in hospitals (+14,000) and in nursing and residential care facilities (+8,000).
Professional and business services employment was little changed in June. During the first 6 months of 2007, job growth in the industry averaged 13,000 per month compared with an average of 42,000 per month in the last half of 2006.
Employment growth is one of the bullish arguments for the economy going forward. If the headlines focus only on top-line growth, this report should help although it is not a blockbuster. However, looking at the details a different picture emerges: Slowing retail and professional services growth, the continued decline in manufacturing and a big addition of lower-paying jobs.
Is It Time To Go Long?
Several technical indicators have given preliminary buy signals on the SPY. The MACD has turned bullish and the CMF is hovering around 0 where a few strong days could send the indicator into buy territory.
However, there are two concerns going forward.
1.) Here is a 5-year, weekly chart. Notice the index has moved up strongly and sharply over the last few months. In addition, notice the big pick-up in volume during this rally. This could be a buying climax, which is a sign of a market top.
2.) In addition, we are still in a downward trend with lower lows and lower highs. The market would have to break through the top downward sloping line and/or move above a previous high on decent volume to give a buy signal.
Junk Bond Market About to Take A Hit?
Right now, the spread between junk bonds and treasury debt is very tight. This indicates that junk bonds have reallied over the last few years. It also indicates there may be a pricing mis-match in the market. Junk debt has more risk, yet is not trading like it has more risk.
Junk bonds lost 1.61 percent last month, the most since March 2005 when GM forecast its biggest quarterly loss since 1992. Junk bonds globally returned 2.88 percent in the first half, the lowest in two years, according to data from New York- based Merrill Lynch.
Investors withdrew $502 million from high-yield mutual funds in the week ended June 20, the most since September 2005, according to AMG Data Services in Arcata, California.
If this trend continues, it will be another sign that the LBO market will at minimum go through a minor shake-out.
The world's biggest bondholders have had their fill of leveraged buyouts, convinced that increasing mortgage delinquencies will drag down the U.S. economy and drive debt-laden companies into default.
TIAA-CREF, which oversees $414 billion in retirement funds for teachers and college professors, is boycotting some debt offerings used to finance LBOs. Fidelity International, a unit of the world's largest mutual fund company, and Lehman Brothers Asset Management LLC, the money-management arm of the third- biggest bond underwriter, say they're avoiding debt from buyouts.
Investors are getting skittish just as private-equity firms led by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Blackstone Group Inc. prepare to sell $300 billion of bonds and loans to finance LBOs, according to Bear Stearns Cos. In the past two weeks alone, more than a dozen companies were forced to postpone or restructure debt sales.
These are two big firms and one large money manager publicly stating they are concerned about the debt issued in some of the recent IPO deals. This is big news because it indicates the buyers market for the debt from these deals is shrinking.
LBOs have been a primary driver of the stock market in the most recent advance. Yet there has been a ton of news related to the mortgage bond and LBO business as of late -- none of which has been good.
If these deals go away or decrease, will the market still be able to advance? Is there another driver out there for increased stock prices?
Total listings of homes in these metro areas at the end of June was up 2.5% from May, according to figures compiled by ZipRealty Inc., a national real-estate brokerage firm based in Emeryville, Calif. The data cover all listings of single-family homes, condominiums and town houses on local multiple-listing services in those areas.
This is almost becoming comical -- if it wasn't so serious. The inventory of existing homes on the market is at a historical absolute high in terms of total units on the market. Yet the number of homes for sale continues to grow. At some point, prices will have to give and it won't be pretty.
The markets are closed. Posting will be light today -- if at all.
Here is a chart of the month over month percent change in personal consumption expenditures in chained 2000 dollars. Notice the drop-off.
National chain store sales fell 1.1% in the first four weeks of June versus the previous month, according to Redbook Research's latest indicator of national retail sales released Tuesday.
The drop in the index compared with a targeted 0.8% drop.
The Johnson Redbook Index also showed seasonally adjusted sales in the four week period rose 1.6% compared with June 2006 and relative to a 1.9% targeted gain.
Redbook said on an unadjusted basis, sales in the week ended June 30 were up 1.2% from the same week in 2006, after a 1.4% increase the previous week. June is a five-week month on the fiscal calendar, ending Saturday, July 7.
Later in the report there is a comment that warm weather pulled people out to summer activities. Earlier this year, cold weather was the reason given for low retail sales figures.
However, according to the BEA, chained personal consumption expenditure increases for March, April and May were -.1, .2 and .1, respectively.
Overall, the total industry sales rate looked to come in at about 16.1 million vehicles, lagging Thomson First Call estimates of about 16.5 million. There was one extra selling day in June 2007 than a year earlier.
"As we look at the results coming in, the performance is capping off a second quarter for the industry that I think can best be described as a bit underperforming," Paul Ballew, GM's top sales analyst, said in a conference call. "We're dealing with the twofold impact of gas prices and the housing correction that is occurring in a couple of key states."
A slowdown in consumer spending also jibes with the chained disposable income figures from the BEA. For March, April and May, disposable income figures increased .3 -.6 and -.1 respectively. These figures bring the low unemployment rate into question as well.
I've written a fair amount about gas prices for several reasons.
1.) Consumers see gas prices at least once a week if not more. As a result, these prices have a tremendous impact on consumer sentiment and spending habits.
2.) Despite the Federal Reserve's love of core inflation, total inflation is what consumers see on a regular basis. Energy and food prices are prices that have the most impact on consumer's inflation expectations.
3.) As fuel prices increase, discretionary income for other items decreases. This will have an impact on retail sales and other consumer purchases.
4.) I would argue there is a gradual inflection point with energy prices. At some point, energy prices will hit a level where consumer sentiment and spending take a disproportionate hit. I don't know what that level is, but I would guess it would start at about the $3.25/gallon area.
John Devaney, who invests in subprime- mortgage bonds, restricted redemptions to protect some of his Horizon Strategy hedge funds from being forced to sell assets.
In addition to the Bear Stearns funds, this year's declines have claimed UBS AG's New York-based Dillon Read Capital Management LLC hedge fund and Caliber Global Investment Ltd., a $908 million fund managed in London by Cambridge Place Investment Management LLP. Both have been shut down.
In this article at the Huffington Post I argued the market would eventually be alright, but we would see a few poorly managed funds take a big hit. This is what appears to be happening.
The main issue right now is investor confidence in these funds and this market. If we see a rash of redemptions we could see a big problem emerge very quickly.
Yesterday's rally was technically important for a few reasons.
1.) The SPYs closed above the 10, 20, and 50 day SMA. If prices continue to trade above the SMAs they will pull them up. This will increase the SMAs and will eventually give them an upward angle, which is a bullish indicator.
However, the 10 day SMA is below the 20 SMA and crossed below the 50 day SMA on Friday. The 20 day SMA is close to crossing below the 50 day SMA and will probably do so in the next few days. Both of these are considered negative indicators.
The MACD has decreased for the last two months and appears close to giving a buy signal over the next few trading days.
The CMF went positive yesterday, another bullish signal.
The SPYs came close to hitting the 38% fibonacci retracement in their latest sell-off. I'm not a strict fibnocacci guy; if the chart come close to a fib number it's usually good enough.
In June, manufacturing expanded at its fastest pace since April 2006 when the PMI Index registered 56.9. This performance appears sustainable in the third quarter due to the current strength in New Orders and Production."
1.) This is a good report. There are a group of economists currently arguing that business spending and growth will keep the economy from falling into a recession. This helps to bolster that argument.
2.) "Busy now but still down approximately 13 percent from this time last year." This comment jibes with the following information from Barron's pulse of the economy section. This indicates things are improving, but are still in general below year ago levels.
3.) Commodities and Industrials have been strong performers for the last half year. Some of these industries have sold off over the recent pullback. However, this news might make those areas more attractive again.
Let's look at the pros and cons of the market as the third quarter begins.
Second-quarter earnings growth is so far expected to fall further to 4.3%, even though rising energy prices seem poised to given another lift to earnings.
The expectations for first quarter earnings were low as well. Analysts and companies issued very conservative guidance because of the slowing economy. As a a result, many companies surprised to the upside, adding fuel to the bulls argument.
But the market thus far remains confident that strong global growth, led by China and Asia, will continue to boost U.S. profits, even as the economy slows.
This was one of the main reasons for the surprising strength of some earnings reports. Companies with strong international exposure were the obvious beneficiaries of this trend. The rest of the world still looks like they will do well in the second half of the year, so this trend will probably continue.
This year's record pace of takeovers slowed by 49 percent in June, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Delaware Investments, the Hartford and City National Bank, which manage more than $500 billion, say the decline plus the decision by leveraged buyout firm Blackstone Group LP to sell shares to the public are signaling that the five-year bull market is nearing an end.
The drop-off may simply be seasonal; M&A firms obviously had a ton of deals in the pipe which they continually announced over the last few quarters. However, there may also be a problem developing with the financing of these deals. The Bear hedge fund problems may tighten the lending markets, preventing some of these deals from going through. There has been a fair amount of press over the last week about lenders tightening standards in a variety of ways.
Adding to existing concerns, the woes of the housing market and the resulting meltdown in the subprime-mortgage market have claimed new victims. Two hedge funds owned by Bears Stearns & Co. were brought close to collapse two weeks ago.
I debated this issued with Barry Ritholtz. There are plenty of reasons to be concerned, but I think what we'll see is a few funds having big problems, but a limited broader impact. I should add, this is a developing situation and as more facts come out that conclusion will either be supported or shot down.
There is also the possible impact on the economy as a whole. The housing market will go through another 12-18 months of mortgage rate resets. These will continually add downward pressure on the economy as a whole.
Oil prices jumped 2.2 percent last week, the third straight weekly gain, after the U.S. government said gasoline stockpiles unexpectedly fell the week before. This week, a record 41.1 million vacationers in the U.S. will travel for the July 4 Independence Day holiday, according to AAA motorist club. More than a third of those surveyed planned to start driving last week.
Crude price are rising ``because of tightness on the refinery side, some maintenance or some accidents, and the utilization rate isn't so high,'' Kenichiro Yamaguchi, the chief operating officer for Petro Diamond Risk Management Ltd. in London, a unit of Mitsubishi Corp., Japan's largest trading company. ``The market is strong on the product side,'' with high demand for distillates, including heating oil, and gasoline.
It's been awhile since we've looked at oil prices, so let's see what the daily and weekly charts say.
The $67/bbl area provided a ton of resistance to oil's price for about two months. But oil broke through in mid-June. In addition, oil retreaded back to the $67 area later in the month and instead used the $67 price level for support.
We also have an ascending triangle formation, which is usually another bullish sign.
The weekly chart says oil has consolidated in the head and shoulders formation and is now advancing, using the neckline as preliminary support.


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Champions Crowned at 67th Annual College National Finals Rodeo
CASPER, WY — The dust has settled in the Casper Events Center and the curtain has closed on the 67th annual College National Finals Rodeo.
Nearly 400 contestants started the week long competition vying for national titles in bareback riding, tie-down roping, breakaway roping, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, goat tying, team roping, barrel racing and bull riding. It was a big night for the men from Tarleton State University at Stephenville, Texas. Their Landon Williams won the tie-down roping and all-around championships.
Williams who is a senior majoring in ag industries also competed in the team roping finishing in sixth place to secure the all-around title. The Midland, Texas resident has competed here three times before but this is the first time he has left with a championship. He earned 445 of Tarleton's 915 points that earned them the national men's team title.
Callahan Crossley from Blue Mountain Community College carried their women's team to a national title. Crossley earned 260 points in the barrel racing and that title. The Hermiston, Ore., resident and second generation competitor earned over half of Blue Mountain's 517.5 points that got them to the top of the leader board.
It was no surprise to any of the rodeo fans to see Missouri Valley College's Tim O'Connell win the bareback riding. He came into Saturday night's finals with a 23-point lead. After winning the three preliminary rounds, the Zwingle, Iowa resident finished second in the finals. He won the championship over Jamie Howlett from Western Texas College by 26 points. O'Connell had 331 for the title compared to Howlett's 305.
The bulls once again dominated the riders with 12 unsuccessful cowboys in the final round. The champion was won based on previous rides and went to Gary Essary from Ranger College with 151 points on two rides.
2015 College National Finals Rodeo Champions
Bareback Riding: (final round winners) 1, Jamie Howlett, Western Texas College, 83.5 points on Mo Betta Rodeo's Jason's Pride. 2, Tim O'Connell, Missouri Valley College, 82.5. 3, Wyatt Bloom, Montana State University, 82. 4, Dustin Jackson, Sam Houston State University, 78. (overall winners – on four) 1, O'Connell, 331. 2, Howlett, 305. 3, Kody Lamb, Tarleton State University, 296. 4, (tie) Bloom and Jackson, 295.5 points each. 6, (tie) Dantan Bertsch, Casper College; Wyatt Denny, Panola Junior College; and Shane O'Connell, Western Texas College, 287.5.
Tie-Down Roping: (final round winners) 1,Bobby Abernathy, McNeese State University, 7.9 seconds. 2, Keaton Schaffer, Central Arizona College, 9.6. 3, Landon Williams, Tarleton State University, 9.9. 4, Clark Adcock, University of Tennessee – Martin, 10.0. (overall winners – on four) 1, Williams, 39.0. 2,
Abernathy, 41.5. 3, Joshua Walker, Western Texas College, 42.4. 4, Schaffer, 43.2. 5, Adcock, 43.6. 6, (tie) Tyler Forsberg, Fresno State College, and Tylen Layton, Northeast Oklahoma State University, 45.2 each. 8, Jared Parke, Blue Mountain Community College, 49.6.
Steer wrestling: (final round winners) 1, Cameron Morman, Dickinson State University, 4.7 seconds. 2, Jesse Brown, Montana State University, 5.2. 3, Jared Parke, Blue Mountain Community College, 5.8. 4, Tucker Wright, Walla Walla Community College, 7.7 (overall winners – on four) 1, Morman, 25.1. 2, Parke, 29.1. 3, Jace Lane, Tarleton State University, 31.6. 4, Newt Novich, University of Montana Western, 34.1. 5, Brown, 36.2. (on three) 6, Jacob Edler, Western Oklahoma State College, 16.0. 7, Wright, 19.1. 8, Coledon Harmon, Weatherford College, 23.2.
Breakaway Roping: (final round winners) 1, Randi Buchanan, Panhandle State University, 2.5 seconds. 2, Tamara Tunink, Western Texas College, 2.8. 3, Beanna Ellis, Missouri Valley College, 3.1. 4, Chelsey Bushnell, Feather Fiver College, 4.2. (overall winners – on four) 1, Tunink, 11.9. 2, Buchanan, 13.2. 3, Ellis, 23.6. 4, Bushnell, 24.6. 5, Zoe Billings, New Mexico State University, 31.4. 6, Janey Reeves, Cochise College, 32.7. (on three) 7, Kirbie Crouse, Missouri Valley College, 8.1. 8, Kimberlyn Fitch, Idaho State University, 9.1.
Saddle Bronc Riding: (final round winners – three rides) 1, Clay Elliott, Panhandle State University, 81.5 points on Harry Vold Rodeo's Kate's Hot Sister. 2, (tie) Cole Hatfield, Hill College, and Jace Lane, Tarleton State University 71.5 each. 3, (overall winners – on four) 1, Elliott, 299.5. 2, Lane, 271. (on three) 3, Rusty Wright, College of Southern Idaho, 223. 4, Kendall Green, Montana State University, 210. 5, Shade Etbauer, Panhandle State University, 207. 6, Hatfield, 199.5. 7, Brady Dinwoodie, University of Wyoming, 198.5. 8, Hawkins Boyce, Odessa College, 139.5.
Team Roping: (final round winners) 1, Pedro Egurrola and Steven Gaona, Central Arizona College, 4.9 seconds. 2, Kolton Schmidt, Southeastern Oklahoma State University and Sawyer Barnham, Coffeyville College, 6.2. 3, Forrest Fisher, Hill College and Trace Porter, McNeese State University, 6.9. 4, Treg Schaack, Northeastern Junior College, and Seth Andersen, Gillette College, 15.7. (overall winners – on four) 1, Schmidt and Barham, 24.2. 2, Fisher and Porter, 25.6. 3, Egurrola and Gaona, 31.3. 4, Clay Crozier, Southern Utah University and Brody Adams, Colorado Northwest Community College, 46.4. (on three) 5, Hunter Munsell and Douglas Rich, Western Oklahoma State College, 18.8. 6, Casey Tew, Weatherford College and Landon Williams, Tarleton State University, 22.2. 7, Tristan Ruffoni and Dalton Pearce, Cuesta College, 28.2. 8, Schaack and Andersen, 30.4.
Goat Tying: (final round winners) 1,Shelby Freed, Idaho State University, 6.4 seconds. 2, Kirsten Smith, McNeese State University, 6.5. 3, Bobbi Grann, Dickinson State University, 6.7. 4, Loni Pearce, Southern Arkansas University, 6.8. (overall winners) 1, Pearce, 26.2. 2, Smith, 26.3. 3, Grann, 26.7. 4, Freed, 27. 5, (tie) Macy Fuller Central Arizona College and Lauren Barnes, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 27.3 each. 7, Callie Stanhouse, Three Rivers College, 27.6. 8, Courtney Wood, Feather River College, 27.8.
Barrel Racing: (final round winners) 1, Callahan Crossley, Blue Mountain Community College, 13.72 seconds. 2, Hailey Kinsel, Texas A & M University, 13.90. 3, Billie Holman, Fresno State University, 13.91. 4, Danyelle Williams, Blue Mountain Community College, 13.92. (overall winners) 1, Crossley, 56.00. 2, (tie) Williams, and Holman, 56.31 each. 4, Shelby Herrman, Tarleton State University, 56.40. 5, Kortney Cleveland, Eastern New Mexico State University, 56.70. 6. Hailey Kinsel, Texas A & M University, 56.83. 7, Jessica Lewis, Blue Mountain Community College, 56.92. 8, Taylor Engesser, Gillette College, 57.03.
Bull Riding: (final round) no rides (overall winners – on two) 1, Gray Essary, Ranger College, 151. 2, Trasen Jones, College of Southern Idaho, 150.5. 3, Josh Frost, Panhandle State University, 140. 4, Joe Frost, Panhandle State University, 138. (on one) 5, Travis Smith, Missouri Valley College, 77. 6, Winston Cheek, Eastern Mississippi Community College, 76.5. 7, Josh Davison, New Mexico State University, 75.5. 8, (tie) Bryan Carter, Oregon State University, and Drew Antone, Casper College, 71.5 each.
Men's All-Around: 1, Landon Williams, Tarleton State University, 445 points. 2, Jared Parke, Blue Mountain Community College, 445 points. 2, Jared Parke, Blue Mountain Community College, 295. 3, Jace Lane, Tarleton State University, 240. 4, Clark Adcock, University of Tennessee- Martin, 235.
Women's All-Around: 1, Kirsten Smith, McNeese State University, 285 points. 2, Hayden Todd, Eastern New Mexico State University, 265. 3, Randi Buchanan, Panhandle State University, 255. 4, Shelby Freed, Idaho State University, 220.
Men's Team: 1, Tarleton State University, 915 points. 2, Panhandle State University, 835. 3, Missouri Valley College, 645. 4, College of Southern Idaho, 590.
Women's Team: 1, Blue Mountain Community College, 517.50 points. 2, McNeese State University, 420. 3, Eastern New Mexico University, 350. 4, Central Arizona College, 285.83.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


In this half hour introductory webinar, Prof. Peter Hines talks about Shingo, and how you create a sustainable system of improvement. With polls, and survey findings, it delivers a very informative summary of what Shingo is, and how it works in an organisation. This webinar is a quick overview of the Shingo Discover Excellence workshop, ending with questions from those attending.
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Home/Churches and Ministries/California, LA County to Pay $800k In Settlement With John Macarthur's Church Over Covid Lockdown Orders
California, LA County to Pay $800k In Settlement With John Macarthur's Church Over Covid Lockdown Orders
The state of California and Los Angeles have agreed to pay $800,000 in legal fees to settle their lawsuit with John MacArthur's church over COVID-19 lockdown rules.
Written by Michael Gryboski | Friday, September 3, 2021
"California has no such power to determine whether churches are 'essential,' as the federal and state constitutions have already done so," argued the lawsuit, in part. "Grace Community Church provides a spiritual service to the Los Angeles community that its congregation and its members rightly believe is essential, and the California State Constitution specifically protects their fundamental rights in this context."
MacArthur's Grace Community Church of Sun Valley had been involved in months of legal battles with state and local officials over his refusal to adhere to ongoing lockdown restrictions.
Jenna Ellis of the Thomas More Society, who helped to represent the church, posted a statement on Twitter Tuesday celebrating the $800,000 settlement.
"We are very pleased to see Pastor MacArthur and Grace Community Church's First Amendment protections fully vindicated in this case," read the statement.
"It has been a hard-fought battle to preserve religious liberty and we hope that this result will encourage Californians, and all Americans, to continue to stand firm that church is essential."
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed to the settlement (its amount being $400,000) due in part to recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings that overturned various public health measures in response to COVID-19 that specifically targeted houses of worship.
"After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that some public health safety measures could not apply to houses of worship, resolving this litigation is the responsible and appropriate thing to do," stated the county's counsel, as quoted by the Los Angeles Daily News.
"From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles County has been committed to protecting the health and safety of its residents. We are grateful to the county's faith organizations for their continued partnership to keep their congregants and the entire community safe and protected from COVID-19."
Last August, MacArthur and his church sued California over its ongoing ban on indoor worship services in response to the coronavirus.
Although Grace Community Church had initially adhered to the state lockdown rules, they returned to in-person worships in defiance of the state's ongoing public health orders.
John MacArthur & Grace Community Church Hold Indoor Worship…
Pastor John MacArthur Responds To California's Threats Of…
Judge Refuses to Hold John MacArthur in Contempt without…
A Useful Distinction Regarding Church and State in Our…
L.A. County Evicts John MacArthur's Grace Church From…


Like, in person. I want a guy to approach me and hit on me! I want a guy to ask me out on a date. Ask for my number. I mean…something! I honestly can't remember the last time that happened. It's been years. Is being hit on still a thing? I have other friends that are approached by men when we're out. So it's gotta be a thing. Maybe it's not a thing for me.
I was hoping that with my weight loss maybe I'd get a little attention. No, I didn't lose weight to get the attention and I didn't do it for somebody else. I was just hoping that it would be a positive thing that would come from being skinnier.
But it hasn't. It's disheartening. Disappointing. And such a lonely feeling.
If I can be blunt, from somebody who has been following you for a few years, your problem appears to be your lack of confidence. You will attract men when you have low self-esteem but only two types. They are not the types you would want to attract: the sort of man who will use and abuse you because he knows he can get away with it, and men who want to fix you as a pet project (Saviour Complex).
Believe me, I know what a vicious circle it is not to have confidence in yourself but there is some truth in trying to show confidence on the outside even when nervous as hell on the inside. When I started dating in 2012, the first woman I met said I was different from my profile because I was much more confident than I gave myself credit for. I was nervous as hell on every single date but gritted my teeth and presented the air of a confident person with lots of options. That rubbed off and the first time in my dating life, I actually had options despite being their overweight, average height, average income not-very-good-looking guy.
In short, if you can show people that you are confident (even when you're not) people will react positively towards you. In this article, I recounted my first OKCupid date.
You can always be blunt. I appreciate your input. You are absolutely right lol. Yes, I totally lack confidence. I mean don't have any at all lol. I thought I was faking it. But maybe not enough???


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The activities and direction of the International Federation of Hospital Engineering (IFHE) are steered by an executive committee.
Committee Member from 1992-1998, 2000- 2002 and 2010-2014; an IFHE Council Member from 1988-2012; and was a member of the IFHE DIGEST Advisory Panel from 2009-2013.
Organization (WHO) to work out plans for isolation rooms in four hospitals in Tadjikistan. He was also engaged in 2010 by the World Bank to undertake the same procedure in four hospitals in Bhutan.
Installation company Pranger-Rosier. He has many years experience working in the building industry and hospitals.
DARRYL PITCHER CEO for Bethsalem Care and GreenBriars Village, Australia. He has many years experience in hospital engineering in the public and private sectors. He is a past President, Institute of Hospital Engineering, Australia. (IHEA). Previously he oversaw a 'revamp' of the IHEA website and The Australian Hospital Engineer journal.


text:
Page 3 of 27 - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Purchase full notes for £7.95 (aprox $12.39)
Salinguerra is certainly no 'man of sorrows'. In fact, his very presence seems to terrify Sordello (the 'stammering awkward man'):
A stammering awkward man that scarce dared raise
His eye before the magisterial gaze –
And Salinguerra with his fears and hopes
Of sixty years, his Emperors and Popes,
Cares and contrivances, yet, you would say,
'Twas a youth nonchalantly looked away
Through the embrasure northward o'er the sick
Expostulating trees – so agile, quick
And graceful turned the head on the broad chest
Encased in pliant steel,	(IV, 422-31)
Salinguerra's commanding gaze 'o'er the sick/Expostulating trees –' in fact, suggests much about how Pound's view of heroism was to develop.
Perhaps ironically, though, one of Pound's first heroes in The Cantos was none other than Sordello himself, and, given Browning's portrayal of this Mantuan troubadour, it is not surprising that Pound makes a distinction in Canto II between Browning's 'Sordello, and my Sordello' (10/6). Pound's 'Sordello' derives from a 'brief account' he read in the Ambrosian library at Milan, which forms the basis of the passage from Canto VI beginning 'E lo Sordels si fo de Mantoana.' It is revealing to see in this short troubadour life the active Sordello who stimulated Pound's interest and sympathy. His main recorded acts in The Cantos are his 'subtraction' of the Lady Cunizza from her husband ( VI and XXIX ) and his sale of the five castles and a dye-works he had been gifted by Charles I of Naples, having no desire to be tied down with the responsibilities of a property owner:
...sold the damn lot six weeks later,
Sordellus de Godio.
Quan ben m'albir e mon ric pensamen.
What Pound did derive from Browning's Sordello, however, proved, in the long run, to be of much more direct importance to The Cantos than any straightforward prototype of heroism. In the first drafts of Pound's poem, the 'modern' poet specifically addresses Browning, the Victorian sage. The latter had pursued his intention, according to Pound of 'set[ting] out so much thought, so much emotion' through his imaginative creation of 'one whole man,' as opposed to the 'many fragments' of Pound's own vision.


This CLE webinar will guide real estate counsel on the various methods of structuring waterfall provisions and promote payments to managers/developers in real estate joint venture agreements. The panel will examine the tax implications for distributions and promote payments.
Waterfall provisions governing distributions are one of the most critical components of real estate joint venture agreements. After investors have received a return of their capital and IRR, promote payments are made to developers/managers.
While promote is usually structured on a ''deal by deal'' or a ''whole fund'' basis, there are a host of variations that enable managers/developers, and investors to better align distribution of profits to the joint venture's goals.
Counsel must draft allocation provisions to avoid phantom income associated with promote payments. Tax distribution clauses may be added to address phantom income. Other critical provisions include clawbacks, which allow investors to recoup promote payments if the investor did not receive its return on investment.
Listen as our authoritative panel of real estate finance practitioners discusses structuring waterfall provisions and promote payments in real estate joint venture agreements as well as the tax impact for distributions and promote payments.
What are the various methods for calculating promote?
What are the best approaches for structuring promote provisions?
How can counsel anticipate and plan for phantom income?
This is an encore presentation.
Mr. Hoffman is HighBrook's Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel. Mr. Hoffman focuses his efforts on the operations of HighBrook, including capital structuring and the management of legal affairs. Prior to joining HighBrook, Mr. Hoffman was an attorney with the law firm Jones Day for four years, where he served as HighBrook's primary counsel. In addition, he represented HighBrook and other clients in a real estate private equity transactions, real estate financings, cross-border real estate investments, and real estate fund formations. Mr. Hoffman negotiated a wide range of complex capital structures, including joint ventures, acquisitions, preferred equity and debt investments, together with leasing, management, and other traditional real estate transactions. Prior to his tenure at Jones Day, Mr. Hoffman worked at Fried Frank in both their New York and Hong Kong offices, representing clients in real estate private equity and capital market transactions. Mr. Hoffman earned a BA in Biological Sciences from State University of New York at Buffalo and his JD from Fordham University. Mr. Hoffman serves on HighBrook's Executive Committee and the Risk Management Committee.
Mr. Weber has experience in a broad range of commercial real estate, corporate finance, and private and public securities transactions, including acquisitions and dispositions, corporate and partnership restructurings, securitizations, financings, private equity investments, and public and private offerings of debt and equity.


text:
Home News Cover The Bare Minimum
Texas lives off low-wage workers but does little to help them escape poverty.
Sarah Angle
Marion Patton was homeless for three years before Catholic Charities of Fort Worth "saved her" through its street outreach program.
She's in a one-bedroom apartment now in southwest Fort Worth. Her rent is subsidized by the Fort Worth Housing Authority. Otherwise she'd never be able to make payments, eat, and pay for the bus to get to work. She pays just $250 for the apartment. But even that is about 30 percent of her modest monthly income.
The rest of her budget goes something like this: $30 for the bus, $45 for her phone, $150 for groceries, and $10 for medications. She gets $40 a month in food stamps, and she spends a little on clothes and on her two cats, Baby and Angel, whom she spoils with toys and warm milk (in addition to lots of love).
She puts $20 into savings each month and gives as much as she can to her 31-year-old son. She even gave one of her co-workers $25 for food when the young woman came up short a couple of months ago. (When you make $800 a month, $25 is a small fortune.)
In Fort Worth, housing is extremely expensive for low-wage workers. The cheapest all-bills-paid apartment in the city is about $600 a month, Petrovich said, but the typical rent in Tarrant County is closer to $940.
Currently, 9,000 people are on the waiting list for Section 8 housing in the city. Petrovich knows a woman who waited three and a half years for her name to reach the top of the list. More than affordability, safety is another huge concern for low-wage workers looking for a place to live here.
Subsisting on minimum wage in Texas puts people on the edge of catastrophe every day. They don't have enough money in case something goes wrong. And something, invariably, does.
And when it does, that small space between barely getting by and being homeless disappears. Petrovich said he knows people living at Presbyterian Night Shelter who are working minimum-wage jobs. "But the jobs don't give them the income they need to escape homelessness," he said. "It's really hard to be self-sufficient on minimum-wage salaries."
The National Women's Law Center reports that more than six out of 10 minimum-wage workers in Texas are women.
Why the disparity?
"The lower you go in pay, the more predominately female the professions are," explained CPPP's Garrett Groves.
In 2013, 64 percent of minimum-wage employees worked in food preparation or serving occupations. Think: waitress, cook, hostess. The next largest group included service categories, including home health and personal care aides, jobs filled mostly by women.
In addition to working traditionally low-paying jobs, women in Texas (and the rest of the country) still experience a wage gap. That gap persists across the employment spectrum from blue collar to white collar, and it means women earn an average of 79 cents to a man's dollar, according to a 2014 report from the Texas Women's Foundation.
Because women hold the majority of minimum-wage jobs and get paid less than men for the same work, they're at a far greater risk of facing financial catastrophe. So it's no surprise that the fastest growing group of homeless people in the country is women and children.
Back at Braum's, I ask Marion Patton how she does, working a part-time job making $9 an hour?
"By the grace of God," she said, lifting her arm to the sky and wiping a tear from her cheek. "By the grace of God."
Schmelzle works full-time, but she knows she'll never be able to make a better life for herself or be self-sufficient working at Denny's. So she has bigger plans.
"What's your dream job?" I ask.
"A nurse," she says without hesitation. "I want to be a nurse. … I never went to college. I never did any of that. I thought, 'I'm pregnant. He's going to marry me. We're going to be a happy family.' But none of that happened."
"At least not yet," I say.
"Yeah, not yet," she says with a smile.
Schmelzle looks down at the coffee getting cold in her cup and checks the time on her phone. It's 3 p.m., and she's got to get home to clean up, make dinner, pick up her youngest, help the other kids with their homework, get them bathed and put to bed, and wake up tomorrow at 6 a.m. to do it all over again.
Tonight's dinner is boiled cabbage and spaghetti with meatballs. The family eats together on porcelain plates given to Schmelzle by a friend, sitting around a wooden table donated by Cornerstone. The 4-year-old is clamoring for his mom's attention while she cooks. He's trying to find his Spider-Man action figure, but it's hidden somewhere in the small room he shares with his older brother and sister, a room with three twin-sized beds, each pushed against a wall, with stuffed animals peaking out beneath the neatly folded sheets.
low-wage jobs
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Anatomy of a Musical Meltdown
It's tough out there these days and I feel like a lot of older people who grew up when things were different can not see it so they remain stuck in conservative ideologies that just don't work anymore. Every time I hear someone may a claim that in America if you work hard, you can be or have whatever you want., I want to scream! It is just not true anymore. Great piece!
Concerned Citizen May 1, 2015 at 6:04 pm
No political ideology works anymore. The cost of big government programs is ultimately passed on to the consumers and citizens, no matter what, vastly escalating the cost of living –which is the real problem here. The cost of a higher education is also out of control thanks to predominately liberal universities being able to screw college students and their parents any way they want. Politicians go to Washington and get systemically bribed by lobbyists to vote for more big industry breaks and bail outs at the expense of the average person. It is discouraging.
Andy M. May 3, 2015 at 3:05 pm
Thank you, Sarah Angle, for shedding light on one of the egregious injustices taking place in the 21st century. The comment, "No political ideology works anymore", is right on the mark. A small piece of legislation here or there will not address the vast disparities that exist in our society – people dying of hunger in a world of plentiful food, others needing proper housing, healthcare, or education to live decent lives. Clearly our leaders in office don't understand the severity of the crises or how to fix them.
I'm with a worldwide network of volunteers, Share International, who sees this moment as a critical turning point for our civilization. We are aware of an extraordinary teacher who is incredibly wise and deeply concerned about the welfare of ALL humans…who will point the way forward…and who will inspire us, through our hearts, to work together to demand our politicians to make drastic changes. Maitreya is this teacher's name, and he will be calling on TV for humanity to share together the food and basic resources of our planet. The signs of his gradual public emergence are numerous and documented in magazines, newspapers, videos and press releases over the last couple decades.
For anyone interested in a hopeful outlook on the future, we will be offering two presentations in June on this story that has intrigued and inspired millions worldwide already: "How do we fix our broken world?" – June 13 & 20 (Dallas Angelika Film Center and Richardson Civic Center)
More info: share-international.us/events


This tallit features a shimmering rainbow, from to striking reds to glimmering aquas and to a bold purple atarah.
This tallit is made from 100% silk crepe de chine, a soft and lightweight fabric that you'll love to drape around your shoulders. It measures 18" x 72" and comes with a handmade bag to store the tallit.
We use certified Kosher wool tzitzit made in Israel.


text:
extern crate dbus;

use std::sync::Arc;
use std::sync::mpsc;
use std::cell::Cell;
use std::thread;

use dbus::{Connection, BusType, tree, Path};
use dbus::tree::{Interface, Signal, MTFn, Access, MethodErr, EmitsChangedSignal};

// Our storage device
#[derive(Debug)]
struct Device {
    description: String,
    path: Path<'static>,
    index: i32,
    online: Cell<bool>,
    checking: Cell<bool>,
}

// Every storage device has its own object path.
// We therefore create a link from the object path to the Device.
#[derive(Copy, Clone, Default, Debug)]
struct TData;
impl tree::DataType for TData {
    type Tree = ();
    type ObjectPath = Arc<Device>;
    type Property = ();
    type Interface = ();
    type Method = ();
    type Signal = ();
}

impl Device {
    // Creates a "test" device (not a real one, since this is an example).
    fn new_bogus(index: i32) -> Device {
        Device {
            description: format!("This is device {}, which is {}.", index,
                ["totally awesome", "really fancy", "still going strong"][(index as usize) % 3]),
            path: format!("/Device{}", index).into(),
            index: index,
            online: Cell::new(index % 2 == 0),
            checking: Cell::new(false),
        }
    }
}

// Here's where we implement the code for our interface.
fn create_iface(check_complete_s: mpsc::Sender<i32>) -> (Interface<MTFn<TData>, TData>, Arc<Signal<TData>>) {
    let f = tree::Factory::new_fn();

    let check_complete = Arc::new(f.signal("CheckComplete", ()));

    (f.interface("com.example.dbus.rs.device", ())
        // The online property can be both set and get
        .add_p(f.property::<bool,_>("online", ())
            .access(Access::ReadWrite)
            .on_get(|i, m| {
                let dev: &Arc<Device> = m.path.get_data();
                i.append(dev.online.get());
                Ok(())
            })
            .on_set(|i, m| {
                let dev: &Arc<Device> = m.path.get_data();
                let b: bool = try!(i.read());
                if b && dev.checking.get() {
                    return Err(MethodErr::failed(&"Device currently under check, cannot bring online"))
                }
                dev.online.set(b);
                Ok(())
            })
        )
        // The "checking" property is read only
        .add_p(f.property::<bool,_>("checking", ())
            .emits_changed(EmitsChangedSignal::False)
            .on_get(|i, m| {
                let dev: &Arc<Device> = m.path.get_data();
                i.append(dev.checking.get());
                Ok(())
            })
        )
        // ...and so is the "description" property
        .add_p(f.property::<&str,_>("description", ())
            .emits_changed(EmitsChangedSignal::Const)
            .on_get(|i, m| {
                let dev: &Arc<Device> = m.path.get_data();
                i.append(&dev.description);
                Ok(())
            })
        )
        // ...add a method for starting a device check...
        .add_m(f.method("check", (), move |m| {
            let dev: &Arc<Device> = m.path.get_data();
            if dev.checking.get() {
                return Err(MethodErr::failed(&"Device currently under check, cannot start another check"))
            }
            if dev.online.get() {
                return Err(MethodErr::failed(&"Device is currently online, cannot start check"))
            }
            dev.checking.set(true);

            // Start some lengthy processing in a separate thread...
            let devindex = dev.index;
            let ch = check_complete_s.clone();
            thread::spawn(move || {

                // Bogus check of device
                use std::time::Duration;
                thread::sleep(Duration::from_secs(15));

                // Tell main thread that we finished
                ch.send(devindex).unwrap();
            });
            Ok(vec!(m.msg.method_return()))
        }))
        // Indicate that we send a special signal once checking has completed.
        .add_s(check_complete.clone())
    , check_complete)
}

fn create_tree(devices: &[Arc<Device>], iface: &Arc<Interface<MTFn<TData>, TData>>)
    -> tree::Tree<MTFn<TData>, TData> {

    let f = tree::Factory::new_fn();
    let mut tree = f.tree(());
    for dev in devices {
        tree = tree.add(f.object_path(dev.path.clone(), dev.clone())
            .introspectable()
            .add(iface.clone())
        );
    }
    tree
}

fn run() -> Result<(), Box<std::error::Error>> {
    // Create our bogus devices
    let devices: Vec<Arc<Device>> = (0..10).map(|i| Arc::new(Device::new_bogus(i))).collect();

    // Create tree
    let (check_complete_s, check_complete_r) = mpsc::channel::<i32>();
    let (iface, sig) = create_iface(check_complete_s);
    let tree = create_tree(&devices, &Arc::new(iface));

    // Setup DBus connection
    let c = try!(Connection::get_private(BusType::Session));
    try!(c.register_name("com.example.dbus.rs.advancedserverexample", 0));
    try!(tree.set_registered(&c, true));

    // ...and serve incoming requests.
    for _ in tree.run(&c, c.iter(1000)) {

        // This will be run every second, because we block (waiting for DBus requests)
        // one second at a time.
        if let Ok(idx) = check_complete_r.try_recv() {
            let dev = &devices[idx as usize];
            dev.checking.set(false);
            try!(c.send(sig.msg(&dev.path, &"com.example.dbus.rs.device".into())).map_err(|_| "Sending DBus signal failed"));
        }
    }
    Ok(())
}

fn main() {
    if let Err(e) = run() {
        println!("{}", e);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl this season? Vegas says, "Don't bet on it."
In fact, some sports books out in the desert say you're taking a risk if you bet the "over" on total wins for your men in stripes.
The Westgate Hotel Sports Book has the over-under on Bengals wins this season at seven. Betonline.com has the Bengals over-under on wins at 6.5. Several of the sports books have had the Bengals as low as six this season.
The thing to remember about any posted bet is this: It's not a prediction. The "books" set a number that they believe will create action on both sides, but clearly the Bengals aren't inspiring a lot of national belief.
Vegas Insider even has the Bengals at 100-1 to be hoisting football's ultimate trophy next February. Those are the exact same odds that website gives to the Bears, Browns and Dolphins.
But what do they or ESPN know? Most of what's being predicted for the 2018 NFL season is just lip flapping. You want to predict how many games a team will win in November? Tell me how many of its players will be healthy or how many of its opponents' will.
The lack of faith in your Bengals doesn't end there. Last week, espn.com ranked the rosters of every NFL team. They had the Bengals 18th out of 32 NFL teams. The Steelers roster was rated seventh, the Ravens 20th and the Browns dead last.
Of the players currently on the Bengals roster, espn.com ranked exactly two elite players: AJ Green and Geno Atkins. Most of the Bengals roster fell into the "average" category. Only one Bengals offensive lineman, Clint Boling, achieved a rank of "average." On defense, starting cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick was ranked as "poor."
The Bengals have the NFL right where they want them, or maybe it's the other way around.
Look, we all know why the national perception of the Bengals is the way it is: Marvin Lewis, their record in the playoffs, their record the last two seasons. Put that with a large turnover on the coaching staff in the last two years and, voila, welcome to 2018.
The only problem with all of that is a rather large one. In professional sports, past is not always prologue. Times change, teams change. The coach's creed is every season is different. And as much has coaches babble with nonsense, the creed is often true.
Who saw Jacksonville coming last season? For that matter, the Eagles. In 2016, the Eagles were 7-9. The Bengals were 6-9-1. In the 2017 season, the Eagles won the Super Bowl. The Bengals, of course, were 7-9.
So here we are now, just three weeks from the start of training camp. The Bengals appear to be better than last season -- not wildly better, just better. They had a pedestrian offseason, but in a large way, they needed that.
"If you're drafting a center with a first-round pick, people are yawning. And I understand that from being on the Hall of Fame selection committee. We don't put centers in the Hall of Fame. We put in one, in the last 20 years." This is Clark Judge talking. He has covered the NFL for various newspapers and websites for his entire adult life. He runs the Talk of Fame website and weekly radio show.
"But here, it's not too much different, and I'm not going to make a strong analogy here, from what the Atlanta Falcons did a couple of years ago," Judge said. "And that's when they brought in Alex Mack and said, 'We've got to solidify the center of our offensive line.' "
This would be Billy Price that Judge is talking about. From all indications, Price is bigger, stronger and smarter than any center the Bengals have had since Rich Braham. And he has been gone 12 years now.
"Billy Price, to get him where they did? This is a guy who didn't miss a start in 55 games at Ohio State. He's durable. He's tough. He's the kind of guy you want in the middle of the line. When they (the Falcons offensive line) protected Matt Ryan like they did, you saw the difference. You really did see a complete change in that offense, and in Ryan, in particular," Judge said.
Mack arrived in Atlanta in 2016. The Falcons, of course, went to the Super Bowl that season.
The Bengals' problem isn't dissimilar to what the Falcons were facing before they brought in Mack. Atlanta's line wasn't as dismal as the Bengals' line has been the last two seasons. The Bengals allowed 80 sacks the past two seasons. Not all of those were the line's fault, but most of them were.
Cordy Glenn should be a huge upgrade over the guys the Bengals were running out onto the field to play (allegedly) left tackle last season. Glenn's problem is heath. He played in only six games last season, nursing a bad foot. The Bengals still have issues on the right side of their line. Andre Smith is gone, again. Jake Fisher is healthy, again, over his heart issues. And the right guard spot is so wide open, you might consider applying.
But there's only so much you can do in one offseason, at least by Bengals standards. This is a team that, historically, hasn't embraced the concept of free agency. Maybe if it didn't have the word "free," it'd be a different story. You would never see the Bengals do what the Jacksonville Jaguars did a year ago, signing 13 free agents, three in the first day of business. But trading for Glenn and drafting Price was a start.
"I'm not saying these guys are going to the Super Bowl, like the Falcons did," Judge told me. "But it made sense. If you're going to bet on Andy Dalton, and the Bengals are -- they made it very clear -- protect him."
Dalton, by the way, grades as "average" in the espn.com player rankings. And maybe because of that, the Bengals, as a whole, grade as an average team.
The Eagles' roster grades best in the NFL. They have a wealth of riches at quarterback with Carson Wentz and Nick Foles. The Falcons are ranked second, with Matt Ryan. Drew Brees earns the Saints' roster a third-best ranking. The Patriots are fourth on the espn.com list.
But football seasons aren't a function of rankings. Most seasons turn on health and luck. No teams should be anointed a champion in July. And no team, not even the average ones, should be counted out.
"Their running game stunk last year," said Judge of the local squad. "The team offense was dead last last year. Well, do something about it. You've got some weapons. You've got a quarterback you're committed to. So protect him."
We won't have to wait long until we find out how that's going.
My pal Vinnie Iyer from sportingnews.com has his list of the top 10 wide receivers in the NFL. Can't say I argue with any of it.
I interviewed Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella once. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to him. But after reading this, I think I'd like to talk to Tortorella consistently. The guy is one of the best "quotes" in the biz.
It's now a "180," but I'm coming around to the idea of not trading Scooter Gennett at the end of this month. First of all, the Reds don't have to trade him. He's under club control through the 2019 season. Second, who is to say the infield prospects in their organization are going to be as good as Gennett is playing right now? Prospects are suspects until proven otherwise. And, who is to say Gennett will be playing as well this time a year from now? Unlike other years with other players, time is on the Reds' side with Gennett. A year from now, they will know if Nick Senzel can play at the major league level. A year from now, they will know if the way Gennett has hit this season was a fluke or trend. You usually don't get a lot for a middle infielder in a trade, certainly not in the middle of a season. So the Reds can afford to wait on Gennett.
Matt Harvey on the other hand? Been nice knowing you. You can thank us later for getting your arm and your head screwed on straight. Think about this about the free agent to be. If you would carry him until the end of the season and make him a qualifying offer (to at least get draft pick compensation for him signing with another team) and he would forget free agency and take that offer, it would cost the Reds in excess of $17 million for Harvey in 2019 salary. That $17 million would buy a lot better pitcher than Harvey. But he was a nice pick-up for a cheap price. Have you seen Devin Mesoraco's numbers with the Mets? Not good.
LeBron James in Los Angeles made too much sense for it not to happen. He owns an entertainment company that makes, according to the company's website , "compelling stories for television, feature and digital." Just a wild guess here, but I don't think Cleveland is as compelling to the entertainment industry as Los Angeles.
Second, James is all about his legacy now. And he left a cool $50 million on the table with the Cavaliers; money is secondary to him. In 2017 alone, he made $55 million just on endorsements. He has earned well north of $500 million in NBA salary. There's no way he can catch Michael Jordan and his six NBA titles. But James can be the first player to win three NBA titles with three different teams.
He probably took a look around what was in the Cavaliers locker room with him and came to the conclusion everyone has: It's not a very good group. Remember this is the team that beat the Pacers this spring in seven games. And to win that seventh game, the Cavaliers needed 45 points from James to win by only four.
Now he will go to the Lakers, who haven't been relevant since the Kobe-Shaq era. I would not be surprised if the Lakers work out a deal to get Kawhi Leonard from the Spurs. And I would not be shocked if Lonzo Ball is in another uniform next season. My guess is James told the Lakers he likes Lonzo, but keep his father away from me. Easiest way to do that? Trade Ball.
I'd be shocked if the Cavaliers win 30 games next season. If they're being honest about it, they would probably be shocked, too.
And then, you have this from Charles Barkley . And actually, I get what he's saying.
Down in Lexington, John Calipari has set the bar high for his team this coming season. He does understand there is only one ball on the court at any given time, right?
Two things about the World Cup as it rolls into the quarterfinals. One, with Argentina and Germany now out of the way, could the Cup be headed to England? After the Brits beat Colombia on penalties (not exactly a strength for England), it could be. Except there's that little problem with Brazil and France still around. And, two, it should be a World Cup rule that Ian Darke call every World Cup match in 2020. There isn't a better voice in the game. And he has been missed this go-round. End of story, although I like John Strong.
This is a good time to wish singer, songwriter and showman Huey Lewis a happy 68th birthday. And some good wishes, too, as he battles health issues. This is one of his earliest hits. But it's also one of my all-time favorites.
This is from his 1982 album "Picture This." The song peaked at No. 7 36 years ago. It was written by the prolific songwriter "Mutt" Lange, who was married for a hot minute to Shania Twain.
Lewis didn't want to record this song, largely because he had no hand in writing it and thought it was too commercialized in sound. But he and Lange, who knew each other from working together in Lewis' first band, "Clover," were under pressure from their label to produce a breakout hit. Lange convinced Lewis this would be that hit. Turns out, Lange was spot on. By the way, as on so many of Lewis' hits, sax player Johnny Colla is an absolute star on this song.
Times have turned tough for Lewis. He was forced to cancel his entire 2018 tour because, he said, his hearing has deteriorated so badly, he can't sing anymore.
I remember seeing Lewis, a huge 49ers fan, immediately after the Bengals-49ers Super Bowl in Miami in 1989. We were both stuck in a sea of people. He was in a human mass flowing toward the 49ers' locker room. I was in another human mass heading toward the Bengals' locker room. The human flows of traffic stopped just as Lewis and I were next to each other. We literally looked at each other at the same moment. I had no idea what to say. He, of course, was ecstatic about the outcome of the game. So all I said to him was a title from one of his songs. I said, "Well, if this it ..." He looked at me and said, "It better not be." It wasn't, of course for the 49ers. They had two more Super Bowl wins left in them. For the Bengals? Sigh.
Anyway, happy belated 68th birthday to the man who delivered the News back in the day, born Hugh Cregg III on July 5, 1950, in New York City. You, of course, know him as Huey Lewis.


text:
Q: Importing SQL queries in SQLite in a Batch in iPhone preogramatically In my application as I release a new version, I alter my existing database tables by adding a new table or altering existing tables in SQlite.
I have written the same in script/text file and want to just import in a form of batch directly into existing database where these queries will execute once.
I know that i can do same by writing each alter query separately but this will also increase execution time and time for writing question.
Any ideas on how I can achieve this?

A: One thing that I used to was to keep an array of colums for each table, like
persons = {[ fname, lname, address, zip ]}
then I also have another version array, that tells me I have for version 1, persons, 4 colums.
Then when I updated the application, and add f.ex. gsm to the persons, I update the array and the count. Then I run the query on the database sqlite_master, parse the data
you can run '.schema persons' to get the create statement. This is just work you do once, and you never run alter table on tables up to date this way. You need to be organized.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
A surge in the value of crypto-currencies provokes alarm
Thursday, Jun 01, 2017 by: adminposted in: finance comments: 0
IT IS hard to predict when bubbles will pop, in particular when they are nested within each other. It helps to keep this image in mind when considering one of the biggest surges in asset values of recent years: the market value of all the world's crypto-currencies has trebled since the beginning of the year, and is now worth more than $60bn (see chart).
Bitcoin is the best known of these currencies, especially after hackers this month instructed victims to pay ransoms in the anonymous digital cash in order to get their computer files decrypted. Not that many bitcoins exist: there are about 16.3m of them, with only 1,800 new ones minted every day. But growing demand has pushed bitcoin's price to a record recent high of about $1,830, up from $450 a year ago.
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Problems abide. Earlier this year some of the biggest exchanges, such as Bitfinex, experienced problems with their correspondent banks and were unable to pay out real-world currencies to account-holders. To get their money out, they had to buy bitcoin and exchange them elsewhere. Yet the market is becoming more mature: institutional investors, from family offices to hedge funds, have become more comfortable with crypto-currencies, says Mike Komaransky of Cumberland Mining, which arranges over-the-counter trades. Other factors driving demand include fluctuations of China's yuan, the French elections and, in a small way, the ransomware attack (when The Economist went to press, only about $80,000 had been sent to the bitcoin accounts held by the hackers).
Counter-intuitively, bitcoin's biggest weakness—the system's limited capacity—has also increased demand for crypto-currencies. Its developers have argued for years about how to expand the system, which can only handle seven transactions per second, compared with thousands on conventional payment services. Even before worries surfaced that the currency could split in two over the disagreement, bitcoin holders started to diversify into some of the many other crypto-currencies, or "alt.coins", to emerge in recent years. CoinMarketCap, a website, lists more than 800, from ArcticCoin, an obscure Russian currency, to ZCoin, which boasts added privacy. The latest beneficiary is Ripple, which saw its market value explode from $2bn early this month to over $13bn. Ethereum, which issues "ether", has jumped from $700m in January to $8.6bn.
Ethereum's surge in turn helped inflate another bubble. Feeling richer, holders of ether started investing in what have come to be called initial coin offerings. Startups sell "tokens", sub-currencies of sorts, which exist on top of Ethereum. A total of 38 such ICOs have already been launched this year, raising more than $150m, according to Smith+Crown, a research firm. This has lured even more money into crypto-currencies. Some of the gains have found their way back into bitcoin and alt.coins. Trading between crypto-currencies has grown tenfold to $2bn on average a day, says Erik Voorhees, the founder of ShapeShift, a crypto-to-crypto exchange.
The question is not if but when the market will turn. Even crypto-aficionados may run for the exits should bitcoin bifurcate or if one of the ICOs, which are completely unregulated, goes badly wrong—if issuers, for example, abscond with the money. Prices will also suffer should regulators start clamping down on such offerings.
On the other hand, although it is now easy to buy crypto-currencies for real cash, selling big amounts can be hard—as the woes of Bitfinex and others show. This makes sudden outflows unlikely. And the price surges have shown how the crypto-currency system is no longer just about bitcoin. Although it is still the biggest kid on the blockchain and functions, in effect, as a crypto-reserve currency, it now makes up under half the combined market capitalisation of all crypto-currencies. Come a crash, they may not all fall.
This article appeared in the Finance and economics section of the print edition under the headline "New money"
SOURCE: http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21722235-bitcoin-far-only-game-town-surge-value-crypto-currencies?fsrc=scn%2Ffb%2Fwl%2Frfd%2Fpe&utm_term=test
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A policy branch manages both the namespace and the permissions of its sub-branches, inlcuding an optional unique content branch that has the same human-friendly name as the policy branch: for example, foo.bar may name both a particular content branch 'and' contain policy decisions that name and constrain the sub-branches foo.bar.baz and foo.bar.quux.
Aspects of policy accumulate "down" the tree, from the root policy towards content trees. So a branch like foo.bar.baz is judged by the policy of foo, plus the policy of foo.bar, plus the policy of foo.bar.baz.
At the root of the policy-branch tree there is a branch that all projects everywhere refer to as their parent, called Root. Users construct their own content for the Root branch. Monotone makes a branch called Root exist if you haven't created one. Root is not associated with a particular project. Rather, users 'sign' revisions into the root branch: revisions in the root branch are policy that bind top-level project names into the UI. You can think of the Root branch as a user's personal list of project-policy "mount points". This 'might' be shared between a couple of the user's personal machines, but the contents of a user's Root branch is generally private.
Why does monotone trust the user's key when signing policy in the Root policy branch? Because there is an external, non-versioned list of keys that each user keeps (typically a 1-entry list) that defines which keys to trust for the Root branch.
The important design point is that the decision for "which policy node represents the head of a policy branch" is made by evaluating 'certs' on that policy branch, and the validity of those certs is determined by looking in the policy you have in the 'parent' branch. So branch foo says which keys are legal for manipulating policy on branch foo.bar (and its sub-branches), and foo.bar introduces the sub-branch foo.bar.baz more keys which are legal for manipulating policy on branch foo.bar.baz.
If there are multiple policy heads, one is chosen at random and used; if the user wants they can force the choice between heads. This is harmless conservative behavior because policy cannot refer back to itself, so "bad policy" cannot use "racing with good policy" to bootstrap itself into more permission: bad policy can be reverted by anyone else who has write access to the policy branch containing the bad policy, and anyone adding truly 'malicious' policy can be overridden by more-authorized admins in the parent branch by de-authorizing the writer who produced the malicious policy from writing to the policy branch. The bad certs then go dead for that branch, meaning that the bad revs fall out of the branch (though if the malicious policy was merged with good policy in the meantime, someone will have to commit a revert edge as well to finish cleaning up).
There is also a per-policy-branch "kill switch" that is sticky; once the kill-switch on a branch is set it can never be un-set, so it represents a way for an admin to permanently retire a problematic branch, for example if the admin's key is compromised.
We also include a form of delegation that exists purely for inserting extra levels of authorization and kill-switches, without introducing new branch name components. This is a simple delegate.


Join WTS-KC for this members only event!
WTS-KC is excited to welcome a panel of women featured in the book "Boots on the Ground, Flats in the Boardroom" for our annual Fall members only event. Mark your calendars now to hear our distingushed guests, including several featured in the book, "Boots on the Ground, Flats in the Boardroom," share their successes and challenges of career advancement in the transportation industry.
Make sure to order your copy of "Boots on the Ground, Flats in the Boardroom" so you can read it before the event.
If you or a colleague would like to attend, but isn't a member, visit the WTS website or contact Tawn Nugent and join today!


– IRELAND, Dublin – AIB Group plc (LON:AIBG), today announced that the regulatory fitness and probity assessment process and consultation with the Minister for Finance of Ireland in respect of the proposed appointment of Dr Colin Hunt as Chief Executive Officer has concluded successfully.
Accordingly, Colin Hunt has been appointed CEO and Executive Director with immediate effect. He succeeds Mr Bernard Byrne who steps down from his executive duties and from the Board on 8 March 2019 and leaves the Company on 26 April 2019.
Colin joined AIB Group in 2016 as Managing Director, Wholesale and Institutional Banking. He previously held a number of senior positions in Macquarie Capital, Goodbody Stockbrokers, Bank of Ireland and NatWest, as well as spending time as special advisor to former Ministers for Finance and Transport.
As advised in December 2018, Colin is a former Non-Executive Director of Aer Lingus Group Designated Activity Company, formerly Aer Lingus Group Public Limited Company, which he stood down from on 29 January 2014.


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My colleague Deb Brown recently posited her view on a Fast Company piece arguing that nice bosses finish last . As Deb notes, the article is less about mean bosses being more successful and more about the importance of being direct and, if necessary, tough in order to succeed.
Deb thinks one can be nice and successful at the same time. I don't agree. I think it's more important to be direct and honest, to the point of being blunt if necessary. I believe employees want clarity. They want to be led. They want someone with a vision who can clearly communicate it. Once that's been accomplished, one can add a spoonful of sugar.
Employees also want a leader who isn't afraid to fire underperformers. Nice bosses want to be seen as one of the guys (or ladies). They shy away from sharing bad news. They let consensus rule the roost until inertia sets in. Most importantly, they want to be liked (as opposed to being focused on building the best business possible).
All of this can be done with a smile and, as Deb suggests, by showing vulnerability. But, decision-making isn't for the faint of heart. And, I agree with the Fast Company POV that tougher, more direct bosses do better than their weaker, sweeter counterparts.
– As was the case with the Green Bay Packers players coached by legendary mean guy, Vince Lombardi, I pushed myself to the absolute limits to achieve results my a**hole boss thought impossible.
Do I like working with nice people? You bet. Is respect in the workplace critical? No doubt. But, give me a tough, direct boss any day of the week. Save the consensus thinking for the Beltway (which, BTW, is how our country got in the fix we're now in: a dearth of tough, decisive leaders. Where's Harry Truman when you need him?).
Julie: As RepMan's official "decorator," I thank you.
I like the Blue Meanie graphic in this blog post… And he turned out to be a nice guy in the end.
I suggest you update your resume, Deb. How's that for being direct?
I agree with both Sam and Bubbles. Touche to you both!
Perhaps. But, it still comes down to nice vs tough/direct and, unlike Deb, I think tough/direct wins the day and agree with Fast Company that the most successful executives are the ones who make the tough, direct decisions without the niceties.
I disagree with your disagreement, Bubbles. Mario, in fact, has free reign to do whatever he wants in training me. He could decide, as some trainers do, to spend his time texting friends and occasionally watching what I do. Instead, he changes each and every session, varies to cardio vs boot camp elements and always raises the bar. That's what a great boss does. And, there's nothing nice about it. But, it's liberating, challenging as hell and ends up making one a better professional for the experience.
Thanks Sam. Great analysis. Now, let's see if Deb agrees. If she doesn't, I'm prepared to fire her.
Rep: Sorry, but I think it's wrong to compare a business manager to a personal trainer who YOU ARE PAYING to get visible, tangible, physically measurable results that you have specifically requested. Mario is being paid to do what YOU want him to do. You have specifically asked him to push you- do what he has to to motivate you. If he doesn't do that, he doesn't get paid. Vastly different from your employer who is paying you to perform.
I think the difference is a different definition of nice. When I think of someone being nice, I think of people not being unnecessarily cruel, being empathetic to the other person and handling things in the kindest way possible, etc. Where I think the disconnect here is that Steve is talking about people who are overly concerned with being perceived by others as nice.
This reminds me of the discussion about whether happiness in the workplace is important or not. If you just do everything you can to make people happy all the time, then the workplace will be dysfunctional. ("So, you want to leave early? Sure! Whatever floats your boat.) And, similarly, people who are so concerned with being perceived as nice that they'll never deliver news that's tough to hear will have a problem.
But, while I don't think a leader can be obsessed with perception, I think a leader can be nice and be a successful leader. In my mind, being nice includes being direct…courteous while doing it, but direct. Steve, you've passed along feedback to me in the past that I didn't necessarily like hearing but needed to hear. Had you not passed it along to me, I'd wager it wouldn't have been very nice you. It would have left me ignorant to feedback I needed to hear. Someone who is driven by being nice rather than wanting to be perceived as nice will have the tough conversations but do so in the most respectful way possible.
I will counter one thing, though, Steve: I've worked for nice people, and I've worked for jerks. (And, to be clear, I firmly include you and Ed in the "nice" camp, potentially much to your chagrin.) The nicer my boss has been (at least by my definition of nice), the more motivated I was to work for them. If I saw them displaying a collaborative spirit, rolling up their sleeves and working hard, etc., it motivated me to work as hard as they did and to pleasing them. When I've worked for a jerk, it's motivated me, too…motivated me to find another job.
Let me explain my POV in a way you'll understand, Deb. We both train with Mario. I don't know about you, but he pushes me beyond my limits and does so in a direct, sometimes harsh way. He doesn't coddle me or play the nice guy when I ask him to ease up. Instead, he pushes me even harder to excel. That's what great leaders do. They push you past your limits. I wouldn't want a nice trainer or a nice boss. I want someone who will keep challenging me to excel. The pat on the back, nice guy feedback comes later in the process.
I still think you're wrong Steve. You can still stand your ground, make decisions, and deal with various personalities while being respectful, approachable, and pleasant.
I disagree, Deb. And, you're fired by the way. I can think of one competitive agency that is warm and fuzzy that you'd think they'd be featured in a Disney movie. But, former employees tell me they're completely dysfunctional and suffer constant turnover precisely because management is too nice to be tough. I'm from the Nick Lowe 'Cruel to be kind' School of Management. By the way, niceness can also get in the way of managing an abusive client relationship. Be too nice and an abusive client will destroy the morale of your team. Stand your ground and, while you may lose the client, you'll earn the respect of your employees.
I disagree with you, Steve. You (well, maybe not you) can be nice and direct at the same time. Think of constructive criticism. It's direct, but it's all in the delivery. You can have a nice tone and be respectful while helping someone understand how he/she can improve. I competely agree with firing underperformers, and I've fired employees in the past, but that doesn't mean you have to be tough about it. I think the carrot is a much stronger motivator than the stick.


text:
Q: Returning List from Database I have a simple problem that I have not been able to find an answer to despite much Googling. Perhaps posting this question up will help the next poor soul who looks for the same answer.
I have a query that returns a collection of distinct ID's.
I am creating an SQLCommand with this query and using ExecuteScalar( ) to run it.
ExecuteScalar( ) appears to return an object and will not allow me to cast it to List.
What is the best practice to fix this and how can I fix this problem?

A: execute scalar returns a single piece of data. think one row, one column. if you want to return a collection you need to call ExecuteReader(). this will return an IDataReader. you can then iterate over the records and return you list.

A: ExecuteScalar:

Executes the query, and returns the first column of the first row in the result set returned by the query. Additional columns or rows are ignored.

You need to use SqlDataReader:
SqlCommand command = new SqlCommand(queryString, connection);
IList<int> ints = new List<int>();
using(SqlDataReader reader = command.ExecuteReader()) {
     while (reader.Read())
     {
         ints.add(reader.GetInt32(0)); // provided that first (0-index) column is int which you are looking for
     }
}

A: ExecuteScalar( ) - return only first row and first column....
Check msdn : SqlCommand.ExecuteScalar
You need to user something like this to get result i.e ExecuteReader
 using (IDataReader reader =
        command.ExecuteReader(CommandBehavior.CloseConnection))
 {
      List<int> intlist = ReadList(reader);
 }

method to create list
List<int> ReadList(IDataReader reader)
{
    List<int> list = new List<int>();
    int column = reader.GetOrdinal("MyColumn");

    while (reader.Read())
    {
        //check for the null value and than add
        if(!SqlReader.IsDBNull(column))
             list.Add(reader.GetInt32(column));
    }

    return list;
}

A: ExecuteScalar method returns the first column of the first row in the result set returned by the query. Additional columns or rows are ignored.
If you want to have a list of items, You should use ExecuteReader and loop thru the reader and read the value needed
List<int> items=new List<int>();
using (IDataReader reader = db.ExecuteReader(dbCommand))
{
      while (reader.Read())
      {
         items.Add(reader.GetInt32(reader.GetOrdinal("YourColumnName"));
      }
}


Challenging words. Tough questions. What's the point of life? The world's full of people trying to win, make money, and get ahead. But then what? And at what cost to themselves?
Our beautiful world is scarred with conflict, selfishness and need. The Bible is realistic about the cause. We have left God out, rebelled against Him, and set our minds to value other things. And these "idols" have failed us.
So what about Jesus? The quality of his life and teaching has been admired for 2,000 years. He stands out, unique. Christians believe He was, and is, God's only Son. But for many He wasn't a welcome visitor to this world. He was challenging. He still is. He made people uncomfortable. He still does. He was ill-treated, mocked and put to death. Today, His Name is a common swear word.
So, was he just a good man and inspiring teacher?
No. The crucifixion was no accident. It was God's plan that Jesus would take on Himself the guilt of mankind's rebellion, its selfishness and pride. Think about it. It's mind-blowing.
But it's more than that! Because three days after they thought they were rid of Him, He rose up from His tomb, appeared to many and then returned to His Father.
Incredible? No, in fact the evidence is compelling.
Christians believe this Jesus lives, is Lord, and will one day return. We believe He can transform our lives. We believe the challenge of taking up the cross worth accepting.
Want to know more? Who wouldn't!


text:
Q: How to run Cisco's webex without installing one of their compromised browser plugins? After the reports of the huge security flaws in Cisco's Webex browser plugins, I've uninstalled all of their browser plugins and would rather run it directly from the command line.
I've figured out that the following seems to work for me but it's really brittle:
"$HOME/Library/Application Support/WebEx Folder/T31_TC/Training Center.app/Contents/MacOS/Training Center"

The big question is how the browser plugins injects the name of the conference or how my authentication information into the WebEx application.

*

*It doesn't seem to be through environmental variables at least.

*I can't get dtruss to work with it to see what files it is opening.

Anyone figured this out?  Thanks much if so.
EDIT:
Aha.  I see the following file that seems to hold a bunch of params.
"$HOME/Library/Application Support/WebEx Folder/T31_TC/webexparameters.txt"

I see the following entries there:

*

*Plaintext password (not really _secret).  More Cisco security prowess:  [NAME]-=-oneclickoption-=-[VALUE]-=-4%_secret-=-

*The conference name in many, many places.  One is:  [NAME]-=-szsiteurl-=-[VALUE]-=-https://companyname.webex.com/conferencename/k2-=-

*Plaintext email address in many places.

Anyone else gotten farther than I?


text:
Samsung Galaxy A9s with four cameras may launch in China on 24 October: Report | Tech Industry
Breaking Tech Industry news from the top sources
After the Samsung Galaxy A9 was launched last week, the smartphone is apparently launching in China this week, but it will be called the Galaxy A9s.
According to a report by Chinese blog ithome, Xiaomi has sent out media invites for a launch event on 24 October, which teases a smartphone with four cameras. Now, it is too soon to launch a successor of the phone, hence all bets are on the name of the Galaxy A9 being modified for the Chinese market.
Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018). Image: Samsung Newsroom
Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) specifications and features
From what we already know, the Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) features a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED infinity display, with a resolution of 1080 x 2220 pixels.
Under the hood, the smartphone will be powered by a Snapdragon 660 chipset, with 6 GB or 8 GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.
In terms of camera, the Galaxy A9 comes with a 24 MP f/2.0 selfie camera. At the rear, it has an 8 MP ultra-wide camera, a 10 MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, a 24 MP f/1.7 main camera, and a 5 MP f/2.2 depth camera.
The Galaxy A9 runs Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box, it features a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and a 3,800mAh battery. The smartphone also comes with Bixby assistant. The price of the Galaxy A9 is not yet known.
A9scamerasChinaGalaxyindustryLaunchOctoberprosyscom tech
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